Enfant prodige

A conversation with Franco Colomba

‘Watch out for him, that “cinno”,’ the Magician Walter Bicocchi said to him. ‘He’s a bouncy one.’ And as a good captain, as a veteran midfielder, as the team’s standard-bearer and as the ‘wise metronome, who made Bologna fly high’ (as the papers described him), Franco Colomba did watch out for Mancini.

The 26-year-old (nine years older than Roberto) did so willingly, because he liked ‘playing with the young ones’ – and because Bologna was his life. He spent over 17 years there as a player, starting with the youth teams and pro­gressing to the first team, and went back as a manager for the 2009/10 season, saving the team from relegation to Serie B.

Born in Grosseto, 57-year-old Franco Colomba’s most recent managerial role was with Parma. He was relieved of his duties there on 9 January 2012 after four draws and a bad defeat (5–0) against Inter Milan at San Siro. Having spent 22 years in management, on various benches around Italy (from Salernitana and Verona to Cagliari, Napoli, Novara and Vicenza), he knows how things turn out in the world of football. He knows that the manager will be the first to pay. There is plenty of time for him to find another club; for now, speaking in Bologna, where he has lived since 1961, he can take the time to remember the young boy he bonded so well with on and off the pitch.

‘Out of training, I would sometimes give him a lift in my car, and some advice,’ reflects Colomba. ‘We were in tune on the pitch, especially when I played further back. I managed to play a few decent balls towards him, so that he could score.’ He is right: in a game in Udine, Mancini slotted home after he was first to a Colomba cross from the left. Likewise against Avellino: another cross, and the Boy scored with a header.

What was the Boy like?

‘He was our enfant prodige. You could tell straight away that he was very good, a world-beater. We saw it in the New Year’s Day Football Tournament, but Radice didn’t play him during that season. Burgnich, though, was brave and put him in. He needed him, as many players had left during the summer, and some of the newcomers had physical problems to resolve.’

How did Mancini react to the first team?

‘He was 17; he was just a boy, and we treated him as such. But he was very mature on the field. It was a pleasure to watch him move, lose his marker and ask for the ball. He used to do well as a striker, too – he immediately became the main attacking threat in the team. He was a born leader, who would make his presence felt during the game. He was also a generous player, very good at passing the ball. To sum up, he was a born champion, he had a clear head and he knew exactly what he wanted. He was very focused: he trained properly and listened to the manager’s advice.’

Mancini was so good that you put his name forward to Enzo Bearzot, the Italy manager, who led the Azzurri to victory in the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

‘That’s right. Even considering his young age, Mancini could have been one of the 22 players who made up the squad. It is a pity that he didn’t get real satisfaction from the national team as everyone expected him to. Perhaps Roberto Baggio stood in his way. Still, it is unquestionable that Mancini really moved into the spotlight during that season in Bologna. He exploded on to the scene. He played in all of the 30 matches, and was the team’s top goalscorer.’

That season ended badly, though …

‘We looked safe with six games to go. Then everything went pear-shaped and we ended up in Serie B.’

And Mancini moved to Sampdoria.

‘Just as they did with Eraldo Pecci and Gianluca Pagliuca, Bologna sold their gem, the one who could have secured the team’s future. From then on, it all spiralled downwards and Bologna ended up in Serie C1.’

You also played against him, when he was wearing the Sampdoria shirt and you played for Avellino.

‘We always gave a hard time both to him and to Vialli, when they played against us – to my entire satisfaction.’

Could you have pictured him as a manager?

‘Yes, I could indeed. He loved football and he liked the logic behind matches; he liked looking at patterns and roles on the pitch … he was very promising, and in the end he made a smashing career. Sure, luck was on his side at the beginning, and that is not the case for everyone. It is hard to begin at a Serie A club. But he made the most of his luck.’

Let’s speak about Manchester City.

‘They hadn’t won anything for years, and Mancini brought them back into the limelight. It took him two years, but that’s the norm. It takes time to lay out patterns, to perfect the tactics. You must decide who to play and who to leave out, which players to bring in. And you need to instil the right frame of mind, too. I believe that Mancini worked hard in this respect, in order to motivate his players and relieve them of the pressure surrounding the Premier League title.’

In Europe though, City didn’t succeed against either Napoli or Sporting.

‘It is not easy to be a top team in Europe. It takes time and, in this case, money, too. But in the coming season, I believe that City will be there, among the top teams.’

Can you still see that boy who made his debut in 1981?

‘We sometimes meet at the seaside, in Sardinia. We play a couple of games, like retired footballers do. And Roberto still plays wonderfully.’