Roberto Mancini has resigned as head coach of the Italy national team, the Italian Football Federation have confirmed.
The 58-year-old handed in his resignation on Saturday evening and has decided to step down from his post after five years with the Azzurri.
Mancini, formerly of Manchester City and Inter Milan, successfully led Italy to Euro 2020 glory, beating England on penalties in the final at Wembley Stadium to lift their first major piece of silverware since the 2006 World Cup.
The Azzurri also finished third at the 2021 and 2023 UEFA Nations League finals under the tutelage of Mancini, whose final game in charge was a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands in the third-place playoff in June.
Despite having three years remaining on his contract, Mancini departs his role as Italy boss with a record of 39 wins, 13 draws and nine defeats from 61 matches across all competitions, and during his tenure set a world-record 37-game unbeaten run on the international stage between 2018 and 2021.
Roberto Mancini has resigned as Head Coach of Italy. The FIGC will now consider the best option for the Azzurri. pic.twitter.com/KCdhWeGxnf
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) August 13, 2023
A statement from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on their official website read: "The Italian Football Federation announces that it has taken note of the resignation of Roberto Mancini from the position of coach of the Italian national team, received late yesterday evening.
"Thus concludes a significant page in the history of the Azzurri, which began in May 2018 and concluded with the 2023 Nations League Finals; in between, the victory at Euro 2020, a triumph conquered by a group in which all the individuals have known how to become a team.
"Taking into account the important and close commitments for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers (9 and 12 September with North Macedonia and Ukraine), the FIGC will announce the name of the new national coach in the next few days."
Mancini's surprise departure from Italy comes just days after he was named as a co-coordinator of the nation's youth teams, a role that would provide him with a greater influence over which young talent could emerge from the Under-20 and Under-21 set-ups to the first team.
Italy are next in action when they travel to North Macedonia for a Euro 2024 qualifier on September 9.
Oliver Thomas
