Remembering Roberto Mancini's four weeks at Leicester
In January 2001, the world’s media descended on Belvoir Drive training ground as Roberto Mancini was unveiled as a Leicester City player. Considered one of the superstars of Italian football, he was once the world’s most expensive teenager and had won every possible honour collectively and individually in Serie A. So when the sophisticated 36-year-old pitched up in the East Midlands one winter morning, the reaction was… What the fuck?
Former teammate Darren Eadie said: “If there was ever a signing you thought Leicester City at the time would not be signing, it was Roberto Mancini. It was a bizarre situation. We had a certain style of play and a certain type of player in our squad, and Mancini didn’t fit that mould.”
The announcement of the former Italian international was so high profile that it didn’t even take place in the club’s usual modest press room. Instead, it occurred in the club’s gymnasium, purely to accommodate all the journalists.
Speaking at his unveiling, Mancini outlined:
“Playing in the Premiership is an experience I would have liked a few years ago, but I’m glad it’s happening now. It will also be an important experience for me in my future career as a coach and manager, and I will be looking to learn from Peter Taylor.”
The final sentence may be an indication as to why his stay was so brief, there was simply nothing to learn. Mancini would later win league titles in Italy, England and the European Championship with Italy in 2021. Taylor would set fire to the foundations Martin O’Neill had spent years building, and relegation would follow a season later.
As David Lacey of The Guardian said: “Mancini looked like a bottle of Frascati which had found itself in the company of brown ales.” Illustrating the contrast between the Italian’s flamboyant style and the less sophisticated approach taken by his team-mates.
At the time of Mancini’s arrival, City lay 6th in the Premiership table. It was Taylor’s first season in charge after Martin O’Neill’s departure to Celtic, and it seemed (for a very brief period) that Taylor may build upon his predecessor’s fine work with the Foxes even topping the table after the first eight matches.
Strangely, the main reason why Mancini became the first Italian footballer to represent Leicester City in its 117-year existence lay at the hands of a future Foxes boss. Lazio manager Sven-Goran Eriksson was set for the England job, and with Peter Taylor managing the England U21s, Sven recommended the Leicester boss to sign him.
Having been a player-coach at Lazio, Mancini hadn’t played competitive football in eight months, so unsurprisingly never completed 90 mins. However, he did become the oldest non-British player to make their Premiership debut at 36 years, 54 days, when he started in a home draw vs Arsenal.
There were claims that he was only in England to act as a spy for Sven before he took over as England boss, this was denied by Peter Taylor. Fellow teammates spoke about him being homesick, with his wife and young children unsurprisingly opting to stay in his homeland.
Staying at the Stakis Hotel that the club used at the time, Mancini had swapped life in Rome for a hotel overlooking a motorway and Fosse Park in the middle of January. It is perhaps no wonder he left so soon. The offer to manage Fiorentina came knocking the following month, and Mancini would leave exactly four weeks after arriving.
Despite his time at the club lasting a mere 28 days and five matches, something remained with Mancini. He later shared that his short period at Filbert Street was when he fell in love with the English game. In March 2016, he stated that he’d prefer Leicester to win the Premier League title than Manchester City win the Champions League, the club he had previously managed for four and a half years.
Many fans can still recall his impact in the handful of matches, how his passing and vision were far superior to everyone else on the pitch. His stay may have been fleeting, but for those few weeks, it seemed remarkable a player with a worldwide reputation would play for Leicester during that time.