Italy national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has insisted he does not deserve praise despite the Azzurri's impressive performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Gattuso believes that all his hard work will only be appreciated if Italy actually qualifies for the final round.
"I'll accept the praise if I achieve my goals; if not, I'll retire from the Italian national team. I've come a long way, but I'll go even further," Gattuso was quoted as saying by Football Italia on Thursday.
The statement underlined the former AC Milan midfielder's commitment to leading his country to qualify for the World Cup.
Italy recorded two important wins in October's qualifying matches, over Estonia (3-1) and Israel (3-0).
The result moved Italy up to second place in Group I with 15 points from six matches, three points behind leaders Norway.
