Maldini is the new technical director of an Italian national team that desperately needs a revolution. Italy’s recent World Cup history is embarrassing: three consecutive tournaments without even qualifying. That simply cannot continue.
Maldini’s appointment makes perfect sense. His name carries enormous weight, he has a deep connection with the country, understands Italian football from the inside, and proved his ability during his time at AC Milan.
Milan’s recent success came with Maldini as technical director. It was never a project built on spending huge sums of money without a plan, partly because Italian clubs simply do not operate that way. Instead, it was about building. He signed players who made sense, put together a solid core and won the Serie A title in 2021/22, something the club have not managed to repeat since. It was not complete domination, but it was a genuine project built on clear ideas.
When it came to managers, he got one appointment right and another wrong. Personally, I’m not a fan of Pioli, mainly because of his disappointing spell at Al Nassr, but it would be unfair to ignore the fact that he won the league with Milan. His appointment followed a familiar Italian pattern: trusting someone who already knew the league. That approach can work in the short term, but it also limits long-term growth because it constantly recycles the same ideas.
With the Italian national team, however, the conversation changes. There is no room for playing it safe. Italy need to invest seriously in young players. They must develop home-grown talent, give them meaningful minutes and trust them without hesitation. And when the talent pool is not strong enough, they should identify players with dual nationality and integrate them into the national team as early as possible.
The reality is simple: Italy still have enough quality to qualify for a World Cup without major difficulties. But when you compare the current squad with those of the past, the difference in talent is obvious. Ignoring that reality would simply mean repeating the same mistakes.
Conclusion
Maldini has a huge task ahead of him. The objective cannot simply be to qualify for another World Cup. That should be the absolute minimum. The real goal must be to make Italy competitive at the very highest level once again.
2030 may be too soon for a complete revolution, but by 2034 there can be no excuses. Italy must arrive at that World Cup as one of the genuinely elite national teams again, at the very least among the ten favourites. And for that to happen, the work has to start now.