World Cup winners Italy have appointed former AC Milan midfielder Roberto Donadoni as their coach to replace Marcello Lippi.

Lippi quit on Wednesday saying he had “come to the end of his role” after winning the World Cup in Germany last week.

Donadoni, who resigned as Livorno coach midway through last season, is highly rated but has limited coaching experience in Serie A and filling Lippi’s shoes will be an enormous challenge. Under Lippi’s stewardship, Italy, on a 25-game unbeaten streak, beat France on penalties in the World Cup final at Berlin after putting out hosts Germany in the semi-finals. Donadoni, who played 63 times for his country, will also have to contend with fallout from the trial into Italy’s biggest match-fixing scandal.

The Italian football federation (FIGC) chose the former Livorno coach, who ended his playing career in the US with the New York/New Jersey Metrostars, ahead of current under-21 team boss Claudio Gentile.

“We decided to bet on a youngster who could become truly great,” Demetrio Albertini, the Italian football federation’s vice-commissioner said. Donadoni was part of the Italy squad in the 1990 World Cup they hosted, missing a penalty in the semi-final defeat by Argentina. Four years later he was in the Azzurri team which lost in the final to Brazil on penalties.

The Bergamo-born coach began his playing career with his local club Atalanta before joining AC Milan in 1986 and he was a key component of the European and domestic successes enjoyed by the club under the guidance of Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.

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