Immediately after retirement, De Rossi stated his intention to become a coach, and he was quickly linked to several Serie A managerial vacancies between 2020 and 2021, such as Fiorentina, Crotone and Cagliari, all despite still not having the UEFA Pro Licence required to serve as head coach in the Italian top flight. In December 2020, De Rossi started the UEFA A licence course. On 18 March 2021, De Rossi was unveiled as Roberto Mancini's new assistant in charge of the Italian national team. On 11 July 2021, Italy won the UEFA Euro 2020 after a 3–2 victory on penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw on extra-time against England in the final.