Mancini (Brazilian footballer)

Mancini
Personal information
Full name	Alessandro Faiolhe Amantino
Date of birth	August 1, 1980 (age 28)
Place of birth	Ipatinga, Brazil
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position	Winger
Club information
Current club	Internazionale
Number	30
Youth career
1997	Atlético Mineiro
Senior career1
National team3
	1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 October 2008 (UTC).; 2 Appearances (Goals).; 3 National team caps and goals correct as of 8 May 2009 (UTC)

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For the Captain Regent of San Marino, see Alessandro Mancini.

Alessandro Faiolhe Amantino (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐləˈsɐ̃dru faˈjɔʎi ɐmɐ̃ˈtʃinu]), best known as Mancini ([mɐ̃ˈsinʲi]; born August 1, 1980 in Ipatinga, Brazil), is a Brazilian football player, currently playing for Internazionale. He is famed for his dribbling.

Mancini is an extremely versatile player, having played at right-back (only in the early part of his career), right midfielder/winger (his preferred position).

[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career

Regarded as a promising talent, Mancini began his career in his homeland of Brazil with his hometown club, Atlético Mineiro, where he remained from 1999 to 2002. During that time he had two loan spells, to Portuguesa in 2000 and to São Caetano in 2001.

[edit] Move to Italy

Mancini was noticed in 2002 by sports director Franco Baldini while playing for the Brazilian national team. He was signed by major Italian Serie A club Roma, and loaned out for a season to then-Serie B side Venezia. During that time he struggled to adapt to Italian football, and was criticised by the Venezia manager for his errors and control with the outside of his foot, which in Italy is considered unconventional.

Mancini only made 13 appearances for Venezia that season, and president Maurizio Zamparini declined signing him on a permanent basis. He returned to Roma to establish himself as a footballer following the departure of his countryman Cafú to Milan.

[edit] Roma

Having lost Cafú, Roma needed a replacement but with his early performances in Italy not the most convincing, many Roma fans were sceptical about his ability. Manager Fabio Capello however gave the Brazilian a chance, and instilled confidence in him. He went on to complete an outstanding first season in Serie A, the highlight being a spectacular backheel flick from a set piece in the Derby della Capitale against Lazio.^[1]

For the next two seasons however, Mancini struggled to maintain good form, due in part to several injuries. In 2005, he was set for a move to Juventus where he was wanted by Fabio Capello, the man who had brought him to Roma. New Roma boss Luciano Spalletti blocked the transfer, preferring to keep his winger.

Mancini flourished under Spalletti and during the 2005-06 season began to find his top form, once again becoming a key player for the Roma side. Following the Calciopoli scandal, Roma qualified for the UEFA Champions League, giving Mancini the chance to play at the highest level of club football.

In 2006-07, Mancini left his mark on the Champions League with a memorable goal against Olympique Lyonnais, as he dazzled Lyon defender Anthony Réveillère with several stepovers before firing the ball into the back of the net, sending the giallorossi into the quarter finals.

That same year, Mancini also celebrated his first silverware since arriving in Italy as Roma won the Coppa Italia, beating Internazionale in the final.

In the 2007-08 season, Mancini scored eight league goals as Roma reached the quarter finals of the Champions League and finished as runners-up in Serie A for the second year running. He did not have the best of seasons though, in what would prove to be his last in Rome.

[edit] Internazionale

On July 15, 2008, Mancini joined Internazionale on four year contract and was given squad number 33. ^[2]

He scored his first goal for Inter against Bayern Munich in a pre-season friendly in a 1-0 win for Inter. In his first Serie A game for Inter, in which he was featured in the starting line-up, he combined beautifully with Ibrahimovic to create Inter's equalizing goal. He then scored again against Panathanaikos in the group stage of the 2008–2009 Champions League. His first Serie A goal came in Inter's 3-1 matchday 3 away victory over Torino.

[edit] International appearances

As of April 1, 2008.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

National team	Club	Season	Apps
Brazil	Roma	2003–2004	3
		2004–2005	0
		2005–2006	0
		2006–2007	0
		2007–2008	0
	Internazionale	2008–2009	3
Total			6

International appearances and goals
#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Goal	Competition
1999
	November 14, 1999	Sydney, Australia	Australia	2–0	0	Friendly
	November 17, 1999	Melbourne, Australia	San Marino	2–2	0	Friendly
	December 10, 1999	Cuiabá, Brazil	Bolivia	3–0	0	Friendly
	December 14, 1999	Campo Grande, Belgium	Paraguay	3–3	0	Friendly
2000
	January 12, 2000	Florianópolis, Brazil	Trinidad and Tobago	7–0	0	Friendly
	January 15, 2000	Maringá, Brazil	Costa Rica	4–1	0	Friendly
	January 19, 2000	Londrina, Brazil	Chile	1–1	0	2000 Olympic Games qualifying tournament
	January 23, 2000	Londrina, Brazil	Ecuador	2–0	0	2000 Olympic Games qualifying tournament
	January 30, 2000	Londrina, Brazil	Colombia	9–0	0	2000 Olympic Games qualifying tournament
2003–2004
1.	April 28, 2004	Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	4–1	0	Friendly
	May 25, 2004	Barcelona, Spain	Catalonia	5–2	0	Unofficial friendly
2.	July 8, 2004	Arequipa, Peru	Chile	1–0	0	Copa América 2004
3.	July 11, 2004	Arequipa, Peru	Costa Rica	4–1	0	Copa América 2004
2008–2009
4.	October 10, 2008	San Cristóbal, Venezuela	Venezuela	4–0	0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	October 15, 2008	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Colombia	0–0	0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6.	November 19, 2008	Brasília, Brazil	Portugal	6–2	0	Friendly