Spalletti confirmed he had been dismissed in a press conference before Italy's second FIFA World Cup qualifier in June, with that 2-0 win over Moldova his final match in charge.

Gennaro Gattuso has since been named as his successor as the Azzurri aim to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Spalletti, 66, was in charge for less than two years after replacing Roberto Mancini but oversaw a disappointing European championship title defence in 2024, as Italy was knocked out in the Round of 16 by Switzerland.

Italy was also beaten 5-4 on aggregate by Germany in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals back in March.

Overall, Spalletti oversaw 24 matches, winning half of those, losing six and also drawing six, and he conceded it is still painful for him to think about losing the role.

"It never goes away. It robs me of sleep, it conditions me in everything because the thought is always there," he told La Repubblica.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm happy, but then it pops back into my head. I couldn't get the boys to understand that I loved them.

"When they offered me [the chance] to lead the national team, I didn't sleep for two or three days. The scar is painful, even if it's on its way to healing.

Spaletti said he had , because the national team doesn't ask, it calls.

"You don't choose whether to accept," he said.

"There is no logical reflection to make. When the national team calls you, you have to make yourself fully available."

Spalletti replaced Mancini in 2023, after the 60-year-old surprisingly stepped down as Italy head coach before taking charge of Saudi Arabia.

Mancini enjoyed a successful spell with the national team, leading them on a world-record 37-match unbeaten run, which included its UEFA Euro 2020 triumph on penalties.

However, Italy missed out on a place in the FIFA World Cup for the second consecutive edition in 2022 and also lost the Finalissima to Argentina that year.

Despite taking over after a somewhat rocky end to Mancini's time in charge, Spalletti feels like he tried to rush some changes, although he never doubted the quality of his players.

"At the beginning, my mistake was to press too much on this sense of belonging, of identity," he said. "Asking them to sing the anthem, doing a huddle before each training session.

"I wanted to stimulate the pride that I felt, but it was too much.

"No [there was not a lack of quality]. I told them that too: Don't be fooled by those who say you're poor. You're of a high level.

"Even though it ended like this, the responsibility is mine alone. I would never give up on [Alessandro] Bastoni, [Nicolo] Barella, [Federico] Dimarco, my old 'group' as it were.

"After the Euros, we went back to doing the right things. I thought we'd found our way. But as happens in the countryside, when you dig a trench for the water, sometimes it takes its own path. And if you keep digging, you create a chasm."