Child Roberto escaped from his prayers in the sixties of the last century for the sake of football, and two years ago Mr. Mancini received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his achievements in his favorite game, and between this date and that, a successful career as a player and coach, dramatic events, and a lot of elegance.
On Sunday, the Saudi Federation announced that the Italian coach would assume the technical duties of the first team, with a contract that extends until 2027.
Mancini was born into a Catholic family in the city of Jesi, in the province of Ancona, to his father Aldo and his mother Mariana, and he has a younger brother, Stephanie.
His family was religious, and he served during his childhood in the church. His role was to assist the priest in his daily duties, but this did not prevent him from pursuing his first passion… football.
One day, little Roberto had to attend an important event in his church, and his local team was playing an important match. He skipped the game and went to do his religious duties.
During the prayer, Mancini completely disappeared, and when his father noticed his absence, he realized that he had gone to play football, which forced him to go and apologize to the priest while feeling embarrassed and ashamed.
A man who lost his twin
Mancini was an outspoken striker during his time as a player, shining in the Sampdoria shirt. Between 1982 and 1997, he played nearly 425 matches, scoring 135 goals, achieving the Italian League and 4 domestic cups in addition to the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
During his presence with the blue and white club, he formed a partnership that destroyed the opponents’ defenses with Gianluca Vialli over the course of 8 years, and they succeeded in reaching the Champions League final with their team, but they did not crown the championship, and the fans called them the “twin goals”.
After more than 20 years, the Italian national team brought them together again, as Mancini became coach of the Azoy and Vialli was head of the Italian delegation in 2019 in the midst of his battle with pancreatic cancer, during which he endured for 4 years before dying.
Mancini told Corriere dello Sport about Vialli: We met at the age of 16 and never parted, all this together: the youth teams of Italy, the national team, Sampdoria, joys, sorrows, victories and defeats. Then two Wembley evenings (when they lost as players with Sampdoria the Champions League final in 1992, then won the European Nations Final in 2021 at the head of the Italian national team).
He continued: He played a decisive role in winning the continental title. The players loved it. Gianluca brought us the courage we didn’t know he used to fight disease, Gianluca was the best of us. A perfect striker and a perfect and brave man.
The path of championships does not go astray.. and a Russian exception
The Saudi national team will be the eighth training station in Mancini’s career, after Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Galatasaray, Zenit St. Petersburg, in addition to the Italian national team.
Mancini won championships with all the teams he coached except for the Russian Zenit, which means he won 14 trophies during his 22 years of training.
He coached Inter Milan in two states, the first was the most successful in his entire career after he crowned 7 championships, he won a single championship with Lazio, Fiorentina and Galatasaray, and in England he won 3 cups, the most important of which was the English Premier League through Aguero’s historic goal against Queens Park Rangers, and with “The Azzurri.” He snatched the European Cup 2020 from the English stronghold, Wembley, and in front of their national team, on penalties.
Faith in young men
Mancini trained some financially unstable clubs, such as Lazio and Fiorentina, at the beginning of his career, which forced him to take care of the youth and youth who would help fill the shortcomings of his teams.
His period with the Italian national team did not witness a difference, as he gave 25 new players the opportunity to appear for the first time in their country’s national team shirt, and called up more than 60 different Italian players over a period of 5 years.
Among the list of players that Mancini gave him the opportunity to appear, Sandro Tonali, Nicolo Zaniolo, Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Barella.
The “fashion” icon at the age of 58
Perhaps you will not remember seeing coach Mancini on the line of contact with something other than an elegant suit. The 58-year-old coach always cares about his appearance, and he was also famous for a scarf that did not leave his neck in cold weather during his days in Manchester.
The story of his scarf began when he took charge of City in December 2009, and he appeared in his first two matches with the team with a neck scarf, during which they beat Stoke Wolverhampton.
The City products section noticed the masses’ interest in buying the scarf in support of its coach, so it changed its name to the “Mancini scarf” and increased its price from 5 to 8 pounds sterling, achieving great sales with a high demand for its purchase.
Mancini is also the global advertising ambassador and face of the famous Italian brand “Paul & Shark”, which specializes in men’s and women’s fashion.
“watch lover”
One of Mancini’s passions for style is watches. In his personal collection are two watches by Swiss luxury brand Richard Mille.
One is made of titanium and carbon alloys, the same materials NASA uses in the wings of its spacecraft, and was made for Mancini in 2013.
As for the second version, which costs a quarter of a million dollars, Mancini wore it during the European Cup in which he was crowned. It features a disc dedicated to tracking the first half, stoppage time and extra time. The outcome of the match changes.
Goodwill Ambassador
Mancini has been appointed since 2014 as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The reason for his candidacy for this position: Through his affiliation with the world of sports, he can raise awareness and draw public opinion to issues of childhood and adolescence, and attract solidarity to support the initiatives of the organization.
Mancini believes that he lives in a world full of disparities, and children who need help, and that he should not stand idly by towards them. He said that before assuming the position, he visited an organization center in the Danish capital Copenhagen for orphaned children, and that visit shocked his soul, as he described it.
Honorary Doctor of Mathematical Sciences
2021 was a year full of successes for the Italian coach. After winning the European Cup and achieving a record for any team in the unbeaten streak (37 consecutive matches), it was time for appreciation outside the field.
In September 2021 Mr. Mancini was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Mathematical Sciences by the University of Urbino.
Mancini gave a talk entitled “Leadership, Cohesion and Team Spirit: How to Build a Winning Team in Sports,” and said about his Ph.D.: I want to express my gratitude. With this recognition, the cultural and social value that sport has in the lives of many people, especially with regard to the younger generations, is confirmed.
