Roberto Mancini hopes Italy ‘never again’ miss out on a World Cup and admits winning EURO 2020 at Wembley Stadium was ‘like coming full circle’ for Sampdoria men who lost the European Cup Final there.
The Azzurri are forced to watch the Qatar tournament from home after losing the play-offs with North Macedonia, having finished second in the qualifying group behind Switzerland.
“We are very disappointed at not qualifying and hope this never happens again, because Italy should always be at the World Cup,” Mancini told Che Tempo Che Fa on Rai 3.
“It might be a bit of an odd World Cup, but it’s still a World Cup and it would’ve been better to be there.”
Before 2018, Italy had qualified for every single World Cup other than 1958, but have now missed two in a row.
However, they are also the reigning Champions of Europe after beating England on penalties in the EURO 2020 Final.
Mancini was on the programme with his old Sampdoria teammate Gianluca Vialli, now a team manager of the Italy squad, as they are publicising a new documentary on that Blucerchiati squad.
They won the Serie A title in 1991 and then reached the European Cup Final in 1992, beaten 1-0 at Wembley Stadium in extra time by Barcelona.
“It was a unique moment winning the Euros during a difficult time for the Nazionale,” continued Mancini.
“I felt like it was not a coincidence we won at Wembley after 30 years, with Luca and the other Sampdoria players who lost there in the Final with Barcelona.
“It was like coming full circle. That victory meant something special to the Samp fans too.”
Vialli is not the only former Sampdoria man in Mancini’s Italy staff, as Attilio Lombardo and Fausto Salsano are also there.
At the time, Mancini and Vialli were known as the Goal Twins, and their bond has only grown stronger.
“I love Gianluca more now than when we were young.”
Vialli was dealing with cancer in the build-up to EURO 2020 and he admits that affected the way they both experienced the tournament.
“That embrace at the final victory had everything in it, the sporting aspect, the joy of achieving this target, but also the fear that had affected both of us due to my health,” explained Vialli.
“Those years were for all of that. It was a wonderful moment of our friendship and it’s great to still be together and still friends after all these years.”