Pep Guardiola’s €80m price tag puts Italy job out of reach

Pep Guardiola’s eye-watering salary demands have effectively ended any chance of him becoming Italy’s next head coach, with the Azzurri unable to match his financial expectations. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Manchester City boss — who stepped down from the Premier League side after a 10-year stint at the Emirates Stadium — is asking for €20 million per season. Over a proposed four-year contract, that works out to €80 million in total wages. While the figure represents a reduction from his reported €25m annual salary at City, it would still make Guardiola the highest-earning international manager in the world by a considerable margin. For context, Carlo Ancelotti currently pulls in €10m per year with Brazil, the top salary among national-team coaches. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) offered Guardiola a deal worth roughly half his demand — around €10m annually. Unsurprisingly, that gap has proven impossible to bridge. Gazzetta reports: “He’s unlikely to accept the Azzurri’s offer. The situation is currently difficult because there seems to be a significant gap between the significant salary offered by the federation (€10m per season) and Pep’s request, which is approximately double that.” With Guardiola apparently off the table, Italy are now turning their attention elsewhere. Andrea Pirlo is considered the leading candidate for the role, ahead of Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte. Guardiola, meanwhile, is under no financial pressure to rush back into work. Gazzetta calculates his total managerial earnings at more than €320m, making him arguably the best-paid coach in football history. His wages have broadcasterrocketed since his early days at Barcelona, where he started on just €1.5m per season before climbing to €8m and later €10m. At Bayern Munich he earned €17m annually over three years, and at Manchester City his salary rose from €19m to €23m and finally €25m after his 2024 extension. His career earnings break down as €44m at Barcelona, €51m at Bayern Munich and a staggering €226m at Manchester City — a gross total of €321m, not including bonuses tied to the many trophies he has won.