Roberto Mancini

Mancini was born in Jesi, Marche, Italy, on 27 November 1964, but then moved onto the mountain town of Roccadaspide in Campania and was raised by Aldo and Marianna Mancini along with his younger sister Stephanie. He had served as an altar boy in his youth. In 2012, Mancini made a religious pilgrimage to the site of Our Lady of Medugorje and had stated that he is a believer who prays regularly, "The world would be a better place if everyone practiced the art of praying."

Mancini debuted in Serie A for Bologna in 1981. The following year, he was bought by Sampdoria, for £2.2 million, whom he played for until 1997. With Sampdoria, he formed a dynamic strike partnership with Gianluca Vialli under manager Vujadin Boškov, which earned the pair the nickname The Goal Twins ("I Gemelli del Gol", in Italian). Together, they helped the club to its only league title in 1991, four Coppa Italias and a Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. He also appeared in the final of the 1991–92 European Cup against Barcelona. At 27, Mancini sat on the interview panel that selected Sven-Göran Eriksson as manager. Mancini often delivered the team talk for Sampdoria. He attended board meetings and had a say in transfer business. In David Platt's 1995 autobiography, Achieving the Goal, he described the day he met Sampdoria in Genoa while playing for Bari and, lining up in the tunnel, became aware that Mancini was looking his way. Platt wrote: "I thought nothing of it until he asked me, very matter-of-factly, if I was staying at Bari. Outright, he asked if I wanted to join Sampdoria. Mancini had been at the club for years and was almost a son to the president, Paolo Mantovani". Mancini kept in touch when Platt moved to Juventus and eventually helped bring him to Sampdoria. At that stage, Mancini had established himself as the most powerful voice in the Blucerchiati dressing room.

As a teenager at Sampdoria, Mancini was not someone who liked his authority being questioned. After Trevor Francis signed from Manchester City in 1982, aggrieved that his place was under threat, the 18-year-old Mancini ended up picking a fight with 28-year-old Francis on the training ground. A similar incident occurred with Liam Brady, who was eight years older. Additionally, Juan Sebastián Verón tells the story of swearing in Mancini's direction during an argument about a badly-taken corner. After the match, Mancini had stripped off to the waist and was waiting to fight him. "He is not an easy person, you know," Verón says. "He has this complicated personality".

With Lazio, Mancini won his second scudetto and Cup Winners' Cup titles, as well as two more Coppa Italias. In the 1999–00 season, Lazio won the scudetto and Coppa Italia, but Mancini failed to score in 20 matches and later announced his playing retirement. He joined Lazio's coaching staff as Sven-Göran Eriksson's number two. …

Despite success at club level, Mancini never became a regular for Italy. At the under-21 level, Mancini was part of the team which reached the semi-finals in the 1984 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship and finished runners-up in 1986. He made his international senior squad debut at the age of 19, under Enzo Bearzot, on 26 May 1984, in a 2–0 away win against Canada in Toronto; he later won 36 caps, and scored four goals for his country. Mancini was a starting player at Euro 1988, where Italy reached the semi-finals; during the tournament, he scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against hosts West Germany, in the opening match of the tournament on 10 June. Mancini was also a non-playing member of Azeglio Vicini's Italian squad that finished in third place at the 1990 World Cup on home soil. He was kept out of the side by competition from Gianluca Vialli, Salvatore Schillaci, Andrea Carnevale and Roberto Baggio.

Mancini's international career ended after a dispute with national team coach Arrigo Sacchi, when Mancini was upset because he would not be guaranteed a first team place at the 1994 World Cup. Fierce competition with other creative forwards for places in the starting line-up, such as Gianfranco Zola, Giuseppe Signori, Roberto Baggio and later Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero, hindered his international opportunities, hastening his self-imposed exile from the Italy national team.

Often described as a "fantasista" in the Italian sports media, Mancini was a creative and technically gifted forward, who was frequently deployed as a supporting striker alongside a centre-forward, or, on occasion, as an offensive playmaker in the attacking midfield or trequartista position later on in his career. A classic number 10 with creativity and vision, as well as accurate passing and finishing ability, he was capable of assisting many goals as well as scoring them himself, due to his eye for the final pass; he was also known for his excellent technique in the air and anticipation, which enabled him to execute spectacular volleys. As such, he was also capable of operating across the entire front-line, and was even deployed as a centre-forward or out–and–and striker on occasion, due to his movement and intuition, although this was not his favoured position, as he was primarily a generous team player who preferred creating chances for teammates over scoring goals. Under Eriksson, Mancini was also deployed in a free role as a left winger on occasion, in particular during the 1999–2000 season with Lazio, where he was allowed to drift into the centre to support the main striker, and drop deep to help the team defensively.

An elegant, classy, and skilful player, Mancini was also renowned for his flair, ball control, technical ability, and dribbling skills, as well as his change of pace, despite not being as quick as other players in his position; moreover, he was renowned for his tactical intelligence, which he developed over time. He frequently stood out because of this latter attribute, as well as due to his strong character and leadership qualities, which made him an effective captain for his teams. He was often a vocal presence on the football pitch, regularly organising and motivating his teammates, as well as discussing with opponents and arguing with referees. He was also highly regarded for his defensive work-rate off the ball, despite initially being criticised for his defensive contribution by manager Renzo Ulivieri in his early career. Mancini is regarded as one of the best Italian players of his generation, and as one of Italy's greatest ever number 10s. However, despite his ability, he was also occasionally accused of being inconsistent in the media.

Mancini is married to Federica Morelli, although reports in 2015 had stated they had been in the process of separating. The couple have two sons and a daughter, Filippo, Andrea and Camilla, who have played in the Inter Milan Youth Sector ranks, where Filippo has played ten minutes in a Coppa Italia match. Filippo and Andrea have at one point been a part of Manchester City's under-21 youth team. Filippo trained with the club's youth/reserve team for several months during the 2007–08 season before Roberto was appointed as City's manager, while Andrea was signed by his father for the Elite Development Squad in November 2010 after being released from Bologna. Andrea was released at the end of the 2011–12 season.

Mancini was estimated to have a personal wealth of £19 million in 2011. He joked in 2010 about watching the soap opera Coronation Street to help improve his English. Mancini has maintained a tradition of wearing a scarf of his club's colours.