Roberto Mancini(Italian pronunciation:[robrto mantini]; born 27 November 1964) is anItalianfootballmanager and former player, currently in charge as head coach ofInter Milan. As a player Mancini was best known for his time atSampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win theSerie Aleague title, fourCoppe Italiaand theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup. He was capped 36 times forItaly, taking part atUEFA Euro 1988, and the1990 FIFA World Cup. In 1997, after 15 years at Sampdoria, Mancini left the club to joinLaziowhere he won a furtherScudetto, Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup and two more Coppe Italia.As a player, he gained a penchant for becoming a future manager and would often give team talks athalf-timeand ultimately became an assistant toSven-Gran Erikssonat Lazio near the end of his playing career.[1]Mancini's first manager role was at a cash strickenFiorentinaat only 35 years old and managed to win a Coppa Italia, but left with Fiorentina facing bankruptcy. Months later, he took over as manager atLazio, 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 managed to guide the club to another Coppa Italia.In 2004, Mancini was given the chance to manage a major club with more resources when he was offered the manager's job atInter Milan. During his first tenure at Inter, the club won three consecutiveSerie A titles an Inter club record and aEuropean record 17 consecutive league game victoriesstretching nearly half a season; Mancini became Inter's most successful manager in 30 years.[2][3]Despite his domestic success, many pundits saw the repeated failure to win the covetedChampions Leagueas the main reason for his dismissal in 2008.After being out of football for over a year, Mancini was appointedManchester Citymanager in December 2009.[4]Under his stewardship, he instilled a winning culture at the club taking Manchester City from a mid-table club to the pinnacle of English football. In the201011 season, his first full season at Manchester City, Mancini guided the club to Champions League football and theFA Cup.[5][6]In the201112 season, Mancini guided Manchester City to the club's first league title in 44 years, in an enthralling last day of the season, winning 32, with two goals ininjury timein what was called "the best match of the best last day of the season in English football history".[7]Under Mancini, Manchester City progressed to the2013 FA Cup Final, but were defeated byWigan Athletic10.[8]Mancini was sacked on 13 May 2013,[9]and in September of that year took over at Turkish clubGalatasaray, winning the cup in his only season at the club.Mancini has won a total of 25 trophies; 13 as a player and 12 as a manager. Regarded as a cup specialist,[10][11]Mancini has reached at least a semi-final of a major national cup competition in every season he has been a manager, from 2002 to 2013. He holds a number of records including most consecutiveCoppa Italia finalsfrom 2004 to 2008, withLazio once in 2004and with Inter in the following four seasons.