Roberto Mancini: A Footballing Life: The Full Story (Luca Caioli)

When Manchester City’s owners appointed Roberto Mancini in late 2009, the message was clear: this was the man who would overtake the Blues’ illustrious neighbours and restore the club to the pinnacle of English football. The former Italy playmaker swiftly repaid their faith, following up an FA Cup triumph in his first full season with the Premier League title – won in the most heartstopping fashion imaginable – to continue a success story that had taken him from early stardom in Bologna to back-to-back league titles as Inter Milan manager. Now, renowned Italian sports writer Luca Caioli gives the full inside story of Mancini’s rollercoaster life in football – from his early days as a firebrand centre forward, through glory days with Sampdoria and Lazio, to his emergence as a charismatic, if controversial, pitch-side leader. Featuring insights from those who know him best – including family members, former teammates and managers, as well as an exclusive interview with Mancini himself, it provides a unique and revealing portrait of the man behind the Blue revolution. Title page; Copyright information; Contents; 'In the Blue, Painted Blue'; You can praise God with a football, too; Passing the ball; A Conversation with Aldo Mancini; Wrong address; Football intelligence; A conversation with Marino Perani; The Boy; The best years; A conversation with Marco Macina; 1981; I'll play him; A conversation with Tarcisio Burgnich; Enfant prodige; A conversation with Franco Colomba; Mister Five Billion; 'You will be Sampdoria's standard-bearer'; A conversation with Paolo Bórea; Genoa for us; When I was 19 I was just the same; A conversation with Graeme Souness A season of living dangerouslyNumber one; A conversation with Enrico Chiesa; Challenges; Run, and never stop; A conversation with Andrea Mancini; The dawn of a new era; Great charisma; A conversation with Javier Zanetti; To win and to amaze; He was born a manager; A conversation with Sergio Giosuè Viganò; And then the sheikh called; A masterpiece; A conversation with Pietro and Massimo Battara; Just the beginning; 'Bobby Goal'; A conversation with Attilio Lombardo; Noisy neighbours; Stepping up in class; A conversation with Roberto Martínez; 94 minutes, an entire lifetime A winning frame of mindA conversation with Pablo Zabaleta; Absolutely amazing; I like winning; A conversation with Roberto Mancini; Bibliography; Acknowledgements; Colour plate section From the author of the bestselling Torres and Messi comes a revealing new biography of inspirational soccer manager Roberto Mancini From the author of the bestselling Messi and Ronaldo, a revealing and enjoyable biography of the Manchester City manager