Current	2010–11 FA Cup
Logo
Founded	1871
Number of teams	759 (2010–11)
Region	EnglandWales
Current champions	Chelsea (6th title)
Most successful club	Manchester United (11 titles)
Website	FA Cup

The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Its current sponsored name is the FA Cup sponsored by E.ON.

The FA Cup was first held in 1871–72, and is the oldest association football competition in the world. Because it involves clubs of all standards playing against each other, there is the possibility for "minnows" from the lower divisions to become "giant-killers" by eliminating top clubs from the tournament and even theoretically win the Cup, although lower division teams rarely reach the final.

The holders of the FA Cup are Chelsea, who beat relegated Premier League side Portsmouth in the 2010 final on 15 May 2010, to win a (club first) FA Cup and League Double.

Format

The competition is a knockout tournament with pairings for each round drawn at random – there are no seeds, and the draw for each round is not made until after the scheduled dates for the previous round. The draw also determines which teams will play at home.

Each tie is played as a single leg. If a match is drawn, there is a replay, usually at the ground of the team who were away for the first game. Drawn replays are now settled with extra time and penalty shootouts, though until the 1990s further replays would be played until one team was victorious. Some ties took as many as six matches to settle; in their 1975 campaign, Fulham played a total of 12 games over six rounds, which remains the most games played by a team to reach a final. Replays were traditionally played three or four days after the original game, but from 1991–92 they were staged at least 10 days later on police advice. This led to penalty shoot-outs being introduced. Replays are no longer held for the semi-finals or final.

There are a total of 14 rounds in the competition — six qualifying rounds, followed by six further rounds (the "proper" rounds), semi-finals, and the final. The competition begins in August with the Extra Preliminary Round, followed by the Preliminary Round and First Qualifying Round, which are contested by the lowest-ranked clubs. Clubs playing in the Conference North and Conference South are given exemption to the Second Qualifying Round, and Conference National teams are given exemption to the Fourth Qualifying Round. The 32 winners from that round join the 48 clubs from League One and League Two in the First Round (often called the First Round Proper). Finally, teams from the Premier League and Football League Championship enter at the Third Round Proper, at which point there are 64 teams remaining in the competition. The Sixth Round Proper is the quarter-final stage, at which point eight teams remain.

The qualifying rounds are regionalised to reduce the travel costs for smaller non-league sides. The First and Second Rounds were also previously split into Northern and Southern sections, but this practice was ended after the 1997–98 competition.

The FA Cup has a set pattern for when each round is played. Normally the First Round is played in mid-November, with the Second Round on one of the first two Saturdays in December. The third round is played on the first weekend in January, with the Fourth Round later in the month and Fifth Round in mid-February. The Sixth Round (or quarter-finals) traditionally occurs in early or mid March, with the semi-finals a month later. The final is normally held the Saturday after the Premier League season finishes in May. The only season in recent times when this pattern was not followed was 1999–2000, when most rounds were played a few weeks earlier than normal as an experiment.

As well as being presented with the trophy, the winning team also qualifies for the UEFA Europa League (formerly named the UEFA Cup). If the winners have already qualified for the UEFA Champions League via the Premier League, the UEFA Europa League place goes to the FA Cup runners-up. If they also have qualified for the UEFA Champions League, or are not entitled to play in UEFA competitions for any reason, the place goes to the next highest placed finisher in the league table.

The draw

The draw for each round is not seeded and is broadcast live on television, usually taking place at the conclusion of live coverage of one of the games of the previous round. Public interest is particularly high during the draw for the third round, which is where the top-ranked teams are added to the draw. Traditionally, the draw has been conducted by means of balls drawn from a purple velvet bag, however in recent years in order to comply with FIFA regulations the balls have been drawn from a clear perspex container. To keep with tradition, however, the presenters are shown emptying the balls from the old velvet bag into the perspex container before the draw.

Eligible teams

All clubs in the Premier League and Football League are automatically eligible, and clubs in the next six levels of the English football league system are also eligible provided they have played in either the FA Cup, FA Trophy or FA Vase competitions in the previous season. Newly formed clubs that start playing in a high league, such as AFC Wimbledon or FC United of Manchester, may not therefore play in the FA Cup in their first season. All clubs entering the competition must also have a suitable stadium. It is very rare for top clubs to miss the competition, although it can happen in exceptional circumstances. Manchester United withdrew from the 1999–2000 competition due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Championship, although this was highly controversial at the time.

Welsh sides that play in English leagues are eligible, although since the creation of the League of Wales there are only six such clubs remaining: Cardiff City (the only non-English team to win the tournament, in 1927), Swansea City, Wrexham, Merthyr Town, Newport County and Colwyn Bay. In the early years other teams from Wales, Ireland and Scotland also took part in the competition, with Glasgow side Queen's Park reaching the final in 1884 and 1885 before being barred from entering by the Scottish Football Association.

The number of entrants has increased greatly in recent years. In the 2004–05 season, 660 clubs entered the competition, beating the long-standing record of 656 from the 1921–22 season. In 2005–06 this increased to 674 entrants, in 2006–07 to 687, in 2007–08 to 731 clubs, and for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 competitions it reached 762. By comparison, the other major English domestic cup, the League Cup, involves only the 92 members of the Premier League and Football League.

Venues

Matches in the FA Cup are usually played at the home ground of one of the two teams. The team who plays at home is decided when the matches are drawn. There is no seeding system in place within rounds other than when teams enter the competition, therefore the home team is simply the first team drawn out for each fixture. Occasionally games may have to be moved to other grounds due to other events taking place, security reasons or a ground not being suitable to host popular teams. In the event of a draw, the replay is played at the ground of the team who originally played away from home. In the days when multiple replays were possible, the second replay (and any further replays) were played at neutral grounds. The clubs involved could alternatively agree to toss for home advantage in the second replay.

Traditionally, the FA Cup Final was played at London's Wembley Stadium. Early finals were played in other locations and, due to extensive redevelopment of Wembley, finals between 2001 and 2006 were played at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The final returned to Wembley in May 2007. Early finals venues include Kennington Oval, in 1872 and 1874–92, the Racecourse Ground, Derby in 1886, Fallowfield Stadium, Manchester in 1893, Burnden Park for the 1901 replay, Bramall Lane in 1912, the Crystal Palace Park, 1895–1914, Stamford Bridge 1920–22, and Lillie Bridge, Fulham, London in 1873. In more recent times the infamous 1970 final replay between Leeds and Chelsea was held at Old Trafford in Manchester. This was the only time between 1923 and 2000 that the FA Cup final or the FA Cup Final replay was held at a stadium other than Wembley.

The semi-finals are contested at neutral venues; in the past these have usually been the home grounds of teams not involved in that semi-final. The venues used since 1990 were Manchester City's now demolished Maine Road stadium; Manchester United's Old Trafford Stadium; Sheffield Wednesday's home stadium Hillsborough: Arsenal's former home, Highbury (since redeveloped as housing): Wembley Stadium in London: The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and the home of Aston Villa, Villa Park in Birmingham. Villa Park is the most used stadium, having been used for 55 semi-finals. The 1991 semi-final between Arsenal and Tottenham was the first to be played at Wembley. Two years later both semi-finals were held at Wembley, which was again used for both matches in 1994 and 2000. In 2005 they were both held at the Millennium Stadium. The decision to hold the semi-finals at the same location as the final can be controversial amongst fans However, starting with the 2008 cup, all semi-finals will be played at Wembley; the stadium was not ready for the 2007 semi-finals. For a list of semi-final results and the venues used, see FA Cup Semi-finals.

Trophies

At the end of the final, the winning team is presented with a trophy, also known as the "FA Cup", which they hold until the following year's final. Traditionally, at Wembley finals, the presentation is made at the Royal Box, with players, led by the captain, mounting a staircase to a gangway in front of the box and returning by a second staircase on the other side of the box. At Cardiff the presentation was made on a podium on the pitch.

The cup is decorated with ribbons in the colours of the winning team; a common riddle asks, "What is always taken to the Cup Final, but never used?" (the answer is "the losing team's ribbons"). However this isn't entirely true, as during the game the cup actually has both teams' sets of ribbons attached and the runners-up ribbons are removed before the presentation. Individual members of the teams playing in the final are presented with winners' and runners'-up medals. The present FA Cup trophy is the fourth.

The first, the 'little tin idol', was used from the inception of the Cup in 1871–72 until it was stolen from a Birmingham shoe shop window belonging to William Shillcock while held by Aston Villa on 11 September 1895, and was never seen again. The FA fined Villa £25 to pay for a replacement. Almost 60 years later, the thief admitted that the cup had been melted down to make counterfeit half-crown coins.

The second trophy was a replica of the first, and was last used in 1910 before being presented to the FA's long-serving president Lord Kinnaird. It was sold at Christie's on 19 May 2005 for £420,000 (£478,400 including auction fees and taxes) to David Gold, the joint chairman of West Ham United FC. David Gold has loaned this trophy to the National Football Museum which is housed in Preston North End's Deepdale Stadium and it is on permanent display to the public.

A new, larger, trophy was bought by the FA in 1911 designed and manufactured by Fattorini's of Bradford and won by Bradford City in its first outing, the only time a team from Bradford has reached the final. This trophy still exists but is now too fragile to be used, so an exact replica was made by Toye, Kenning and Spencer and has been in use since the 1992 final. A "backup" trophy was made alongside the existing trophy in 1992, but it has not been used so far, and will only be used if the current trophy is lost, damaged or destroyed. An otherwise identical, but smaller replica was also made by Fattorini, the North Wales Coast FA Cup trophy, and is contested annually by members of that regional Association.

Though the FA Cup is the oldest domestic football competition in the world, its trophy is not the oldest; that title is claimed by the Youdan Cup. The oldest national trophy is the Scottish Cup.

In 1914 Burnley FC won the cup and received unique medals incorrectly struck as "English Cup Winners". One is displayed at Turf Moor, within the 1914 collection.

Sponsorship

Since the start of the 1994–95 season, the FA Cup has been sponsored. However, to protect the identity of the famous competition, the name has never changed from 'The FA Cup', unlike sponsorship deals for the League Cup. Sponsorship deals run for four years, though – as in the case of E.ON – one-year extensions may be agreed.

Below is a list of sponsors and the sponsored name of the competition:

1994–1998: Littlewoods (The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods)

1998–2002: AXA (The AXA-Sponsored FA Cup)

2002–2006: No main sponsor

2006–2011: E.ON (The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON)

From August 2006 to 2014, Umbro will supply match balls for all FA Cup matches.

Giant-killers

Aside from the non-top-flight winners mentioned below, the FA Cup has a long tradition of lower-ranked teams becoming "giant-killers" by defeating opponents from a higher division. While it is common for this to happen (one statistical analysis based on four years of results showed that the probability of at least one team beating one from a higher division in a given year was 99.85%, dropping to 48.8% for a two-division gap and 39.28% for a three-division gap), it is considered particularly newsworthy when the "victim" is one of the top Premier League teams, or where the giant-killer is from outside the League divisions. The most recent example of a non-league team beating top-flight opposition was Sutton United's victory over Coventry City in 1988–89. The last time a non-league side beat top-flight opposition away from home was Altrincham's victory over Birmingham City at St. Andrew's in 1985–86.

Giant-killings of various scales happen every year: almost every club in the League Pyramid has a fondly-remembered "giant-killing" act in its history and some small clubs have, whether by accident or design, gained a reputation for being "cup specialists" after two or more such feats within a few years. The record for a club which has never entered the league is held by Altrincham, with 16 league scalps.

Linked to this giant-killing is the progression of teams beyond what would normally be expected. A few teams have won the FA Cup while outside of the top division, though no team from the third level of the football league has progressed to the final. For non-league teams, reaching the third round – where all top flight sides now enter – is considered a major achievement. During the 2008-09 FA Cup, a record nine teams achieved this feat, and while Tottenham Hotspur won the 1901 FA Cup as a Southern League club, no non-league team has since progressed past the fifth round, this occurring most recently to Kidderminster Harriers in 1994. Chasetown are the lowest ranked team to play in the third round, playing eventual runners-up Cardiff City in the 2007–08 competition. The game took place on 5 January 2008 whilst Chasetown were playing in the Southern League Division One Midlands, the eighth tier of the English football pyramid.

Notable events in the FA Cup

FA Cup winners and finalists

Three clubs have won consecutive FA Cups on more than one occasion: Wanderers (1872, 1873 and 1876, 1877, 1878), Blackburn Rovers (1884, 1885, 1886 and 1890, 1891), and Tottenham Hotspur (1961, 1962 and 1981, 1982).

Seven clubs have won the FA Cup as part of a League and Cup double, namely Preston North End (1889), Aston Villa (1897), Tottenham Hotspur (1961), Arsenal (1971, 1998, 2002), Liverpool (1986), Manchester United (1994, 1996, 1999) and Chelsea (2010). Arsenal and Manchester United share the record of three doubles. Arsenal has won a double in each of three separate decades (1970s, 1990s, 2000s). Manchester United's three doubles in the 1990s highlights their dominance of English football at the time.

In 1993, Arsenal became the first side to win both the FA Cup and League Cup in the same season, beating Sheffield Wednesday 2–1, in both finals. Liverpool repeated this feat in 2001, as did Chelsea in 2007.

In 1998–99, Manchester United added the 1999 Champions League crown to their double, an accomplishment known as The European treble. Two years later, in 2000–01, Liverpool won the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup to complete a cup treble.

Portsmouth have the unusual accolade of holding the FA Cup for the longest unbroken period of time; having won the Cup in 1939, the next final was not contested until 1946, due to the outbreak of the Second World War.

The FA Cup has only been won by a non-English team once. Cardiff City achieved this in 1927 when they beat Arsenal in the final at Wembley. They had previously made it to the final only to lose to Sheffield United in 1925, and lost another final to Portsmouth in 2008.

Winners from outside the top flight

Since the foundation of the Football League, Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 have been the only non-league winners of the FA Cup. They were then playing in the Southern League and were only elected to the Football League in 1908. At that time the Football League consisted of only two 18-team divisions; Tottenham's victory would be comparable to a team playing at the third level of the English football pyramid (currently League One) winning today.

In the history of the FA Cup, only eight teams who were playing outside of the top level of English football have gone on to win the competition, the most recent being West Ham United, who beat Arsenal in 1980. Excluding Tottenham in 1901, these clubs were all playing in the old Second Division, no other Third Division or lower side having reached the final.

One of the most famous upsets was when Sunderland beat Leeds United 1–0 in 1973. Leeds were third in the First Division and Sunderland were in the Second. Three years later Second Division Southampton also won the Cup, against First Division Manchester United by the same 1–0 scoreline. The other non-top flight winners of the FA Cup were Notts County in 1894, the first non-top flight team to win the FA Cup since the inception of the league; Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1908; Barnsley in 1912; and West Bromwich Albion in 1931. West Bromwich Albion remain the only team to have won the FA Cup and promotion from the second flight in the same season.

Thus far the FA Cup final has never been contested by two teams from outside the top flight. Uniquely, in 2007–08, three of the four semi-finalists (Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion), were from outside the top flight, although Portsmouth went on to win it.

Media coverage

The FA Cup Final is one of ten events reserved for live broadcast on UK terrestrial television under the ITC Code on Sports and Other Listed Events.

From August 2008 until June 2012, FA Cup matches are shown live by ITV1 across England and Wales, with UTV broadcasting to Northern Ireland. ITV shows sixteen FA Cup games per season, including first pick live matches from each of the 1st to 6th rounds of the competition plus one semi-final exclusively live. The final is also shown live on ITV1.

Under the same contract, Setanta Sports showed three games and one replay in each round from round three to five, two quarter-finals, one semi-final and the final. The channel also broadcast ITV's matches exclusively to Scotland, after the ITV franchise holder in Scotland, STV, decided not to broadcast FA Cup games. Setanta entered administration in June 2009 and as a result the FA terminated Setanta's deal to broadcast the FA Cup and England internationals.

In October 2009, The FA announced that ITV would show an additional match in the First and Second Rounds on ITV1, with one replay match shown on ITV4. One match and one replay match from the first two rounds will broadcast on The FA website for free, in a similar situation to the 2010 World Cup Qualifer between Ukraine and England. The 2009–10 First Round match between Oldham Athletic and Leeds United was the first FA Cup match to be streamed online live.

Many expected BSkyB to make a bid to show some of the remaining FA Cup games for the remainder of the 2009/10 season which would include a semi-final and shared rights to the final. ESPN will take over the package Setanta held for the FA Cup from the 2010/11 season.

BBC Radio Five Live provide radio coverage including several full live commentaries with additional commentaries broadcast on BBC local radio stations.

Until the 2008/09 season, the BBC and Sky Sports shared television coverage, with the BBC showing three matches in the earlier rounds. Some analysts argued the decision to move away from the Sky and, in particular, the BBC undermined the FA Cup in the eyes of the public.

The FA Cup 2008–09 early rounds were being covered for the first time by ITV's online property, ITV Local. The first match of the season, between Wantage Town and Brading Town, was broadcast live online. Highlights of eight games of each round were being broadcast as catch up on ITV Local. Since the end of the ITV Local service, it is unknown whether or not this coverage will continue.

The FA sells overseas rights separately from the domestic contract. In Australia, FA Cup games from the 1st Round to the Semi-Finals are broadcast exclusively by Setanta Sports Australia, and the final is co-broadcast with SBS. Meanwhile Setanta Sports North America and Fox Soccer Channel split the rights in the United States. Supersport broadcasts the tournament in Africa, and Sony Pix in India.

See also

FA Cup Final

FA Cup Semi-finals

List of FA Cup winning managers

FA Cup records

References

==External links==

The FA Cup Archive – England's official Football Association site, all results with dates, including all qualifying rounds

The official FA Cup website

Thomas Fattorini Ltd. makers of the 1911 FA Cup – manufacturers of the 1911 FA Cup and other sporting trophies

FA Cup going under the hammer – BBC News story on the sale of the second trophy

Category:Recurring events established in 1871 Category:National association football cups

Fullname	Carlos Alberto Tévez
Dateofbirth	February 05, 1984
Cityofbirth	Ciudadela, Buenos Aires
Countryofbirth	Argentina
Height
Position	Forward
Currentclub	Manchester City
Clubnumber	32
Youthyears1	1992–1996
Youthclubs1	All Boys
Youthyears2	1997–2001
Youthclubs2	Boca Juniors
Years1	2001–2004
Clubs1	Boca Juniors
Caps1	75
Goals1	26
Years2	2004–2006
Clubs2	Corinthians
Caps2	47
Goals2	31
Years3	2006–2007
Clubs3	West Ham United
Caps3	26
Goals3	7
Years4	2007–2009
Clubs4	Manchester United
Caps4	63
Goals4	19
Years5	2009–
Clubs5	Manchester City
Caps5	55
Goals5	37
Nationalyears1	2001
Nationalteam1	Argentina U17
Nationalcaps1	6
Nationalgoals1	2
Nationalyears2	2004
Nationalteam2	Argentina U23
Nationalcaps2	6
Nationalgoals2	8
Nationalyears3	2004–
Nationalteam3	Argentina
Nationalcaps3	58
Nationalgoals3	12
Medaltemplates	}}

|pcupdate=4 December 2010 |ntupdate=3 July 2010 }} Carlos Alberto Tévez (born Carlos Alberto Martínez on 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City and is currently the team's captain. He has previously played for Boca Juniors, Corinthians, West Ham United and Manchester United.

He transferred to Manchester City in the 2009–10 summer transfer window, becoming the first player to move between the two clubs since Terry Cooke in 1999. His energy and goal scoring rate has since made an indispensable player for the club in the eyes of fellow players and media alike, his importance was marked by promotion to captain at the beginning of the 2010–11 season by manager Roberto Mancini.

His career has been dogged by a long-standing affair with Media Sports Investments, the company which owned the rights of Tévez, and several other players and coaches. This eventually resulted in West Ham United being fined over issues regarding third-party ownership. He has made over 50 appearances for the Argentina national team, scoring 12 goals.

Early life

Tévez was born Carlos Alberto Martínez in Ciudadela, Buenos Aires, and raised in the neighbourhood of Ejército de Los Andes, better known as "Fuerte Apache". It was from there that he got the nickname of "El Apache". His parents changed his surname to his mother's during a conflict between his junior club All Boys and Boca Juniors.

Tévez has a distinctive burn scar that runs down his neck from his right ear to his chest. He was accidentally scalded with boiling water as a child, which caused third-degree burns and kept him hospitalised in intensive care for nearly two months. After joining Boca Juniors, Tévez refused an offer from the club to have them cosmetically improved, saying that the scars were a part of who he was in the past and who he is today.

Club career

Boca Juniors

Tévez joined Boca Juniors at the age of sixteen, and made his senior debut on 21 October 2001 against Talleres de Córdoba. He opted not to take part in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship with Argentina, and committed to playing in the 2003 Intercontinental Cup instead. After winning the Copa Sudamericana, Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup in 2003, he departed the club after the 2005 season.

Corinthians

In January 2005, Tévez transferred to Corinthians for £13.7 million (15 million euro), and signed a five-year, £6.85 million contract following the Brazilian club's deal with Media Sports Investments. The deal was the biggest transfer ever in South American football. Tévez captained the squad to the 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro, and he was named the league's best player by the Brazilian Football Confederation, becoming the first non-Brazilian player to win the award since 1976. Tévez confirmed on his website on 31 August that both he and Javier Mascherano were signing for West Ham United on permanent deals for £12 million each. Media reports speculated that other Premier League clubs turned down the opportunity of signing Tévez and Mascherano because of stipulations put in place by Media Sports Investments, who owned both players' rights. .]]

Tévez made his West Ham debut coming on as a second-half substitute in the 1–1 home draw with Aston Villa on 10 September 2006. After this game though, West Ham went on a nine-game winless streak (one draw and eight defeats), which included seven consecutive matches without scoring. This winless run also included going out of both the UEFA Cup and Carling Cup. In November of the same season, Tévez left the ground early after being substituted and throwing a mini tantrum during a league match against Sheffield United, and as punishment, his teammates decided that Tévez had to donate half of a week's wages to charity and train in a Brazil jersey. Tévez refused to wear the shirt, saying, "I played in Brazil and have a great respect for Brazil and Brazilians but I'm Argentine and won't wear that shirt."

On 6 January 2007, Tévez made his first start for West Ham under the new management of Alan Curbishley in a 3–0 FA Cup third round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. He scored his first West Ham goal and assisted two others on 4 March 2007 in a 4–3 home defeat to Tottenham. In April, after West Ham were fined a record £5.5 million for breaching Premier League rules over the signings of Tévez and Mascherano, Tévez was cleared to play for West Ham by the Premier League after changes were made to a third party agreement related to him. That same month, Tévez was named the club's Hammer of the Year.

In relegation-threatened West Ham's final league match of the season against Manchester United on 13 May, Tévez scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory securing the Hammers' stay in the top flight for the next season.

2007 transfer saga

At the end of June 2007, Tévez rejected a move to Internazionale, and his agent, Kia Joorabchian, stated that he was in discussions to stay with West Ham, as the player had settled into the Premier League and wanted to remain in England. Tévez replied that he would not make a decision until the Copa América wrapped up in July.

On 5 July, the Daily Mail reported that Tévez had agreed to join Manchester United in a deal worth £20 million, which was subject to an appeal from West Ham; West Ham said in turn that they would block any transfer unless they received a majority of the transfer fee. The next day, West Ham released a statement that Tévez was under contract until June 2010, in addition to denying having held negotiations with any other club. Joorabchian contradicted the claim by saying that West Ham had indeed given permission to United to engage in talks.

Manchester United and West Ham sought FIFA's assistance to rule on Tévez's ownership, but on 24 July, FIFA suggested that the case be referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Joorabchian intervened by issuing West Ham with a High Court writ "...to compel West Ham to release the registration of Carlos Tévez in accordance with contracts entered into between the parties." However, the case never made it to court as the Premier League approved an agreement between West Ham and MSI, in which MSI would pay £2 million to West Ham, who in turn released Tévez from his contract.

Manchester United

Manchester United put forward a proposed two-year loan deal for Tévez, which was approved on 10 August 2007. He made his debut on 15 August when he started in place of the injured Wayne Rooney in a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth. On 23 September, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 home victory against Chelsea. In November, United manager Alex Ferguson confirmed that the club wanted to sign Tévez permanently. "He'll get me fifteen goals this season, and what's more, they'll be important goals." Tévez was greeted with an ovation and singing of "There's Only One Carlos Tévez" from the West Ham supporters upon his return to Upton Park for an away match (lost by Manchester United) on 29 December. He returned the gesture by repeatedly crossing his arms in front of his chest, in reference to the hammers on the West Ham team crest.

Tévez scored a total of five goals during Manchester United's successful 2007–08 Champions League campaign. He also scored the first penalty in the shootout against Chelsea in the final, which Manchester United won 6–5 after the match had ended 1–1 after extra time.

He scored his first league goal of the 2008–09 season on 13 September 2008 in a 2–1 away defeat to Liverpool, and his first hat-trick came on 3 December 2008, when he scored a quartet of goals in United's 5–3 League Cup win over Blackburn Rovers in the fifth round. His first Champions League goal of the season, against Aalborg BK on 10 December, was the fastest goal scored in the tournament for 2008–09 at two minutes and 41 seconds.

On 21 December, Tévez started for United in the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup final, which United won 1–0 over Ecuadorean club LDU Quito, but he was substituted in the 51st minute for Jonny Evans after Nemanja Vidić was sent off. and Anderson]] On 10 May 2009, Tévez was reported as saying that he believed his time at Manchester United would come to an end that summer and he expressed his dissatisfaction at not having been offered a permanent contract with the club and having been dropped from the team despite, in his opinion, not having played badly. Despite this outburst, Tévez was named in Manchester United's starting XI for the derby match against Manchester City later that day, before scoring the second of United's two goals on the stroke of half-time, which prompted chants of "Fergie, sign him up" from some of the club's fans. After the match, manager Alex Ferguson refused to be drawn on the subject of Tévez's future with the club, saying "I didn't read any of the papers. He's a Manchester United player."

The following game for Manchester United was away at Wigan Athletic. Tévez did not start the game, but came off the bench on 58 minutes and scored the equaliser three minutes later with a flamboyant back-heeled finish. His introduction immediately improved the team's play and Michael Carrick scored the winner on 86 minutes. After the game, to the relief of most United fans, Alex Ferguson announced that the club had commenced talks to sign Tévez on a permanent deal. This news came on the same day as claims in The Sun that United lawyers were looking into the possibility of a Bosman-type case, which would allow Tévez to be signed for free. Tévez started the next game against Arsenal, but was substituted by Park Ji-Sung in the 66th minute. As he left the field, the Manchester United supporters applauded him, in his last game at Old Trafford for Manchester United. United chief executive David Gill suggested that Tévez's future would be resolved by early June 2009. Although United agreed to meet the option fee of £25.5 million and offered Tévez a five-year contract that would have made him one of the club's top earners, Tévez's advisors informed the club that he no longer wished to play for Manchester United. Nevertheless, reports also emerged that Tévez had ruled out signing for Liverpool, given the implications of a Manchester United player moving to join their north-west rivals.

Manchester City

After protracted negotiations, Tévez signed a five-year contract with Manchester United's cross-town rivals, Manchester City, after a medical on 14 July 2009. On 12 September, it was claimed that the transfer fee was £47 million, a British transfer record, but this was later denied by both Manchester City and Media Sports Investments. Tévez was given the number 32 shirt, just as he was at Manchester United and West Ham.

He made his City debut coming off the bench against Blackburn Rovers in a 2–0 away win. He scored his first goal for the club on 27 August 2009 against Crystal Palace in the 2nd round of the Carling Cup, heading in City's second goal in a 2–0 victory.

During September 2009, Tévez suffered a knee injury whilst on international duty with Argentina, which would keep him out for two to three weeks, forcing him to miss the match against Arsenal. It was also thought that Tévez would miss the Manchester derby the following weekend, but he recovered in time to play in the match. He set up his side's first goal for Gareth Barry, but City ended up losing 4–3.

Tévez scored his first and second Premier League goals for the club during a 3–1 win over his former club, West Ham United prompting City fans to imitate the chant 'Fergie sign him up'. Later that week, he scored the third goal in Manchester City's 5–1 win over Scunthorpe United in the Carling Cup, and three weeks later, he scored his third successive cup goal in the quarter-finals against Arsenal. The following week he scored the winner in a 2–1 win over Chelsea. One week later he scored twice, with an impressive brace, in a 3–3 draw with Bolton Wanderers. His next two goals came against Sunderland and Stoke City, scoring six goals in as many matches. On 28 December he continued his goal scoring run, scoring two against Wolverhampton Wanderers, making it nine goals in seven games for the striker. Tévez netted his first Premier League hat-trick for Manchester City on 11 January 2010 in a 4–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers, coincidentally on the same night he received his first ever Premier League Player of the Month award for December 2009.

On 19 January 2010 Tevez spear headed City's attack as the club defeated former club and cross city rivals Manchester United in the first leg of the League Cup semi final at the City of Manchester Stadium. Despite United taking a 1–0 lead, Tevez hit the equaliser in from the penalty spot before heading the winner in the 65th minute. The game also involved a slagging match between Tevez and former team mate Gary Neville, which saw Tevez goading Neville and the travelling United fans whilst celebrating his first goal. On 27 February 2010 Tevez scored two goals against Chelsea in a 4–2 away win over the league leaders, following his return from compassionate leave in Argentina. On 29 March 2010, Tevez scored his second Premier League hat-trick for Manchester City against Wigan in a 3–0 victory. This therefore brought his self record breaking goal scoring tally for a single season to a total of 19 in the Premier League and 25 in all competitions. His 20th goal of the season came in a 6–1 win over Burnley. At the end of his first year at Manchester City, he was given two club awards, the 'Etihad Player of the Year' award and the 'Players Player of the Year' award.

On 18 August 2010 he was made Club Captain by manager Roberto Mancini, replacing defender Kolo Toure. Tévez continued his scoring form in the league from the 2009/10 in the 2010–11 season with two goals in the 3–0, defeating of Liverpool. Against Wigan Athletic, Tévez scored a goal in a 2–0 win. He also continued his goal scoring record against Chelsea with a solo effort taking his tally against it to six goals in five games, and leading to a 1–0 win. He scored a penalty in a 2–1 home win against Newcastle, and followed up with two more goals against Blackpool FC in a 3–2 Away win.

In December 2010, despite his agent recently asking the club to renegotiate and improve his contract, Tévez handed the club a written transfer request, citing family reasons and a breakdown in "relationship with certain executives and individuals at the club". The transfer request was rejected by the club with a senior club official describing Tévez's reasons for wanting to leave as "ludicrous and nonsensical", whilst the club also stated that the player would not be sold in the January transfer window and will seek compensation for breach of contract from the his agent if he retires or refuses to play. In the week following Tévez's transfer request, manager Roberto Mancini believed Tévez would stay at the club after some convincing, as did fellow compatriot at City and close friend Pablo Zabaleta, and club's Football Administration Officer, Brian Marwood.

On 20 December 2010 Tevez withdrew his transfer request and expressed his 'absolute commitment' to Manchester City following clear-the-air talks. On Boxing Day 2010 Tevez scored twice as City won 3-1 away at Newcastle United.

International career

Tévez first came into prominence with Argentina while playing in the FIFA U-17 World Championship. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he won the gold medal and scored eight goals (including the winner in the final) in six matches to be the top scorer of the competition. He was the world's second-highest goalscorer of 2004 in overall international competition with sixteen goals, one fewer than Iran forward Ali Daei.

Tévez was called up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, and scored his only goal of the tournament in Argentina's 6–0 group stage thrashing of Serbia and Montenegro on 16 June. However, he was sent off twice in a three-game stretch during 2010 World Cup qualifying, once against Colombia on 21 November 2007 after he kicked fullback Rubén Darío Bustos in the 24th minute, and then on 9 September 2008 after a late tackle on defender Darío Verón that earned him a red card in the 31st minute of a 1–1 draw with Paraguay after he had been booked earlier. Tévez later apologised for the incident. In the last 16 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa, Tevez scored a brace against Mexico. His first goal was a header and he scored in controversial style as the assisted pass by Lionel Messi was offside but the linesman didn't call it. Tevez scored his second goal of the game with a powerful shot from outside the box.

International goals

As of 27 June 2010

Personal life

Tévez and his wife, Vanesa, have two daughters together: Florencia and Katia. He performs as the frontman for his cumbia villera musical group, Piola Vago, with his brother Diego. The group's most successful hit, "Lose Your Control," charted in Argentina.

On 6 February 2009, Tévez was stopped by Greater Manchester Police near junction 7 of the M60 motorway It was found that Tévez was driving without a full UK driving licence and illegally tinted windows. His car was then impounded by the police since he could not arrange for it to be removed himself.

Career statistics

Statistics accurate as of match played 4th December 2010

|- |2004||10||2 |- |2005||9||0 |- |2006||8||2 |- |2007||11||3 |- |2008||4||0 |- |2009||8||1 |- |2010||7|||4 |- !Total||58||12 |}

Honours

Club

;Boca Juniors

Primera División: 2003 Apertura

Copa Libertadores: 2003

Copa Sudamericana: 2004

Intercontinental Cup: 2003

;Corinthians

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A: 2005

;Manchester United

Premier League: 2007–08, 2008–09

FA Community Shield: 2008

UEFA Champions League: 2007–08

FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

Football League Cup: 2008–09

International

2004 Summer Olympics: Gold medal

South American U-20 Championship: 2003

Individual

Copa Libertadores Most Valuable Player: 2003

Silver Olimpia (Argentine Footballer of the Year): 2003, 2004

Golden Olimpia (Argentine Sportsperson of the Year): 2004

Olympic Golden Boot: 2004

CBF Campeonato Brasileiro Best Player: 2005

Placar Bola de Ouro: 2005

South American Footballer of the Year: 2003, 2004, 2005

Hammer of the Year: 2007

FA Premier League Player of the Month: December 2009 PFA Player of the Month: March 2010 Manchester City Official Supporter's Player of the Year: 2009–10

Manchester City Player's Player of the Year: 2009–10

References

External links

Profile at BBC Sport

Profile at FutbolPunto with maps and graphs

CBF

Category:1984 births Category:Living people Category:People from Buenos Aires Province Category:Argentine footballers Category:Argentina international footballers Category:2004 Copa América players Category:2005 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2007 Copa América players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:Olympic footballers of Argentina Category:Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic gold medalists for Argentina Category:Primera División Argentina players Category:Boca Juniors footballers Category:Argentine expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in Brazil Category:Sport Club Corinthians Paulista players Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Premier League players Category:West Ham United F.C. players Category:Manchester United F.C. players Category:Manchester City F.C. players Category:Association football forwards Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Brazil Category:Argentine expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom Category:South American Footballer of the Year winners

Roberto Mancini (born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of English Premier League team Manchester City.

As a player he was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 league matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa Italias and the Cup Winners Cup, whilst being capped 36 times by Italy.

In the latter days of his playing career he was an assistant apprentice to Sven Goran Eriksson at Lazio. Following the end of his accomplished playing career he moved into management and achieved success at both ends of the footballing spectrum. He began his managerial career at the deep end with a cash stricken Fiorentina at only 35 years old and managed to win a Coppa Italia but left with Fiorentina sliding towards inevitable bankruptcy. A few months later he then took over as manager at Lazio, where again, he inherited financial constraints and was forced to lose big players but still managed to win another Coppa Italia, a UEFA Cup semi-final, whilst securing a lucrative Champions League place with limited resources during his two season tenure.

Following these short spells Mancini garnered a reputation for what he could do on a shoestring, he was offered a chance at the big time as Inter manager's job in 2004 by Massimo Moratti. During his tenure at Inter he built a team and transformed them into the dominant team in Italy. His spell at Internazionale was laden with success as he won an Inter club record 3 consecutive Serie A titles and a European record 17 consecutive league game victories stretching nearly half-a-year, becoming Inter's most successful manager in 30 years. Furthermore, Mancini guided the clubs he managed to a record 5 consecutive Coppa Italia finals from 2004 to 2008, with Lazio once in 2004 and with Inter in the following 4 seasons. Despite domestic success, many pundits see the repeated failure to translate domestic success into winning the coveted Champions League as the main reason for his sacking in 2008 by Inter's hierarchy.

Whilst out of football he reiterated his desire to work in England and a tradition of wearing a scarf of his club's colours, a tradition which he has continued at Manchester City.

Early life

Mancini was born in the small town of Jesi, Italy in 1964 but then moved onto the mountain town of Rocadaspida, Italy and was raised by Aldo and Marianna Mancini along with his younger sister, Stephanie. Raised a Roman Catholic, his young life in Jesi revolved around religion and football. He was an altar boy and played for the local Aurora Calcio football team in his youth. On one occasion a fixture clashed with his first Holy Communion. Halfway through the ceremony the young eight year old Mancini was nowhere to be seen. His local priest who was administering his first communion frequently coached Calcio, he heard they were losing 2–0 at half-time and so he asked a young Mancini quietly after receiving his communion if he had his football kit and boots with him. Roberto said they were in the changing rooms and so he told him to sneak out of the side door and put them on because his team needed him unbeknownst to his father. He made his Premier League debut against Arsenal at the age of 36 that same month, playing his part as 10-man City gained a 0–0 draw. Better was to follow with a 2–1 FA Cup win over Aston Villa at Villa Park and, after a 1–0 defeat at Southampton, Mancini produced his best display in a 2–1 win over Chelsea. He played his final match as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat at Everton. Mancini failed to complete 90 minutes in his five appearances.

He was given a leave of absence in early February, citing personal reasons. However, the club received a phone call from him on 14 February, informing them he would not be returning (he had been offered the manager's job at Fiorentina). Mancini left Leicester City on 15 February 2001. Despite this, he cites his time at Leicester as the period during which he fell in love with the English game, prompting him to accept the challenge at Manchester City.

International career

Despite his success at club level, Mancini never became a regular for Italy. He made his international debut in 1984 against Canada and won 36 caps and scored four goals for his country (including a goal against West Germany at Euro 88). He was also a non-playing member of the Italian squad at 1990 World Cup, being kept out of the side by the likes of Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Baggio. At U-21 level, Mancini finished runner-up in UEFA U-21 Championship 1986, and reached the semi-finals in UEFA U-21 Championship 1984. His international career came to an end after a dispute with national team coach Arrigo Sacchi when Mancini found he would not be guaranteed a first team place at the 1994 World Cup.

Managerial career

In 2001 when he was studying at Coverciano, where he penned a research pamphlet entitled "Il Trequartista". which examined the role of an attacking midfielder. During this time he had not attained the necessary badges to be a manager.

Fiorentina

In 2001 he made an impromptu exit from Leicester City after only four games to enter management, after he was offered the managers job by Fiorentina. He had to gain special dispensation to become manager from the Italian football authorities as he had not attained to necessary managerial badges. Mancini however inherited a Fiorentina plagued by financial worries. Despite this he managed to win the Coppa Italia on his first occasion as manager. During his tenure with Fiorentina, Mancini was occasionally willing to come out and play for the team due to the club having financial problems with its players as key players such as Rui Costa and Francesco Toldo were sold. According to various sources Mancini worked unpaid and received death threats as Fiorentina were in financial meltdown, before quitting after 10 months in the job.

Lazio

In May 2002, five months after leaving Fiorentina, Mancini was appointed manager of Lazio in 2002. Again however he was restricted by financial worries with key players such as Hernan Crespo, Alessandro Nesta being sold and players forced to take a 80% pay cut. In his first season though he took Lazio to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup before being knocked out by his successor at Inter, Jose Mourinho's Porto. Success came however when he led his Lazio side to win the Coppa Italia in the 2003–2004 campaign, a victory which marked his second time winning the Cup as a manager having previously won it in 2001 with Fiorentina.

Despite the financial constraints and concerns he admirably kept Lazio stable whilst he provided some success and ultimately finished fourth and sixth in 2003 and 2004 which helped him earn the managerial position at Internazionale.

Internazionale

Before the start of the 2004–05 season, rumours circulated in the Italian Press that Inter Milan had approached Mancini to fill the recently vacanted managerial position at the club. Shortly after, Mancini quit Lazio and announced that he would be joining Inter. In his time at Inter, he achieved the club's first domestic trophy since the Serie A success of 1989, a period of 15 years. Mancini built and transformed Inter into the dominant team in Italy, a fact continued by his successor Jose Mourinho.

2004–2005

In his debut season (2004–2005) he won the club's first trophy in seven years – a 3–0 Coppa Italia final victory over Roma thanks to a brace from Adriano at the Stadio Olimpico and a Sinisa Mihajlovic free kick at the San Siro. Mancini guided Inter to third in the Serie A and reached the Champions League quarter-finals only to be knocked out by city rivals AC Milan 3–0 on aggregate. In August Inter won the Italian Super Cup for the second time in their history with a 1–0 victory over Juventus.

2005–2006

In 2005–2006 Mancini again won the Italian Cups and an Italian Super Cup and won the Scudetto, the first for Inter in 16 years. However, the Scudetto title was handed to Inter following the Calciopoli scandal, which saw Juventus stripped of the title and relegated to Serie B.

2006–2007

In 2006–2007, Mancini guided Inter to a second successive league title as they amassed a record-breaking total of 97 points, which is an Italian football record and until the season 2009–10 was a European record, too.

Furthermore, Inter with Mancini as manager went on a record-breaking run of 17 consecutive victories in Serie A, starting on 25 September 2006 with a 4–1 home win over Livorno and ending on 28 February 2007 after a 1–1 draw at home to Udinese. The 5–2 away win at Catania on 25 February 2007 broke the original record of 15 matches held by both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid from the "Big 5" (the top flight leagues in England, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany). The run lasted for almost five months and is among the best in European league football, with just Benfica (29 wins), Celtic (25 wins) and PSV (22 wins) bettering it. Inter also won with 5 games to spare and ultimately by 23 points and only losing once in the league all season. Mancini became the third coach in Inter history to win back-to-back league titles after Alfredo Foni (1952–53 and 1953–54) and Helenio Herrera (1964–65 and 1965–66).

Inter also progressed to the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup for the third consecutive season but were beaten in both finals by AS Roma. Once again though, despite Inter's impressive league form, Inter struggled in Europe again. In the Champions League they were knocked out in the first knockout round by Valencia on away goals. The match was perhaps more famously remembered for the mass brawl involving both sets of players after the match. Mancini was not implicated in the incident as he was seen to not be involved in the brawl in the camera footage. Footage showed him attempting to block the camera's view for a few seconds before he was seen shrugging his shoulders and nonchantly walking away whilst the brawl was taking place in the tunnel.

2007–2008

2007–2008 proved to be Mancini's final season in charge of the Nerazzurri, however his reputation was not tainted but it grew further as he added a third consecutive Serie A title to his honours. Again he guided Inter to the Coppa Italia final but lost for a second consecutive season to Roma, 2–1 at the Stadio Olimpico.

Despite his successes, the inability to win the Champions League displeased Inter owner Massimo Moratti. Earlier in the season in March 2008, Mancini announced his intention to step down at the end of the 2007–08 season after his side were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League after a 3–0 aggregate loss to Liverpool in the Second Round. Mancini rescinded this decision a day later on 12 March after meeting with Inter president Massimo Moratti. The reason for the announcement of his planned departure was that Mancini was unhappy and had been tipped off about José Mourinho replacing him at the end of the season and had planned to announce his own resignation rather than sacking in advance to avoid embarrassment.

On 29 May 2008, Inter officially announced the sacking of Mancini, following an encounter with club chairman Massimo Moratti, justifying the move by pointing to Mancini's negative comments made immediately after the Liverpool defeat. He was eventually replaced by Jose Mourinho.

Out of football

Continual failures on the European stage blighted his managerial career at Inter and appeared to have cost Mancini his job. A best of the quarter final stage was achieved in 2006, however a mass brawl against Valencia in 2007 and an easy 3–0 aggregate defeat by Liverpool prompted speculation about his future, despite his domestic success since arriving at Inter. Whilst he was out he was linked to the vacant Chelsea job in May 2008 Notts County job On 30 October 2009 Mancini agreed to a mutual termination of his contract with Internazionale. The termination was in response to Mancini getting compensation for his sacking at Inter. The contract however meant Mancini was actually unemployable by any other club from May 2008 to October 2009. It was believed Mancini was entitled to a €16m wrangle, in the end though Mancini reportedly settled for a "measly" €5m payoff. This news came only hours after Manchester City's 4–3 home victory over Sunderland. There were rumours, that Mancini's initial 6 month appointment was just a stopgap solution until the end of the season when Manchester City would seek a new manager, but has since revealed he intends to stay in Manchester for many years to come with support from City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak. and made it four wins in a row with a 4–1 win at home against Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. His first defeat came in a 2–0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park. Mancini then won his first ever Manchester Derby 2–1 in a Carling Cup semi-final first leg. However United won the second-leg 3–1, eliminating City from the competition.

In February 2010, under Mancini, Manchester City completed a season double over champions Chelsea for the first time since 1957, with a resounding 4–2 win at Stamford Bridge. This was also his first clash in the Premier League with Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was at the helm of AC Milan during Mancini's days at Inter. The win was followed by a hard fought draw at the Stadium of Light against Sunderland, plus a win at Craven Cottage. A 3–0 win against Wigan Athletic was followed up with defeat against Everton for the second time in the Premier League this season.

Mancini was involved with a confrontation with Everton manager David Moyes, where Mancini ran over to Moyes and grappled the ball out of his grasp whilst Everton were making a substitution. Both managers reconciled after the game and Mancini publicly apologised, but Mancini was subsequently charged with 'improper conduct' by the FA,

In April, Manchester City leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into fourth place in the Premier League with a 6–1 thumping of Burnley and a further 5–1 hammering over Birmingham City. City entered May with a 3–1 win over Aston Villa, however, on May 5, a single goal defeat to Tottenham meant that Manchester City had lost out on 4th place, with Spurs taking it courtesy of their win.

City finished the season in 5th, their highest ever Premier League finish and the first time since 1978 that City had qualifed for Europe via their league position. There had been speculation Mancini might lose his job if Manchester City did not finish 4th to secure Champions League Football, but chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak in an interview with Manchester City praised Mancini and felt he would be manager at Manchester City "for many years to come".

2010–11

Mancini began his first full season at Manchester City in July 2010 with a pre-season tour to the US. After missing out on the Champions League, he spent heavily during the summer transfer window. Mancini signed German international defender Jerome Boateng from Hamburg for approximately £10.64m, Spanish World Cup winner David Silva from Valencia for approximately £24m, Yaya Toure from Barcelona for around £24m and Aleksandar Kolarov from Lazio for approximately £19m. Whilst he also let Sylvinho, Benjani and Martin Petrov leave the club after their contracts expired.

Mancini and City began their pre-season in shaky fashion without most of their key players losing 2-0 to Sporting Lisbon in their opening Barclays New York Challenge game and lost 2-1 to New York Red Bulls thanks to a wonder goal by Dane Richards. City racked up their first win of the pre-season courtesy of some good penalties and saves from Shay Given against Mexican club, Club America with Yaya Toure making a composed and impressive debut in the first-half. Mancini however was forced to return home to Italy after his father Aldo

The league season began on the 14 August 2010 as City had the honour of playing the first match of the new season against Tottenham, a rematch of the previous season's battle for Champions League football. The match was drawn 0-0 and City went on to beat Liverpool convincingly 3-0 at home whilst they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Sunderland, courtesy of a last minute penalty. A draw against a resilient Blackburn followed with a win 2-0 against Wigan.

The season's biggest match so far came against champions Chelsea who Mancini backed prior to the match would win the league "easily". Chelsea fell for Mancini's bigging up mind game and Carlos Tevez grabbed the goal for the win. Mancini's side although lacking flair, were praised for their pragmatism and resilient style.

Personality and reputation

Mancini is well known to be a tough trainer as manager, a reputation heightened at Manchester City. This has led to his training methods being criticised by some players and fitness coaches, especially ex-Manchester City fitness coach Raymond Verheijen who is a personal fitness coach for Craig Bellamy.

During his time at Manchester City, Mancini has shown is not afraid to stamp his authority with rebellious players who are unhappy or are not performing and has previously stated "If a top player is not happy then it's better to go". It has been reported, although vehemently disputed, that Mancini has had frosty relationship with Craig Bellamy, club doctor Jamie Murphy and Emmanuel Adebayor who was unhappy at not getting first team football. Manchester City players have previously revealed Mancini's ocsasional "hairdryer treatment" at half-time if he feels his team are not playing well.

Mancini is perceived by some sections of the media to be more of a "defense first" manager, rather than a "win first" manager. A style that has been criticised in English media, however others believe his pragmatic yet cautious approach is what his predecessor Mark Hughes lacked, and that Mancini is adopting the right style to make sure City challenge for trophies regularly. Others have argued early in Mancini's reign that he must be given time to build his team like he did at Lazio with Sven Goran Eriksson and at Internazionale, then the attacking flair Mancini utilised at Inter will show.

While managing Manchester City, his team has garnered a reputation as being tough to break down and are well organised defensively. In Mancini's first full season in charge at City, they had only conceded 16 goals in the Premier League and had 11 clean sheets in 22 games.

Personal life

Mancini has been married for nearly 20 years to his wife Federica and have a daughter and two sons, Filippo and Andrea who have both played in the Internazionale youth ranks where Filippo managed to play 10 minutes in a single Coppa Italia match for Inter. Both of his sons have at one point been a part of Manchester City's youth set-up - under the reign of Sven-Göran Eriksson Filippo trained with the City academy for several months of the 2007-08 season, while Andrea was signed by his father for the Manchester City under-21 Elite Development Squad in November of 2010 after being released from Bologna.

Statistics

Player stats

:As of 27 November 2009

{| class="wikitable center" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" |- !rowspan="2"|Season !rowspan="2"|Club !colspan="3"|Championship !colspan="3"|Coppa Italia !colspan="3"|Europe !colspan="3"|Supercoppa Italiana !colspan="2"|Total |- !Comp !Apps !Goals !Comp !Apps !Goals !Comp !Apps !Goals !Comp !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals |- |Bologna Football Club 1981–1982|1981–1982|| Bologna||A||30||9||CI||1||0|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||31||9 |- |1982–1983||rowspan=15| Sampdoria||A||22||4||CI||5||1|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||27||5 |- |1983–1984||A||30||8||CI||8||2|| ||-||-||||-||-||38||10 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1984–1985|1984–1985||A||24||3||CI||11||3|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||35||6 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1985–1986|1985–1986||A||23||6||CI||11||4||EWC||4||2|| ||-||-||38||12 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1986–1987|1986–1987||A||26||6||CI||5||0|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||31||6 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1987–1988|1987–1988||A||30||5||CI||13||3|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||43||8 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1988–1989|1988–1989||A||29||9||CI||11||5||EWC||8||0 ||SI ||0||0||48||14 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1989–1990|1989–1990||A||31||11||CI||3||2||EWC||9||2||SI||1||0||44||15 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1990–1991|1990–1991||A||30||12||CI||10||2||EWC||5||2||SE||2||0||47||16 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1991–1992|1991–1992||A||29||6||CI||6||2||EC||9||4||SI||1||1||45||13 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1992–1993|1992–1993||A||30||15||CI||2||0|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||32||15 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1993–1994|1993–1994||A||30||12||CI||7||0|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||37||12 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1994–1995|1994–1995||A||31||9||CI||2||1||EWC ||4||2||SI||1||0||38||12 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1995–1996|1995–1996||A||26||11||CI||2||1|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||28||12 |- |Unione Calcio Sampdoria 1996–1997|1996–1997||A||33||15||CI||2||0|| ||-||-|| ||-||-||35||15 |- !colspan="3"| Total – Sampdoria || 424 || 132 || || 98 || 26 || || 39 || 12 || || 5 || 1 ||566|| 171 |- |Società Sportiva Lazio 1997–1998|1997–1998||rowspan=3| Lazio||A||34||5|| CI||8||1||UC|| 10||3|| ||-||-||52||9 |- |Società Sportiva Lazio 1998–1999|1998–1999||A||33||10||CI|| 6 ||2 ||EWC ||7 ||0 ||SI ||1 ||0 ||47||12 |- |Società Sportiva Lazio 1999–2000|1999–2000||A||20||0||CI ||7 ||3 ||UCL ||9 ||0 ||SE||1 ||0 ||37 ||3 |- !colspan="3"| Total – Lazio || 87 || 15 || || 21 || 6 || || 26 || 3 || || 2 || 0 || 136 || 24 |- |2001|| Leicester City||EPL|| 4 || 0 || FAC || 1 || 0 || || 0 || 0 || || 0 || 0 || 5 || 0 |- ! colspan="2"|Total – Career|| || 541 || 156 || || 121 || 32 || || 65 || 15 || || 7 || 1 || 734 || 204 |}

Managerial statistics

:Competitive games only - as of 15 January 2011

Honours

As player

;Italy

1990 FIFA World Cup: Third place

;Sampdoria

Serie A: 1990–91

Coppa Italia: 1984–85, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1993–94

Supercoppa Italiana: 1991

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1989–90

European Cup: 1991-92 Runners-up

;S.S. Lazio

Serie A: 1999–2000

Coppa Italia: 1997–98, 1999–2000

Supercoppa Italiana: 1998

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998–99

UEFA Super Cup: 1999

;Individual

Guerin d'Oro: 1988, 1991

Serie A Footballer of the Year: 1997

Italian Footballer of the Year: 1997

As manager

;ACF Fiorentina

Coppa Italia: 2000–01

;S.S. Lazio

Coppa Italia: 2003–04

;F.C. Internazionale Milano

Serie A: 2005–06; 2006–07; 2007–08

Coppa Italia: 2004–05; 2005–06

Supercoppa Italiana: 2005; 2006

;Individual

;Manchester City F.C.

Premier League Manager of the Month: December 2010

References

External links

Official website

Profile on Manchester City Official Website

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:People from Jesi Category:Italian footballers Category:Italy international footballers Category:Italy under-21 international footballers Category:Bologna F.C. 1909 players Category:U.C. Sampdoria players Category:S.S. Lazio players Category:Leicester City F.C. players Category:Serie A footballers Category:UEFA Euro 1988 players Category:1990 FIFA World Cup players Category:Italian football managers Category:S.S. Lazio managers Category:ACF Fiorentina managers Category:F.C. Internazionale Milano managers Category:Serie A managers Category:Premier League players Category:Italian expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Italian expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom Category:Premier League managers Category:Expatriate football managers in England