Newly appointed coach Roberto Mancini wants to give Saudi Arabia the Asian Cup football title. Mancini signed an attractive contract with the Saudi Arabian national team yesterday, just two weeks after leaving the Italian team.
The former coach of Inter Milan and Manchester City was officially introduced to the media on Monday by Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia wants to retain him as a coach even after the 2026 World Cup. That is why Mancini signed a contract with the green jersey holders until 2027.
Earlier, however, Mancini admitted that Saudi Arabia’s offer was not responsible for leaving Italy. He signed a contract with Saudi for 25 million dollars annually. “I’m not a magician,” said Mancini about Saudi Arabia’s chances at the Asian Cup in Qatar next year in January-February. Our main goal is to win the Asian Cup for the first time after 27 years. We have four months left. Among them are four friendlies. There are two World Cup qualifiers. After that we will have 20 days to prepare for the Asian Cup. We know there are big teams like Japan, Australia, South Korea. But I’m sure we can go there and try our best to win the title.’
Mancini, 58, has been signed by Saudi Arabia in another major deal. Already, the top four clubs in the country’s professional league have sparked discussions by bringing in several top European players. Mancini arrived in Riyadh a day after Brazilian superstar Neymar arrived in Saudi Arabia. Earlier, stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema have joined the league here.
(29 August/MM)