Roberto Mancini CONFIRMED as new Saudi Arabia manager on staggering £77m deal just ten days after quitting Italy job
ROBERTO Mancini has been confirmed as the new Saudi Arabia manager.
The ex-Man City boss, 58, surprisingly quit his role as Italy boss two weeks ago.
But now, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation have announced the Italian as their next coach in a video online.
Mancini has reportedly put pen to paper on a staggering £77million deal over three years.
He will be unveiled in a glitzy ceremony in Riyadh on Monday, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
His first match in charge will be against Costa Rica in a friendly at St James’ Park on September 8.
Four days later, The Green Falcons will take on South Korea during the international break.
Then, he will face a World Cup 2026 qualifier against either Cambodia or Pakistan in their opening group game.
Saudi Arabia Under 23 coach Saad Al-Shehri was temporarily placed in charge of the senior side, who had been without a permanent coach since Herve Renard left in March.
The Gulf state qualified for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups but went out in the group stages on both occasions.
However, they had a memorable 2-1 victory against World Cup winners Argentina last year in the group stage.
Mancini is the latest high-profile figure to head to Saudi Arabia.
Players that have made the move to the country include Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, while Neymar has joined Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain.
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Mancini has had a lengthy and successful managing career taking charge of Manchester City, Inter Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Galatasaray, and Zenit Saint Petersburg.
He won the Serie A title three times with Inter and recorded a Premier League triumph with Man City.
While as an international tactician, he won the Euro 2020 with the Azzurri – beating England on a penalty shootout.