The former World Cup-winning goalkeeper said, “We are just waiting to finalize some minor details.”
Before the official announcement, Gianluigi Buffon revealed the name of Italy’s new coach. The head of the Italian Football Federation delegation confirmed that Buffon’s former teammate, Gennaro Gattuso, will take charge of the four-time World Cup winners’ dugout.
After a poor start in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Italian Football Federation recently dismissed Luciano Spalletti. On Saturday, Buffon confirmed to Italy’s state broadcaster RAI that the new coach will be the former midfielder Gattuso.
“We have done the work, now we are waiting to finalize all the details. The president and the federation have been very busy over the past few days. But I believe, in the end, we have made the best decision.”
Spalletti lost his job after less than two years in charge. Following a 3-0 defeat to Norway, he announced his own dismissal. His final match as national coach was a 2-0 victory over Moldova.
Gattuso, a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad, earned 73 caps for the national team. Most recently, he coached Croatian club Hajduk Split but stepped down by mutual agreement after leading the team to third place in the country’s top league.
