Style icon Roberto Mancini makes Italy dream again

When Roberto Mancini entered the Olympic stadium in Rome for the opening match in his gray marble jacket, he could also have been on his way to a fashion show in Milan.

The tie was as if it were an integral part of the coach’s look, one that was deep and fiery. “Like a Prada model,” German tennis player Andrea Petkovic said on Twitter. She is not alone in this opinion.

Mancini is undoubtedly the symbol of elegance for this European championship. The Sun He even introduced the Italian as a model on the double page.

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Mancini: eloquent and well-dressed

But in the opening match, Mancini was there in his role as the successful coach of the Italian national team. The 3-0 win over Turkey was impressive, and the 3-0 win over Switzerland on Wednesday night was even more impressive. The 56-year-old gives this football-mad country hope for the big hit.

“This victory for all Italians,” Mancini said after the success against Switzerland and once again proved: he can not only dress well, but also find the right words – often full of emotions, sometimes with philosophical content and a lot of patriotism. Pity. Even before the tournament, he had pulled the Italians to the side of the national team, which has given them little fun lately.

There, Mancini said: “We started winning the European title that we’ve lost since 1968. The title could be a rebirth for football and for the whole country. It’s time for people to smile.” Before the tournament began, he wrote an open letter: “United under one blue sky… We play with the responsibility of representing one of the most powerful and beautiful countries in the world. We want to have fun.”

After a few days, his homeland was finally under his feet. And that, despite the fact that the coach of the “Nazionale” makes it possible to play completely atypical football for the Italian national team.

Mancini leads Italy to a “magic night”

Indeed, Mancini symbolizes the revival of Italian football – albeit in an entirely new direction. The classic Catenaccio no longer exists under his leadership. Instead, attractive offensive football. In doing so, Italy achieved tremendous success.

After the Italians could not even qualify for the World Cup in Russia 2018, Italy wrote of a “national team in ruins” or even “the end of the world”. After the success against Switzerland, it was a “notti magiche” night. It can go that fast.

Since Mancini took office in 2018, the change has begun and has now been successfully implemented. Italy has won the last 14 matches, eight of them clean. The Squadra Azzurra is also unbeaten in an astonishing 28 matches and is just two games away from the streak of coach legend Vittorio Pozzo, who became world champion with the Italians in 1934 and 1938.

The main reason for this rapid change – football fans and experts in Italy agree – is the experienced coach who has dedicated his entire football career.

Example Dolce Vita

Mancini was born to a carpenter’s son in a discreet mountain village in the Marche region. At the age of thirteen he was forcibly left home and sent to FC Bologna boarding school. He regularly devised escape plans but kept on until he was 16 years old. Then the great “Mancio” career began.

Mancio means something like “hook”. The nickname describes the talented young man’s playing style. He was later referred to as “Fantasista” – a free spirit on the field. As dozens of creative people, as a magician on the lawn. In this role, he charmed Italian football. Technically strong, always with an idea, rude to a duel and without any fear.

When the attacking player was 19 years old, he drove to the World Cup with the Italians for the first time. It was in the United States in 1984 – the reigning champions Italy arrived. In New York, Mancini got what was probably the biggest bullshit of his career.

He and his colleagues visited the legendary Studio 54 in New York and stayed there until the early hours of the morning. When the young man returned, world champion coach Enzo Berzot was already waiting for him. He has a responsibility to his parents: “I will not call you again, even if you score 40 goals this season.”

This shouldn’t be the last game for Mancini’s national team, but his international career suffered as a result. “He just had to apologize,” Burzot later said. But Mancini did not.

The story underscores the kind of free, energetic spirit that Mancini has been in throughout his life. Today he is the proud owner of a yacht and celebrates the Italian way of life like no other. Mancini can be described as the epitome of Dolce Vita.

Italy and Mancini: “The magic has no limits”

As a player, Mancini spent many years in Genoa and also played in Bologna, Lazio and Leicester City. In the year of his retirement, he was introduced as a coach at Fiorentina. Since then, he has hardly taken any noteworthy breaks. He was particularly successful with Inter Milan (a total of seven titles), with Manchester City Mancini celebrating the legendary last minute championship in 2012.

With his charisma, style and personality, he has attracted people under the influence of his spell for decades. Many celebrities appeared in Italy – but also in other countries – as Mancini fans. When the Italian separated from his wife, Frederica, about six years ago, the playboy’s playmate immediately entered the conversation as the future “Misses Mancini.”

April Summers said on her social media channels at the time, “If you asked me if I wanted to be his wife, I’d say yes without thinking about it. I love him, he’s beautiful, talented, and kind.”

Most important for Mancini is his ability to impress an entire team with his ultimate personality. He has always retained his charm and remains a free spirit to this day. This resonates with many players who often feel misunderstood and lost in the modern world of football. Mancini has remained one of them – and yet he is a very special kind.

Combined with his phenomenal professional experience as a football player and football teacher, he now appears to have a great chance of winning a major title with the Italian national team. In this way, he will make up his own story with the “Nacional”. After the victory over Switzerland, Italy’s favorite role was pushed aside, but this could no longer be taken from them after a solid performance. It also had to be a move by an experienced coach.

In Italy, they are already dreaming of leading Mancini to the European Championship. He wrote: “We survived the end of the world and are now dreaming of the greatest.” Gazzetta dello sport: “Magic knows no bounds.”

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