Roberto Mancini officially unveiled as manager of Saudi national team

RIYADH: Roberto Mancini was officially unveiled as the manager of the Saudi national team at a ceremony in Riyadh on Monday.

During the event, Saudi Arabian Football Federation president Yasser Al-Misehal expressed his excitement at securing the services of a globally acclaimed coach for the Green Falcons. He highlighted Mancini’s exceptional achievements and passion for the sport.

“There was some time in finalizing the deal for the Saudi national team manager and everyone knows the importance and sensitivity of this matter,” he said. 

“Therefore, it deserved sufficient time to be settled in a distinguished manner, we are proud of our success in attracting a global coach, a coach who has achieved significant accomplishments and still possesses great passion for the game.

We are fortunate that we have great support from our leadership, and we have a significant responsibility to keep up with this support. Saudi Arabia has become attractive to all global names.”

Mancini, in his first statement since assuming his new role, set out his aspirations to elevate the team’s level in Asian football.

The Italian detailed his initial plans for the team and how important the next few weeks will be in assessing and selecting the right players. 

“The next 10 days are important to see the players, and also in the past 10 days, we have watched lots of videos on the teams and players, we have four friendly matches before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and we have enough time,” he said.

While acknowledging the existing talent within the national team, Mancini added: “I am not a magician, we have exceptional talents, and we can achieve our goals through continuous work. We have good players, the previous coach did a great job, and