As Roberto Mancini celebrates his 60th birthday, the former star player and accomplished manager opens up about his career, expressing regrets and sharing his future aspirations in an interview with Il Giornale.
Mancini, who has had a storied career both as a player and coach, candidly discusses his abrupt departure from the Italian national team in the summer of 2023. He admits, “That strong relationship of trust I had with the Federation had mutually deteriorated. But if I could go back, I would handle everything differently. Because if President Gravina and I had talked, explained, and clarified things, probably things wouldn’t have gone that way.”
Addressing his subsequent move to coach Saudi Arabia, Mancini acknowledges the financial aspect but insists it wasn’t the primary factor in his decision to leave the Italian national team. “I don’t deny that, for a coach, the offer of such a high figure puts you in crisis. However, it wasn’t decisive. It had an impact, but it wasn’t the reason I left the national team bench.”
Despite his brief stint with Saudi Arabia ending after disappointing results in the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers, Mancini remains ambitious about his future in coaching. He states, “I want to lift the World Cup; I still have unfinished business. When I became the national team coach, I declared my two goals: to win a European Championship and a World Cup.”
Regarding recent rumors about potentially coaching AS Roma, Mancini clarifies, “I was never contacted by Roma, no call from the management. I was pleased to read that many Roma fans would have been happy about it and many Lazio fans angry. If there had been the conditions for a good project to carry forward together, I would have said yes.”
