Roberto Mancini (Italian pronunciation: ; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player who is the manager of the Italy national team. As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped the team win the Serie A league title, four Coppa Italia titles, and the European Cup Winners' Cup. He was capped 36 times for Italy, taking part at UEFA Euro 1988 and the 1990 FIFA World Cup, achieving semi-final finishes in both tournaments. In 1997, after 15 years at Sampdoria, Mancini left the club to join Lazio, where he won a further Scudetto, as well as the Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and two more Coppa Italia titles.
As a player, Mancini would often give team talks at half-time. Towards the end of his playing career he became an assistant to Sven-Göran Eriksson at Lazio. His first manager role was at a cash-stricken Fiorentina at only 35 years old. He won a Coppa Italia there, but left with the team facing bankruptcy. Months later he took over as manager at Lazio, where again he inherited financial constraints and was forced to lose a number of key players. With limited resources during his two-season tenure, he guided the club to another Coppa Italia.