Pep Guardiola turns down Italy national team job, choosing sabbatical over €20M-per-year offer

Pep Guardiola, arguably the most decorated club football manager alive, has officially declined the chance to coach Italy’s national team. The decision, communicated to the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) around July 23-24, was driven not by money or ambition but by something rarer in elite sports: the desire to do absolutely nothing for a while. The FIGC had reportedly gone to extraordinary lengths to land Guardiola, including discussions around financial exceptions that would have doubled their initial €10 million annual offer to meet his reported €20 million salary demand. Even with the gap narrowing, Guardiola said no. He wants at least a year away from the sidelines after a decade of relentless club-level competition at Manchester City. What the negotiations looked like The FIGC’s opening offer of €10 million per year was substantial by international football standards. Guardiola’s reported ask of €20 million annually reflected the premium he commands, and the federation was apparently willing to explore creative financial structures to bridge that gap. Guardiola’s refusal wasn’t a negotiating tactic. By all accounts, the Spaniard has decided that rest is more valuable than...