It was a very disappointing 2014 World Cup for the Italian National Team. The four time World Cup champions failed to even make it out of Group D and into the Knockout stage. This year's squad finished with one win and two losses, which came against Costa Rica and Uruguay.

Given the embarrassing performance of the Italian squad in the World Cup, team manager Cesare Prandelli resigned from the team on June 24.

According to multiple sources, Italy has named Antonio Conte to be their new team manager.

The contract is set for two years, and it was agreed upon with the FIGC, the Italian Football Federation. The FIGC President is Carlo Tavecchio. There's still no guarantee that Conte will be coaching the Italian team in 2018 for the World Cup in Russia, but if management likes what they see over the next two years, he may stay.

Conte is a very experienced soccer personnel, especially in Italy. Conte was born and grew up in the historic city of Lecce, located in South East Italy. He would play for the Lecce team and Juventus F.C. for nearly 20 years from 1984-2004. Although a very small middle fielder, Conte was notable for being an excellent team leader. He was the team captain for much of his time with Juventus F.C.

One of his most proud moments came in 1994. The 25-year-old Conte was selected to play on the Italian National Team at the World Cup. That year, Italy would advance all the way to the finals only to lose to Brazil on a shootout.

Conte has managed several teams since 2006, all of which are Italian based. His time with Arezzo was somewhat disappointing, as he wins and losses often swapped with each other. Having already played for Joventus, Conte wanted to coach the team, but he needed more experience first. After stops at Bari, Atalanta and Siena, he finally got to manage the team he played for.

In 2011 Conte took over as the Joventus Manager. During his time there, Conte won 102 out of his 151 games managed. His resignation in July came as a big surprise to many. Was there a possibility he knew this opportunity was coming?

With Germany having won the previous World Cup, and Italy failing to qualify for the last two World Cup knockout stages, Italy needs to regain their European soccer dominance.

This will by far Conte's biggest managerial position yet. He will be under a lot of pressure, but most of the reception has been welcome. Many Italian soccer fans feel he is qualified and will do a great job. This is somewhat similar to the Lakers hiring Byron Scott as their head coach because he's one of their own. Scott played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 11 seasons after being drafted No. 4 overall in 1983. Conte has coached and played his entire career in Italy.

The future of Italian soccer now lies in Antonio Conte's hands.

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