Mancini eyes Asian Cup as he seals lucrative Saudi move

An Italian football manager and former player Roberto Mancini said he hoped to lead Saudi Arabia to Asian Cup victory within months on Monday, after quitting as Italy coach.

The former Inter Milan and Manchester City boss held up a green shirt that read "Mancini 2027" after inking a contract to stay with the Green Falcons beyond the next World Cup. 

Mancini was reportedly offered more than $25 million to join the big-spending Saudis. Mancini is the latest high-profile acquisition for the world's top oil exporter which has snapped up some of football's biggest players in a spree costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Saudis lie 54th in the world rankings, way below some of their Asian Football Confederation peers. The Saudi women's team is 172nd out of 186 teams.