Roberto Mancini insists he would have “happily stayed another 10 years” as Italy’s national team manager, and still feels the presence of Gianluca Vialli and dreams of a return to Sampdoria.
The coach spoke on the TV show Che Tempo Che Fa about his choices, including his decision to leave the Azzurri in August for a new role in Saudi Arabia.
He was asked whether he regretted or blamed himself for anything he had done during that period.
“No. Sometimes coaches are fired, sometimes they resign, and it’s sad when things like this happen,” Mancini said.
“I’m very happy as a CT in Italy and would have happily stayed another 10 years. But I’m also happy in Saudi Arabia, even if it’s a really hard job. I know a few words of Arabic I could only learn so much.”
This month marks one year since Mancini’s close friend Vialli passed away from pancreatic cancer. Vialli was Italy’s teammate when they won Euro 2020 and was also part of the coaching staff at the time.
“We had great years together and we had a lot of fun being young. I always feel like he’s by my side. Brotherly friendship transcends everything,” Mancini said.
“Vialli was also very important for winning the European Championship. Luka had great charisma. One day when we were players he came galloping onto the pitch as if on a horse. But it was so funny. We won that game, so he kept doing it for a few more games to get lucky.”
The months leading up to his departure from the Italian national team were extremely difficult on a personal level as he and Vialli lost their close friend Sinisa Mihailovic to leukemia.
Mancini became close friends with Vialli, the Goal Twins, at Sampdoria, where they won a surprise Scudetto and reached the European Cup final.
“It was my dream to return to Sampdoria from the day I left. I was there for 15 years, that’s a long time. I would love to. The secret of the team that won the Scudetto is that we are all friends and We remained friends even if we didn’t see each other often.”
Dedichiamo Quest Imagini, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, I’m the best goal ❤️🎥 #CTCF pic.twitter.com/GFZ4pXgjSq
— Che Tempo Che Fa (@chetempochefa) January 14, 2024