Riyadh: Roberto Mancini was officially introduced as the coach of the Saudi national team at a ceremony in Riyadh on Monday.

President during the ceremony Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser al-Misehal, was delighted to secure the services of the world-renowned coach of the Green Falcons. He highlighted Mancini’s outstanding achievements and his passion for the sport.

“It took some time to complete the deal for the manager of the Saudi national team. Everyone knows the importance and sensitivity of this issue,” he said.

“That is why this case deserves to be considered in the rules of art. We are proud that we managed to attract a world-renowned coach who has achieved considerable feats and is still passionate about football,” he added.

“We are fortunate to have strong support from our leaders, and we have a great responsibility to maintain that support.” Saudi Arabia now attracts all the biggest names in world football.

In his first statement since taking over, Mancini expressed his desire to raise the standard of the team in Asian football.

Translation of languages ​​into reality

The Italian detailed his initial plans for the squad and the importance of the coming weeks to assess and select the right players.

“Before the selection for 2026 we have four friendlies for the World Cup and we have enough time,” he said.

Acknowledging the existing talent in the squad, Mancini added: “I’m not a magician, we have exceptional talent and we can achieve our goals with constant work. We have good players, the former coach did a good job. In the near term, we have to turn our rhetoric into reality on the pitch, as I said before, we have good talent, but with hard work we can achieve our goals.

Mancini also presented his short-term and long-term plans for the national team.

“Our aim is to win the Asian Cup, twenty-seven years after the last one, but before that we have four friendlies, two World Cup qualifiers and a 20-day camp to prepare for the Asian Cup,” he said.

Asked about the current situation Saudi footballMancini drew a parallel with his experience in Italy.

“The same thing happened in Italy many years ago great foreign players arrived In Italy we also improved a lot, it is good for the Saudi players and we have enough time to select our players. We are ready for it.”

This text is a translation of an article published by Arabnews.com