Former Italy coach Roberto Mancini becomes Saudi Arabia coach. The Saudi Football Association announced this on Sunday in a video on social media. “I made history in Europe. Now it’s time to make history with Saudi Arabia,” says the Italian in the video, with iconic Italian music by Andrea Bocelli in the background. The announcement follows two weeks after his sudden departure as national coach of Italy.
Mancini will sign a four-year contract on Monday, according to the Italian news agency Ansa, and will be on the bench for the first time on September 8 during a game against Costa Rica. He is reportedly going to earn 25 million euros a year. The 58-year-old national coach Mancini became European champion with Italy in 2021.
Recently, clubs in Saudi Arabia have been trying to attract more stars from the European football world. Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, for example, have already left for the oil state. Mancini succeeds the Frenchman Hervé Renard.
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