The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) announced on Sunday that the Italian has been given a four-year contract.
His first matches in charge will be for friendlies against Costa Rica, on September 8, and South Korea four days later – both will take place in Newcastle, England.
“I made history in Europe, now it’s time to make history with Saudi,” Mancini said in a video posted to social media by SAFF.
Italian media reported Mancini’s contract is worth €25 million (A$42 million) a year.
Mancini, 58, is the latest big name to become part of Saudi’s soccer revolution, after clubs from the oil-rich kingdom splashed the cash in the off-season on a number of high-profile players including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
“This is a great opportunity for me to experience football in a new country, especially with the growing popularity of football in Asia,” Mancini said.
“I firmly believe that the passionate footballing culture of Saudi Arabia and the intrinsic quality of Saudi players are crucial ingredients for success.
“The presence of top players in the Saudi Pro League indicates the potential for growth in the national football scene.”
Mancini stunned Italian soccer when he quit as national coach earlier this month, ending an an up-and-down tenure that included a European Championship title in 2021 but also a failed qualification for last year’s World Cup.
He was replaced by Luciano Spalletti, who led Napoli to Italy’s Serie A title last season.
Mancini won three successive Serie A titles with Inter Milan – from 2005 to 2008 – as well as steering Manchester City to the English Premier League in 2012.
“We are delighted to welcome Roberto Mancini to lead the Green Falcons,” SAFF President Yasser Al Misehal said.
“We’re a footballing nation and we (are) continuing to invest at every level in our journey to compete with the best in the world on and off the pitch.”
The Asian Cup, hosted by defending champions Qatar, starts in January. The Saudis are drawn in a group with Kyrgyzstan, Oman and Thailand.
The friendlies against Costa Rica and South Korea will be at St James’ Park, the stadium of Premier League team Newcastle, whose majority owner is the Public Investment Fund that manages US$700 billion (A$1.1 trillion) of Saudi sovereign wealth.
Meanwhile, the Saudis’ transfer market assault has gone to another level, with Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah the latest player to be enticed.
Al Ittihad, one of four clubs owned by the nation’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), is making a bombshell play for the striker.
The club has already signed Liverpool’s Fabinho for £40m in the off-season, as well as French stars Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
Rudy Galetti of Sport Italia has reported that Salah has informed Liverpool of his desire to move to Ittihad this (northern hemisphere) summer, but that the Reds have yet to agree to a deal as they are determined to keep their prized asset.
Salah is the highest-paid player in Liverpool history on a reported deal worth around £350,000 (A$685,000) per week, and has two seasons remaining on the deal (including this year).
According to multiple reports, the offer is somewhere in the vicinity of £65m (A$127.6m) per year over three seasons, not including bonuses or endorsements.
A major complicating factor for Liverpool and other English clubs is that their transfer window closes on September 1, while the Saudi Pro League’s transfer window remains open until September 20 – which means any Premier League sides losing players would have no chance to replace them.
AAP
