AFC Asian Cup
Mancini had resigned from his previous post as Italy head coach earlier in August, having spent five years in charge of The Azzurri, leading them to winning UEFA Euro 2020 title and finishing third in the UEFA Nations League twice in 2020-21 and 2022-23.
The appointment follows the departure of French head coach Herve Renard who had left the post in March to take over at his home country’s women’s national team at the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.
“I made history in Europe, now it is time to make history with Saudi,” said Mancini in a video published on the Saudi Arabia national team’s official account on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Prior to his time with Italy, Mancini had won three consecutive Serie A titles with Inter between 2005 and 2008, before taking over at Manchester City, where he won the club’s first Premier League title in 2011-12. Subsequent spells with Galatasaray and Zenit Saint Petersburg either side of a return to Inter produced only a Turkish Cup title in 2013-14.
An elegant playmaker in his playing days, Mancini spent 15 years representing Sampdoria where he won the Serie A title in 1990-91 and captained them to the final of the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) in 1992, losing to Barcelona in extra time. He then moved to Lazio where his second Scudetto in 1999-2000.
In 36 caps for Italy, Mancini was part of the squads that reached the semi-finals in Euro 1988 and FIFA World Cup 1990 on home soil. The 58-year-old will be the first Italian to manage Saudi Arabia.
The Green Falcons have been drawn in Group F of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ alongside Thailand, Kyrgyz Republic and Oman. They will be looking to equal Japan’s record of winning the competition four times, having lifted the trophy in 1984, 1988 and 1996.
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