Gianluigi Buffon, the former goalkeeper of the Italian national team, commented on the current events that Italian football is going through, which ended with the appointment of Mancini as the technical director of the national team.
Buffon confirmed in his statements that he had an important role in appointing the coach at a time when Gattuso was also one of the most prominent candidates to coach the national team.
Buffon said in statements to the Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport": "In the end, Mancini is a good technical choice because he has proven that he has a practical playing style that suits this type of project".
He added: "If I were in the place of Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich or Real Madrid or Juventus, any big team, I would have considered him".
Regarding Mancini's previous departure to Saudi Arabia, he continued: "You are talking to someone who was relegated to the second division and reduced his salary by 500,000 euros with Juventus, just for that sense of belonging, so this decision was strange to me at the time".
He explained: "I had an important role in his appointment, but I did not have the final decision; at that time, Gattuso was the best available candidate in the market for this role, we did not have much time, and the qualifiers were almost certain, we needed to motivate a team that was somewhat frustrated, and restore enthusiasm and a sense of pride to it".
Buffon commented on Pep Guardiola, saying: "Just mentioning his name was enough to give us a strong boost, which we needed, but his presence would not have guaranteed results; he has been the best for 30 years, but he has limited himself to coaching clubs, while working with the national team is something completely different".
He continued: "I suggest that the main goal be to qualify for the World Cup in four years; based on that, I would have chosen Conte, then Baldini, and perhaps some other coaches, but one must have the courage in the choices and the ability to convey them to everyone, even to the press".
He concluded: "I often hear people say this is the right person without any real qualifications; well, but these are instinctive choices, not well-considered ones; the project must be the priority, then the right person comes".
