Buffon questions Italy's snub of Conte, claims Guardiola would have been pursued harder

Gianluigi Buffon has given a measured verdict on the turbulence surrounding the Italy national team, declining to say whether the Azzurri missed an opportunity while gently questioning the logic behind their choice of coach.

Speaking to Sky Sport , the former goalkeeper and ex-Italy delegation chief reflected on a chaotic few weeks that briefly involved his own future. Paolo Maldini and Leonardo, appointed to overhaul the federation before their sudden departures, had tried to talk him out of stepping away.

“They put me in real difficulty over the official decision I’d taken,” Buffon said, “but I wanted to stay true to what I felt and needed.” He thanked them, and president Giovanni Malagò, for their warmth.

Asked whether Italian football had squandered a chance amid Guardiola’s refusal , the Pirlo saga and the exits of Maldini and Leonardo, Buffon was even-handed. “I don’t know if an opportunity was lost – it depends on the objective, so no one will ever know,” he said. “There’s no debating the worth and moral stature of Maldini and Leonardo, two top people. But the same must be said of Ranieri and of a coach like Mancini.”

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – SEPTEMBER 07: Head of Italy delegation Gianluigi Buffon reacts during a Italy training session at Bozsik Stadion on September 07, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images) Buffon questions Italy’s budget logic over Conte and Guardiola He was more pointed on why Antonio Conte was never a serious contender. “I didn’t ask myself why he wasn’t considered; evidently, for those making the decision, Conte wasn’t contemplated as plan A,” Buffon said.

“There’s a budget issue too, but then for Guardiola it seems they could have gone further. Evaluations have to be made on the basis of the resources available.”

Turning to Juventus’s search for a goalkeeper, Buffon offered a clear endorsement of Guglielmo Vicario.

“He was with us in the national team for three or four years, he won the Europa League with Tottenham and had an important spell in the Premier League. He offers ample guarantees,” he said. On Zion Suzuki, he was diplomatically guarded: “There’s an age difference, and then other differences that I know but don’t think it’s right to say publicly.”