Mancini’s time at Leicester would be short and sweet. He joined the Foxes in January 2001 after coming out of retirement, but would only make five appearances before leaving a month later and finally hanging up his boots. He had not made that much of an impact in England and Leicester boss Peter Taylor would feel disappointed that he had left so quickly – but, as we previously touched upon, England had made a big impact on Mancini. ‘It was at that point that he decided he would one day like to return as a manager,’ I am told by a source. ‘Roberto has always had great self-confidence and self-belief – he knew he was talented enough to make it as a head coach, after all, he had been helping Sven out at Lazio and had been one of the decision makers at Sampdoria, even when he was still a player!
‘He had seen how Sven had settled into the England job and wanted a taste of it himself – he decided there and then he would return one day and he even admitted he wouldn’t mind the chance of one day managing the English national team, given the chance!’
Certainly, Mancini at the time appeared to back up that idea, saying he was keen to improve his mastery of the English language and pick up hints from Taylor and Eriksson (again) on management. He would say, ‘It is too early for me to judge Peter Taylor as a manager but he seems very good. He is very honest. I have finished my Italian coaching course, which is recognised by UEFA, so I can now coach an Italian side.’ But he did not rule out managing in England, ‘When I was a player I was always interested in management. If there is an opportunity to be a coach in England, it’s possible I will stay here. English football is very different from Italian; it’s more physical and matches are always very open. People talk about the speed of the English game, but in Italy referees blow their whistles very often so you cannot build up speed. In England, referees wave play on and so it becomes faster.’
Taylor himself dismissed the idea that Mancini had just come to the Foxes for the easy money and an easy ride for a few months, ‘Robbie’s got enough money,” he said. ‘He hasn’t come here for the money. He has come here to do well. If he had been unemployed for five years and living in a one-bed flat in Rome, I would be nervous thinking he was just coming here for the money. But he probably has 500 one-bedroom flats in Rome.’
By February 2001, Roberto had gone from England – it would be another eight years before he returned again, as City manager.
One of his best games for the club would come in the 2-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League on February 3, 2001. He would play a key role in the win and City’s official website would drool over his skills, saying, ‘The second period was dominated by the home side and Mancini produced some of the sublime skills that have made him a legend in his homeland. Chances came thick and fast and one breathtaking chipped cross from Mancini appeared to have created Izzet’s second goal but the midfielder headed just wide.’
The Telegraph summed up his short stay at Leicester, hinting that the time for Mancini to step into the manager’s chair was already imminent, ‘Robert Mancini has left Leicester City amid reports in Italy that he is poised to become the next coach of Fiorentina. The former Italian international striker, who resigned as player-coach at Lazio when Sven-Goran Eriksson left Rome to become England’s new manager, has informed Peter Taylor that he will not be extending his month-long contract with the Filbert Street club. He has cited personal reasons for his decision.
‘Taylor had allowed Mancini to return to Italy earlier this week with the understanding that he would be back in time for Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie with Bristol City, but he received a phone call from the 37-year-old last night informing him he would not be returning.’
Taylor admitted he felt low about Roberto’s early exit. He had enjoyed working with a man who was a super professional and had hoped he would stay around longer and continue to exert his influence on the squad. Taylor would say, ‘It’s obviously a big blow because we were expecting him to be playing on Saturday. It’s an important match. But sometimes these things happen when you bring someone in from abroad. I can’t praise Roberto enough for what he did while he was with us.’
Mancini himself would later admit how he enjoyed his brief spell with the Foxes, and confirmed it gave him the taste for wanting to work in England again one day. He said, ‘I stayed at Leicester for one month and I really enjoyed my time with the club. If my memory serves me correct, I left with the team in a good position – sixth I think – and I played five games only one of which we lost, to Everton. It was a very good experience for me – short, but enjoyable and it made me want to return to work in England one day.
The Leicester fans were wonderful to me and the players were very respectful and friendly, too.’
The rumour mill was rife that the Italian was heading home for his first role in management – and with a big-time outfit. The coach at Fiorentina, Fatih Terim, had confirmed he was about to leave the job and Mancini was the obvious choice to replace him, having only just lost out to the Turk for the role the previous summer. The Leicester website, www.leicestercity-mad.co.uk, highlighted the likelihood of the move at the time, saying, ‘Leicester’s Roberto Mancini looks set to quit the club after it was revealed he has been lined up as a successor to Fatih Terim at Fiorentina. The former Sampdoria and Juventus forward is set to have talks with Foxes boss Peter Taylor before returning from Italy. Mancini signed a five-month loan deal at Filbert Street in January and has failed to score so far. The ex-Italy international has made no secret of the fact that he is desperate to move into management and was disappointed not to be considered for the vacant Lazio post. Mancini has been travelling back to Italy every week as he completes his coaching course which is mandatory for Serie A managers and has only been training with Leicester three days a week.
‘Terim, current coach at Fiorentina, has announced that he will leave Florence at the end of the season and Mancini is hotly tipped to be his successor after applying for the job last season. Mancini was beaten to the post by Terim when Giovanni Trapattoni left in the summer and it is understood that it was a close decision for the Fiorentina board between the two. Fiorentina vice-president and former editor of the Corriere dello Sport newspaper, Mario Sconcerti, dropped the biggest hint, saying: “Mancini was a big player and he will be a big manager”.’
The Italian media had another phrase reserved for Mancini – he was ‘baciato dalla grazia’ (‘kissed by good fortune’) as the Guardian would reveal: ‘[It is] how Italians refer to those rare, fortunate individuals who always appear to effortlessly achieve what they want in life. It is a label that has followed Roberto Mancini throughout his career in Serie A. Mancini’s flamboyant style as a player, as much as his 202 goals at club level, won him star status among adoring fans in a career that started at Bologna in 1981, included 15 seasons at Sampdoria until 1997 – alongside, among others, Gianluca Vialli – and ended in 2000 after three years at Lazio. His cavalier playing style, full of inventive flicks and daring goals, plus the blond-streaked hair, the tan and the stubble gave him more the air of an Australian surfer than a serious Serie A goalscorer. The glamorous image – he always appeared near the top of polls for “Italy’s best looking footballer” and his website declares he is a “Campione di Classe”, or Champion of Class – suggest a flamboyant character but those who know him describe him as “a very closed person”, while his critics have called him arrogant and vain.’
BBC Sport confirmed at the time that Mancini was indeed likely to get the job in Florence, ‘Leicester City have given Roberto Mancini permission to miss their FA Cup fifth-round tie with Bristol City amid speculation he is being lined up to take over as coach of Fiorentina. Mancini says he is back in his native country “to sort out family problems”. But reports and sources in Italy suggest that Mancini is being lined up to replace Fiorentina’s Turkish coach Fatih Terim. Terim joined Fiorentina after steering Galatasaray to last season’s Uefa Cup final triumph over Arsenal. But there are reports he will not be renewing his one-year contract.
‘It means Mancini could have already played his last game for Leicester. He is due to hold talks next week with Foxes manager Peter Taylor.’
A Leicester spokesman had confirmed: ‘Roberto has kept us fully informed of his situation and is staying in Italy for some extra time. We plan to talk to him early next week.’
While Mancini said: ‘I am in Italy to try and sort out family problems. I hope I can and I look forward to playing for Leicester again.’
He would not play for Leicester again. Instead, as predicted and expected, Mancini would now take on his first managerial post at Fiorentina. The club were in financial straits when Roberto took command, yet he would guide them to win the Coppa Italia.
It would be a hands-on, learn-as-you-go experience. Roberto had even needed to get special dispensation from the Italian FA to take the job in the first place – as he was not sufficiently qualified in terms of his coaching badges.
He grafted all hours to turn the club around, to try to save it from financial meltdown by bringing success on the pitch, even donning a shirt and playing for the first team as he also tried to guide the club from the manager’s office. ‘It was a very stressful time,’ a source tells me. ‘But Roberto is a tough man; someone who refuses to ever give in and gradually his efforts paid off, he started to turn the club around – and, remarkably, led them to success in the Coppa Italia that would not have seemed possible when he arrived.’
The financial crisis had led to him working unpaid for weeks on end and the fans were not happy when heroes such as Rui Costa and Francesco Toldo had to be sold to balance the books. Mancini lasted just 10 months in the job, quitting in January 2002 with the club second bottom in Serie A. Some pundits have argued that he quit when the going was bad – rather than seeing out the job. But he had brought unexpected success in the Coppa Italia and he was a young man learning his new trade; he wasn’t the messiah. Not at that stage anyway…that would only come with Balotelli at City!
Plus there was the little matter of exactly why he said he had resigned. Because he feared for his family’s safety after the fans had become angry over the enforced sale of stars to bring in much-needed cash. Mancini said that when he had returned to Florence one night after talks in Rome with Fiorentina owner Vittorio Cecchi Gori he had been ‘verbally attacked outside my house by five fans who threatened to intensify the aggression’. He added, ‘The fear of creating problems for my wife and my three children has led me to believe that my work in Florence cannot continue. But I hope I have provided a positive contribution, always giving my best. I want to underline the great professionalism and attachment to the club of my players and all my colleagues despite the daily difficulties having reached the limits of normal endurance.’
Roberto’s tough mental strength was being moulded yet again. Here was a man who was making his way to the top in the most difficult of situations and drawing strength from his experiences. They would all contribute to making him the manager he would eventually become at Inter Milan – and, finally, City.
Four months after the exacting test in Florence, Roberto would be back in the hot seat – at his old playing club, Lazio. But it would again be a test of character – as Lazio were also suffering financial woes. The European Football governing body, Uefa, informed the international Press that Mancini was back in business in Rome after his fall-out in Florence, confirming, ‘Roberto Mancini, the former Italian international, has accepted an offer from S.S. Lazio to take over from Alberto Zaccheroni as head coach of the Roman club for next season, according to reports in Italy. Even though a formal contract will only be signed next week, once Serie A has been concluded, Mancini is believed to have agreed a two-year contract with a salary of €1m per season. Lazio’s president Sergio Cragnotti is looking to start a new era after a disappointing season for the club who were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the first group stage and who could fail to qualify for both next season’s Champions League and UEFA Cup depending on results this weekend, the league’s final matchday.
‘Mancini made his Serie A debut on 13 September 1981 for Bologna FC against Cagliari Calcio. The 38-year-old went on to play for Sampdoria UC, Lazio and Leicester City FC. He won two Italian first division titles (one with Bologna, one with Lazio) six Coppa Italias (four with Bologna, two with Lazio) and two European Cup Winners’ Cups (one with Sampdoria, one with Lazio). For the Italian national team, Mancini won 36 Italian caps and scored four goals. At the end of his playing career, Mancini became Eriksson’s assistant coach at Lazio in July 2000. In spring 2001, he took over as head coach of AC Fiorentina after Fatih Terim’s departure. However, after a poor start to the season, Mancini resigned from the Florence club in January.’
At Lazio he would feel déjà vu as once again – as at Fiorentina – he was forced to sell off his star men, including Hernán Crespo and Alessandro Nesta, to bring in money at the cash-starved club. But again, he brought success. In his first season, Lazio made it to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. They would exit at this stage – and Mancini would for the first time come across a man who would become a major adversary over the years. Yes, the then Porto manager, Jose Mourinho.
Porto would win 4-1 on aggregate – the score after the first leg in Portugal while the second leg in Rome would end 0-0. The Associated Press said after the first leg that there was now the possibility of Portuguese domination in the competition, ‘An all-Portuguese UEFA Cup final looked a good bet after FC Porto trounced Lazio 4-1 in their first-leg semi-final on Thursday. Earlier, Boavista held on for a 1-1 draw with Celtic in Scotland. The return legs are in two weeks. “This is great for Portuguese soccer. I’m really happy,” said Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Durao Barroso. No Portuguese team has won the UEFA Cup. Neither Boavista nor Porto had previously passed the quarterfinals, but Porto took a giant step towards the final with an electrifying home victory over the Cup favourites and 1999 champions from Italy.’
Lazio may have been favourites – they were fourth in Serie A and going great guns – but they had no answer to Mourinho that dire night in Portugal. Claudio Lopez had put Mancini’s men ahead – only for Derlei to grab a brace and Nuno Manique and Helder Postiga to complete the rout.
‘We were better than our opponent today, and that’s reflected in the scoreline,’ Mourinho boasted while Mancini could only admit, ‘It was a tough defeat but we have to keep our hopes up for the second leg. Porto was better all round. We lacked guts at times.’
You wouldn’t expect any Mancini team to have ‘lacked guts’ and certainly he had his men revved up for the second leg. But once again they were unable to get the better of Mourinho. The frustrations of the night were summed up by a missed penalty and a sending off for Roberto’s team. Claudio Lopez’s penalty was saved by Vitor Baia and defender Cesar was sent off along with Porto’s Helder Postiga. Both players had been booked and were then sent off in the first half for separate second booking offences.
Mancini’s European dream was over for another year – and, in the event, Mourinho’s team would not meet Boavista in the final – they would beat Celtic 3-2 in Seville to lift the trophy, the year before Jose then won the Champions League with the same team.
That first season would also see Mancini lead Lazio to fourth spot in Serie A, a commendable achievement.
The following season Lazio under Mancini would finish sixth in Serie A but would win the Coppa Italia. The final was played over two legs with Mancini’s men taking on the legendary Juventus. The first leg was played in Rome on March 17, 2004, with Lazio winning 2–0. The second leg was played on May 12 in Turin and the two clubs drew 2-2, giving Lazio their 4th Coppa win 4–2 on aggregate.
Mancini had come a long way as a manager in a short time – he had led Lazio to the Coppa triumph by outwitting one of the greatest ever Italian managers, Marcello Lippi.
His success with a lack of money had been noted by the elite in Italian football and as the 2004/05 season loomed the rumour mill was rife that Roberto had been asked to take on one of the biggest jobs in Italian football – manager of Inter Milan.
At the San Siro, Roberto would become the club’s most successful manager in 30 years, winning three consecutive Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia. Goal magazine would later best sum up his contribution, ‘Mancini remains to this day Inter’s longest-serving boss under Massimo Moratti. After a third-place finish and a Coppa Italia win in his first season in charge, the president finally got his hands on a Scudetto as a result of the first Calciopoli trial of the following summer. The Nerazzurri would go on to dominate in Italy under Mancini, but he would never see this materialise into success in Europe, and after he told his players he wanted to leave following a Champions League defeat to Liverpool in 2008, his exit that summer was inevitable.’
Mancini led Internazionale to their first domestic trophy since 1989 when he took them to that Coppa Italia success in his first season in 2005. They beat Roma 3-0 on aggregate to secure the crown, winning the first leg 2-0 in Rome and following that up with a 1-0 win at the San Siro. Mancini would lead them to another Coppa win and then three consecutive Serie A wins, in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The win in 06 was the club’s first title success in 20 years and Roberto became only the third coach to take Inter to back-to-back league titles after Alfredo Foni (1952–53 and 1953–54) and Helenio Herrera (1964–65 and 1965–66). Of course, there was talk that the ’06 win was not that much of an achievement as it was gained by default – Juventus had topped the league in both 04-05 and 05-06 but were stripped of both titles due to an Italian Football Federation ruling regarding match-fixing on July 26, 2006. Inter Milan were awarded the 2005-06 title. No replacement winner was named for 2004-05.
Some pundits thus suggested Mancini’s achievement was devalued as it was achieved by default, but that is surely nonsense if results were fixed at the top of the championship!
The scandal was uncovered in May 2006 by Italian police. Juventus were the champions of Serie A and were implicated in the scandal as teams were accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees. Inter had finished third behind winners Juve and runners-up AC Milan, who were also accused of being involved in the scandal. The BBC summed up the punishments, ‘Serie A sides Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina have been demoted to the second division for their involvement in Italy’s match-fixing scandal. Juventus were also stripped of their last two Serie A titles and had 30 points deducted, meaning they are likely to stay down for two seasons. AC Milan will stay in Serie A but will start the season docked 15 points. All are barred from playing in Europe – Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina in the Champions League; Lazio the Uefa Cup.’
CNN reported how Mancini became an unexpected winner in ’06, ‘Inter Milan have been officially awarded the 2005-06 Italian league title in the latest fallout from the country’s match-fixing scandal. The Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) decision to award Inter their 14th title comes after a sports tribunal revoked Juventus’ title win from last season.
‘Juventus also had their title win from 2004/05 revoked but no replacement winner will be named for that season. The decision to give Inter their first title since 1989 came after a sports tribunal handed down guilty verdicts to Juventus, who had finished top of Serie A, AC Milan who were second and Lazio and Fiorentina.’ Inter had finished 15 points behind Juve, who won the title with a record 91 points.
But the triumph was accepted with joy by Inter owner Massimo Moratti – little wonder after he had waited 11 years to win it. He said, ‘I am fully satisfied by the awarding of the title to a club and team that behaved correctly.’
And Mancini was hardly likely to look a gift-horse in the mouth, adding that he and his team deserved it as they had been honest toilers. Roberto said, ‘I’m happy. Regardless of how it arrived, it is right to reward those who have given their best and have always been honest. It is strange to win like this but we played fair.’
Some were not as delighted. Inter legend Sandro Mazzola, part of the massively successful Inter side of the 1960s, made it clear he felt this triumph was in no way comparable to those achieved by himself and his team-mates. ‘This title can’t be compared to the ones that I won, they were different wins in different seasons,’ he said. ‘Those were other times but now what has happened has happened and there is a league table with Inter in top spot and so it was normal that the award went to Inter. But the fans should be doubly happy - for the title but also because Inter didn’t get themselves involved in certain situations.’ He was, of course, latterly referring to the fact that Mancini and Inter hadn’t fallen foul of the match fixing scandal.
Roberto showed his worth by leading Inter to the title the following season, too, although – once again – the pundits tried to belittle his achievement, pointing out it was inevitably easier with Juve demoted to Serie B and AC Milan suffering from a points deduction.
Mancini merely shrugged his shoulders and got on with the job of winning matches, seemingly oblivious to the catcalls as he led Inter to unprecedented domestic success. Yet he would, surprisingly, only last four seasons at the San Siro because of his failure to deliver on the European stage. He was a victim of his own success: as Moratti held the Serie A title in his hands year after year he began to crave for international recognition. He believed that Mancini should now be delivering the Champions League on a regular basis and he was hardly a patient owner. That led him to seek out Jose Mourinho, who built on Mancini’s work and claimed the success in Europe Moratti had demanded – and which Mancini would, arguably, have delivered given more time.
The Daily Mail reported on how Moratti delivered the axe to Mancini – despite the success he had brought to the club, ‘The 2007/08 campaign ended with another Scudetto it was not without its hiccups as Mancini resigned in the immediate aftermath of the Champions League exit to Liverpool before being swiftly talked into a rethink. And Moratti admitted today that Mancini’s apparent willingness to walk out midway through the season had left its mark. Moratti told the Corriere della Sera newspaper: “This created imbalances within the team that forced everyone, managers and players included, to double and triple their energies. It’s true that we all rowed in the same direction, but we were forced to row harder.” Despite the problems which emerged over the final few months of their relationship, Moratti insisted it was not an easy decision to dispense with a coach under whom Inter flourished. He added: “It was not a whim. The most simple solution would have been to have continued with the coach with whom we won three consecutive championships. Nobody would have criticised me, everything would have been smooth. I intervened because I thought it was necessary, not against the coach, but in the interests of Inter.” Moratti is expected to name Jose Mourinho as Mancini’s replacement. The former Porto and Chelsea boss is likely to take over officially at the start of next week.’
Certainly many Inter fans were enraged by Mancini’s dismissal – and the abrupt nature of it. One fan summed up the anger, saying, ‘I didn’t like the official notice released by Inter, it was a total lack of respect to Mancini. In the end he’s been the most winning coach in our history after Helenio Herrera. He deserved to be treated better.’
And that was when Roberto released his own statement, confirming he would be suing for libel, saying the club had damaged his reputation with statements made after his sacking. Mancini’s lawyer Stefano Gagliardi released this statement on behalf of his client, ‘Inter has misused false and illicit means which have seriously offended my reputation and honour. With reference to the official notice released by Inter this morning, which was diffused and published in all the major Italian and European news agencies and television channels, I have taken the decision to give instructions to my legal team in order to protect my image and reputation against my former employers who used false and illicit means to damage my reputation.
‘I would like to thank the president Massimo Moratti and Gabriele Oriali as well as the club and all the staff who have supported me over the last four years. We have to wait and see what the response from Inter will be. I can confirm that we will be taking legal action against the club regarding the statement which was released which has damaged my image.’
More detailed coverage of Roberto’s time at Internazionale and his work in bringing Balotelli through the ranks can be found in the earlier chapters on Mario’s time at the club – the striker joined Inter in 2006 and flourished under Mancini right from the start of their relationship. Roberto gave him his debut a year later when he was just 17.
Mancini left Inter in 2008 and took time out of the game before joining City in December 2009. He was out of the game for more than 18 months as one of the stipulations of the terms he agreed in a financial deal with Moratti. On paper, Roberto could have been due a pay-off in the region of £10million but in the end was reported to have accepted closer to £3million. It was rumoured he was in contention for the Chelsea job in May 2008 but clearly this was always a no-goer given he still had to agree terms with Moratti and when those terms were rubber-stamped he was forced to sit on the sidelines for a certain period of time.
Eventually, the waiting was over and he would finally end up at Manchester City. Just over seven months after his arrival, Roberto would send for his surrogate son…the stage was set for Mancini and Balotelli to work together again, much to Mario’s relief after he had so regularly experienced the rage of Mourinho. He was about to join up once again with the only manager who had ever understood him – and the only man he really felt he could work with in a long-term project. He owed Mancini, for sure – but how would he repay him? We were about to find out…