Roberto Mancini said sorry. Standing at a podium in Rome on Wednesday, the man brought back to manage Italy's national football team apologised for leaving in the first place.

"I'm very sorry," Mancini told his first press conference since being reappointed as Italy head coach. "It was like losing the woman of your life. And it means you did something that shouldn't have been done." The Guardian

The FIGC, Italy's football federation, confirmed Mancini's return on Tuesday after a board meeting in late July 2026. The Athletic The announcement capped what The Athletic described as "an acrimonious 72 hours in Italian football." Mancini was, by most accounts, not the first name on anyone's list. Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola both turned the job down. Andrea Pirlo, the former Italy midfielder, was dropped as a candidate amid concerns over a sponsorship deal with a Russian betting firm. Mancini was the fourth-choice option. The Guardian

Even the federation's own president sounded less than thrilled. "Not approving this candidacy was my decision and a judgement call," FIGC chief Malago said. "I'm sorry." ESPN

This is the story of a coach who walked out on the team he led to a European Championship title in 2021, and is now being asked to fix the wreckage that followed. Mancini first managed Italy from May 2018 to August 2023 — a tenure that included that Euro 2020 triumph, played in 2021 because of the pandemic. Then, in August 2023, he resigned. Two weeks later he was unveiled as head coach of Saudi Arabia's national team. The whiplash left Italian fans stunned.

Things only got worse. Italy failed to qualify for a World Cup for a third consecutive tournament — a staggering fall for a nation that has won the competition four times. A playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in April 2026 triggered the resignations of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and head coach Gennaro Gattuso. The Guardian

Mancini pointed the finger at himself for the original split. His departure, he said, was "completely my fault," citing a breakdown in communication with Gravina. "I'm sorry, very sorry also for everything that happened over these last three years," he added. "I'm going to try to bring the national team back where it belongs." The Guardian

He knows the welcome may not be warm. "I realise some people will be against me," Mancini said. "I'm hoping the squad plays well enough that maybe people will forgive me." The Guardian

Alongside Mancini's return, the FIGC installed Claudio Ranieri — the veteran manager who famously led Leicester City to a Premier League title in 2016 — as technical director and president of Club Italia, the body that oversees national teams. Ranieri called the role "the crowning achievement of my career" and said Italian football needs to put individual skill back at the centre of its thinking. FIGC

Mancini's first match back is scheduled for 25 September 2026, against Belgium in the Nations League — a competition Italy entered under his guidance in its inaugural edition — at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The Guardian

He has set the bar plainly. He hopes, he said, "to win one or two trophies and stay a long time." FIGC After three years of regret and three missed World Cups, Italy will find out soon enough whether the woman he lost will take him back.