.jpg) Di Matteo managingSchalke in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roberto Di Matteo[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1970-05-29)29 May 1970 (age 55)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Schaffhausen, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1988–1991 | Schaffhausen | 50 | (2) |
| 1991–1992 | Zürich | 34 | (6) |
| 1992–1993 | Aarau | 33 | (1) |
| 1993–1996 | Lazio | 87 | (7) |
| 1996–2002 | Chelsea | 119 | (15) |
| Total | 323 | (31) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994–1998 | Italy | 34 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2008–2009 | Milton Keynes Dons | ||
| 2009–2011 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
| 2012 | Chelsea | ||
| 2014–2015 | Schalke 04 | ||
| 2016 | Aston Villa | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roberto Di Matteo (Italian pronunciation:[roˈbɛrtodimatˈtɛːo]; born 29 May 1970) is an Italian professionalfootball manager and former player.
Amidfielder, he played for Swiss clubsSchaffhausen,Zürich andAarau early in his career. After winning the Swiss league title with Aarau in 1992–1993, he joined Serie A teamLazio where he played under managers Dino Zoff andZdeněk Zeman. After three seasons at Lazio, he joinedChelsea in 1996 for a £4.9 million fee, a club record at the time.[3] He retired as a player in February 2002 at the age of 31 following injury problems.[4]
Born in Switzerland to Italian parents, he wascapped 34 times forItaly, scoring two goals, and played inUEFA Euro 1996 and the1998 FIFA World Cup.
Di Matteo began his managerial career withMilton Keynes Dons, whom he took to the League One playoffs in 2008–09 before leaving to returnWest Bromwich Albion to the Premier League. Ascaretaker manager ofChelsea, he steered the club to double title success, winning both theFA Cup and the club's firstUEFA Champions League title in 2012,[5] but was dismissed later that year. He coachedSchalke 04 for seven months in 2014–2015 andAston Villa for four months in 2016.
Born inSchaffhausen, Switzerland[1] to Italian parents fromAbruzzo, Di Matteo began his career with Swiss clubSchaffhausen, before joiningAarau in 1991.[6] He won theSwiss Nationalliga A with Aarau in 1993.[7]
He signed forLazio in the summer of 1993 on a free transfer.[8] Di Matteo became a regular starting-11 member of the Lazio side in midfield under managersDino Zoff and laterZdeněk Zeman, and he made his debut for theItaly national team during his three seasons with the Rome club.[9] Under Zeman, he was frequently deployed in the central midfield role, in which he was required to aid the team defensively – thanks to his formation as a sweeper during his youth –[9][10][11] as well as offensively and creatively.[12] During his time at the club, he developed into one of the top two-waycentral midfielders in Italy.[13]
Di Matteo scored the winner againstMiddlesbrough on his home debut forChelsea.[14] His passing ability and accurate long-distance shooting saw him become one of the driving forces of Chelsea's resurgence in the late 1990s, along with several other Italian players.[15] He contributed nine goals in his first season, including long-range efforts against bothTottenham Hotspur andWimbledon.[citation needed] He helped the club finish sixth place in the league, their highest placing since1989–90, and reach the1997 FA Cup final atWembley.[citation needed] Within 42 seconds of the kick-off of the final against Middlesbrough, Di Matteo scored the opening goal from 30 yards and Chelsea won 2–0.[16] Di Matteo's goal was the fastest in a Wembley FA Cup final until the record was broken byLouis Saha forEverton in2009.[citation needed]
The following season Di Matteo again proved his worth to the team, contributing ten goals and numerous assists, as Chelsea went on to claim theFootball League Cup and theCup Winners' Cup, their first European honour since 1971.[citation needed] In theLeague Cup final, again against Middlesbrough, Di Matteo scored the second goal in a 2–0 win.[citation needed] Di Matteo played in midfield next toGus Poyet,Dennis Wise andDan Petrescu in the1998–99 season as Chelsea finished third.[citation needed] During the1999–2000 season Di Matteo was sidelined by injury but returned late in the season to score a handful of crucial goals, including his third Cup-winning goal at Wembley, once again in theFA Cup.[citation needed] In a dour match, Di Matteo capitalised on an error byAston Villa goalkeeperDavid James to score the winner in the 72nd minute, handing Chelsea their fourth major trophy in three years.[17][18] This led Di Matteo to comment on the old Wembley Stadium saying "It's a shame they're tearing the old place down it has been a very lucky ground for me".[19]
Early into the2000–01 season, Di Matteo sustained a triple leg fracture in aUEFA Cup tie against Swiss sideSt. Gallen and did not play for the next eighteen months.[20][21] He gave up on hopes of returning from this injury in February 2002 and retired at the age of 31.[20][21] In his six years at Chelsea, Di Matteo made 175 appearances and scored 26 goals.[22]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea | 1996–97 | Premier League | 34 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 44 | 9 | |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 30 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 8[a] | 3 | 1[b] | 0 | 44 | 10 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 30 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7[a] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 46 | 3 | |
| 1999-2000 | Premier League | 18 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9[d] | 0 | — | 31 | 4 | ||
| 2000–01 | Premier League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Chelsea total | 119 | 15 | 17 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 175 | 26 | ||
Di Matteo made hisItaly debut underArrigo Sacchi on 16 November 1994 in theStadio La Favorita inPalermo. He came on as a 55th-minute substitute forDemetrio Albertini as Italy lost 2–1 toCroatia in qualification forUEFA Euro 1996. He made his first start in his second cap, a friendly 3–1 victory overTurkey on 21 December 1994 in theStadio Adriatico inPescara. Di Matteo played two of Italy's group matches in UEFA Euro 1996, againstRussia andGermany. His first goal was scored on his 23rd cap, in qualification for the1998 FIFA World Cup, on 30 April 1997 in a 3–0 win againstPoland inNaples. Di Matteo only scored one more goal for Italy, in a friendly win overSlovakia on 28 January 1998. He was a member of Italy's FIFA World Cup team in 1998 and played two of their group games, against Chile and Cameroon. The match against Cameroon inMontpellier was his last game for Italy; in total he made 34 caps for Italy between 1994 and 1998, scoring 2 goals.[23][24]
Under his Lazio managers Zeman andDino Zoff, Di Matteo was frequently deployed in the centralholding midfield role in the team's 4–3–3 formation, in which he was required to aid the team defensively, owing to his formation both as asweeper and as acentre-back in a zonal defence during his youth in Switzerland.[9][10][11] He was also important in helping his team offensively and creatively, functioning as adeep-lyingplaymaker for Lazio under Zeman, and helping to set the tempo of his team's play and create chances through his precise passing range, technique, control, finesse, composure, and vision; as such his role was often likened to that of ametodista ("centre-half," in Italian football jargon), due to his ability to dictate play in midfield as well as assist his team defensively.[12][15] During his stint in Rome, he was regarded as one of the besttwo-waycentral midfielders in Italy,[13] and was also later considered to be one of the top midfielders in the Premier League during his time in England, becoming a key player for Chelsea in the late 90s. Di Matteo was also capable of playing in a moreoffensive midfield roles, due to his ability to make forward surging runs, as well as his accurate long–range shot.[15][25]
On 2 July 2008, Di Matteo succeeded former England midfielderPaul Ince as manager ofMilton Keynes Dons on a one-year contract, after Ince took the manager's job atPremier League clubBlackburn Rovers.[26] A club statement by the Dons said that both Di Matteo and the club were "young, ambitious and hungry to succeed".[27] On 26 November that year, Di Matteo took former Chelsea teammate and Norwegian international strikerTore André Flo out of retirement by signing him on a contract until the end of the season.[28] In his only season atStadium MK, Di Matteo led his team to third place inLeague One behindLeicester City andPeterborough United.[22][29] They then lost a play-off semi-final on penalties toScunthorpe United, with Flo missing the decisive penalty in sudden death.[30]
Di Matteo was appointed manager ofWest Bromwich Albion on 30 June 2009, shortly after their relegation from the Premier League and the exit of former managerTony Mowbray toCeltic. His selection was unanimous among the club's board.[31] In hisfirst season, the team finished second in theChampionship, behindNewcastle United, and won automatic promotion to the Premier League on 10 April with three games remaining after defeatingDoncaster Rovers 3–2.[32]
On the opening day of the2010–11 Premier League season on 14 August 2010, Di Matteo paid a return visit toStamford Bridge as head coach of West Bromwich Albion. He was well received by the home fans, but saw his side lose 6–0 to Chelsea.[33] Better results in following matches led to the best start in a Premier League season by the club, and Di Matteo was also namedPremier League Manager of the Month forSeptember 2010.[34] During December 2010 and January 2011, the club had a period of poor form, winning only two of ten matches.[35] After a 0–3 defeat toManchester City on 5 February 2011, he was relieved of his duties with immediate effect,[36] and first-team coachMichael Appleton was appointedcaretaker manager.[37] West Bromwich Albion finished the season in eleventh position.
Di Matteo was appointed assistant toAndré Villas-Boas, the new manager ofChelsea, on 29 June 2011.[20][38] On 4 March 2012, following the dismissal of Villas-Boas, Di Matteo becamecaretaker manager of Chelsea until theend of the season.[39] Shortly after his appointment, Di Matteo brought in former Chelsea teammateEddie Newton to work as his assistant.[40] Di Matteo started his stewardship of Chelsea in winning form, with victories over Birmingham City, in a fifth round FA Cup match;Stoke City in a Premier League fixture; andNapoli in the last 16 second leg match in theUEFA Champions League, winning 4–1 to overturn the deficit in the first leg which Villas-Boas' Chelsea had lost 3–1.[41]
Di Matteo continued his form with Chelsea, by beatingTottenham Hotspur in theFA Cup semi-final 5–1 at Wembley andBenfica in the Champions Leaguequarter-finals.[42] On 24 April 2012, Di Matteo led Chelsea to a 3–2 aggregate win over holdersBarcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final, winning 1–0 in the first leg at Stamford Bridge, and following this with a 2–2 draw in the second leg at theCamp Nou despite having captainJohn Terry sent off in the first half.[43] On 5 May, Chelsea won 2–1 againstLiverpool in the2012 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, to win their first trophy in the2011–12 season.[44]
On 19 May 2012, Di Matteo guided Chelsea to victory in the2012 UEFA Champions League final, defeatingBayern Munich at theAllianz Arena. The match had ended 1–1 after extra time with Chelsea coming out victorious in the penalty shootout.[45] This was Chelsea's first Champions League title, and qualified them for the2012–13 Champions League, in place ofLondon rivals Tottenham Hotspur.[46] With this win Chelsea also became the first London club to win the Champions League.[47]
On 13 June 2012, Chelsea announced that Di Matteo had been appointed manager and first-team coach on a permanent basis signing a two-year contract with the club.[48] Chief executive Ron Gourlay said: 'Although he (Di Matteo) has set the bar very high in the short time he has been in charge, we know that Roberto is the right man to lead Chelsea onto further success.' Gourlay added: 'We are already looking forward to the2012–13 season which kicks off when Roberto, his staff and players return for pre-season.'[49] Chelsea lost in the2012 FA Community Shield to Manchester City 2–3.[50] His team started the2012–13 Premier League well, with victories againstWigan Athletic,[51]Reading,[52] andNewcastle United.[53] They lost the2012 UEFA Super Cup 4–1 toAtlético Madrid in Monaco on 1 September.[54] The good early season form continued with four successive Premier League wins againstStoke City,Arsenal,Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur.
In the2012–13 UEFA Champions League, Chelsea drew 2–2 withJuventus and beat Danish clubNordsjælland 4–0 away.[55] Their form declined after this, however, losing toShakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League and to Manchester United at home in the Premier League.[56] Chelsea's chances of advancing through their Champions League group were raised with a 3–2 home victory against leaders Shakhtar,[57] but on 21 November 2012, Di Matteo was sacked following their 3–0 away loss to Juventus in the Champions League, which all but eliminated them from the competition.[58] Di Matteo had lasted just eight months as manager of Chelsea despite winning two major trophies, causing the decision to be controversial with many pundits and club fans.[58][59][60][61][62] Later that day,Rafael Benítez was brought in as Chelsea's interim manager until the end of the season.[63]
In November 2013, it was reported that Di Matteo was still being paid £130,000-a-week by Chelsea because the two parties had never agreed on a pay-off settlement and that he would continue to be paid in full until June 2014 unless he took another job before then.[64]
On 7 October 2014, Di Matteo was hired as the successor toJens Keller atSchalke 04.[65] At that point, Schalke sat 11th in theBundesliga and had already been eliminated from theDFB-Pokal.[66] Di Matteo was the third Italian head coach in the history of the Bundesliga, preceded byGiovanni Trapattoni andNevio Scala.[67]
He won his first match 2–0 againstHertha Berlin on 18 October, with goals fromKlaas-Jan Huntelaar andJulian Draxler.[68] Schalke advanced from their Champions League group, withMax Meyer scoring the only goal in their final group match away toNK Maribor on 10 December.[69] On 10 March 2015, Schalke defeatedReal Madrid 4–3 inMadrid.[70][71] However, Schalke lost 2–0 in the first leg[70] on 18 February and 5–4 on aggregate.[71] He resigned on 26 May 2015 after the team qualified for theUEFA Europa League by finishing sixth, following a run of two wins in ten matches which cost them a place in the Champions League.[72]
On 2 June 2016, Di Matteo was appointed the manager of newly relegated Championship clubAston Villa, working under the new chairman Tony Xia andKeith Wyness. Di Matteo's former Chelsea teammateSteve Clarke was appointed as his assistant on the same day.[73] On 3 October 2016, Di Matteo was sacked as manager[74] after a string of poor results culminating in a 2–0 defeat atPreston North End.
On 4 January 2023, Di Matteo was appointed as a technical advisor to the South Korean football clubJeonbuk Hyundai Motors.[75]
Di Matteo is married, the name of his wife is Zoe, and they have three children.[76]
In 2005, he appeared on theMTV showFootballers' Cribs, where he spoke about his injury and subsequent physiotherapy.[77]
| Italy national team[78] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 | 8 | 0 |
| 1996 | 8 | 0 |
| 1997 | 11 | 1 |
| 1998 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 34 | 2 |
| # | Date[78] | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 April 1997 | Stadio San Paolo,Naples |  Poland | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier |
| 2 | 28 January 1998 | Stadio Angelo Massimino,Catania |  Slovakia | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2 July 2008 | 30 June 2009 | 52 | 27 | 11 | 14 | 051.92 | [26][79] |
| West Bromwich Albion | 30 June 2009 | 6 February 2011 | 83 | 40 | 19 | 24 | 048.19 | [79] |
| Chelsea | 4 March 2012 | 21 November 2012 | 42 | 24 | 9 | 9 | 057.14 | [79] |
| Schalke 04 | 7 October 2014 | 26 May 2015 | 33 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 042.42 | [72][80] |
| Aston Villa | 2 June 2016 | 3 October 2016 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 008.33 | [79] |
| Total | 222 | 106 | 53 | 63 | 047.75 | — | ||
Aarau[81]
Chelsea[81]
West Bromwich Albion[37]
Chelsea[82]
Individual
Italy squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
