Italy Eyes Maldini as Conte Awaits World Cup Opportunity
The Italian national team is searching for a leader, and the gaze has turned, once again, to a familiar silhouette: Paolo Maldini. The former Milan captain, the man who embodied authority without a raised voice, is being pushed as the figure to reshape the Azzurri’s technical structure from top to bottom.
The idea is bold. Maldini would not be a ceremonial appointment, wheeled out for nostalgia and photo opportunities. The proposal on the table grants him full control over the technical and youth sectors, a sweeping mandate that underlines just how deep Italy’s introspection runs after another tournament watched from home. The federation wants a captain, not a caretaker.
Alongside that vision sits another long-term bet: Antonio Conte. A four-year offer is in play, stretching all the way to the next World Cup. It is a statement of intent, a move designed to restore edge, identity, and fear factor to a national side that has spent too long living on memories of 2006 and the flash of Euro 2020. Conte would be given time, not just a qualifying campaign, to build a side in his own unforgiving image.
Italy’s absence from the current World Cup only sharpens the focus. While the Azzurri pick through what went wrong, the rest of the world keeps moving.
Vinicius and Brazil Turn on the Style
In Brazil’s case, it is moving at speed. Vinicius Jr. lit up the night, and Carlo Ancelotti’s team simply rolled over Scotland. A brace from the Real Madrid forward, electric and ruthless, set the tone. Matheus Cunha added the third. The result was never really in doubt.
The performance did more than secure three points. It pushed Brazil to the top of their group and reinforced the feeling that, under Ancelotti, this side has both structure and swagger. At this level, that combination is lethal.
Neymar’s appearance off the bench added another layer of intrigue. He did not need to rescue anything. He simply joined the show, a reminder that Brazil still have star power in reserve when the games tighten and the stakes rise.
Elsewhere in the group, Morocco did their job against Haiti but had to settle for second place. They won, but the numbers did not fall in their favour. Switzerland, more efficient than spectacular, edged ahead of Canada in another pool, while the Canadians squeezed through with four points. Italy, watching from afar, could only catalogue the regrets.
Klopp Watches the Circus Roll On
Jürgen Klopp, never shy with a view on the modern game, summed up the contradiction of this World Cup cycle. Too many games, he argued, yet still a spectacle. The calendar groans, the players stretch, but the drama keeps arriving.
Norway and Japan have emerged as the tournament’s surprises, nations without the historical weight of Brazil, Italy, or Germany, but with clear plans and fearless execution. They are the kind of stories that usually light up a World Cup. They are also the kind of stories Italy believes it should be writing, not merely admiring.
The sense of a missed opportunity hangs heavily. Switzerland top a group. Canada qualify with four points. Teams Italy expect to match, if not surpass, are moving into the knockout rounds. Instead, the Azzurri are locked in meetings, dossiers, and strategy papers, trying to redesign a system that has repeatedly failed when it mattered most.
A Crossroads for the Azzurri
This is why Maldini’s name carries such weight. He represents continuity with an elite past, but also a modern, measured approach honed during his time in Milan’s management. Handing him full control over technical direction and youth development would be a clear break from the short-term, fire-fighting cycles that have defined recent years.
Conte, on the other hand, is the coach you call when you want immediate standards and no excuses. A four-year deal through to the World Cup would give him the authority he demands and the runway he needs. It would also send a message to the dressing room: the days of comfort are over.
Italy stand at a crossroads. Around them, Vinicius dances, Brazil climbs, Switzerland and Canada advance, Norway and Japan surprise, and the World Cup rolls on without them.
The decisions on Maldini and Conte will decide whether the Azzurri are still spectators next time, or whether they finally step back into the arena as protagonists.
