Mancini reveals: “Ranieri hated me as an opponent.” | OneFootball

Roma defender Gianluca Mancini spoke at length to TV Play about his career and his relationship with Roma and its fans.

“As soon as De Rossi arrived at Roma, one of his collaborators greeted me in a strange way, after a couple of days he told me he couldn’t stand me. He even said he would run me over with his car, but after a week he apologized and said he had made a mistake about me,” remarked Mancini.

“I am like that. When I go on the pitch I become someone else. I always try to be better,” he added.

“Ranieri, as soon as he saw me, said that as an opponent, he hated me,” Mancini continued. “Mine was an evolution, I received many cards and made senseless protests. It conditioned me a lot. It was harmful to myself.”

“The evolution of my behavior began with De Rossi. Even with the referees, my attitude has changed, before I was a nuisance. Now it’s different. I don’t receive too many expulsions, because I don’t make bad tackles. In the Coppa Italia, with Orsato, I made a lot of mistakes and received a three-match suspension. I apologized on that occasion.”

“I am versatile. Fonseca put me in midfield, but it was an emergency. A role that I played as a kid, but today I wouldn’t be capable of it. I’ve played as a fullback many times. With the 4-man defense I played with Mourinho and De Rossi. Having played in multiple roles, from midfielder to central defender, sometimes even right back, it’s not a problem. With the three-man defense I feel comfortable.”

“Hummels? He is helping me a lot. Having champions like him is something that helps both on the pitch, but you also observe in everyday life. At 36 he still plays at these levels, so he is a super professional. I would like me to be able to play at his level at 36.”

“He made a beautiful sliding tackle on Kulusevski and got up as if nothing had happened. I told him he was crazy, because they would have given me 7 red cards. The red card in Bilbao? For me it wasn’t a red card. It was a yellow. When the attacker misses a goal, he has the opportunity to score another. While the defender, if he makes a mistake, has to hope that nothing serious happens.”

“Rui Patricio was a strong goalkeeper. And when we had Rui on one side and Svilar on the other in training… They are two strong goalkeepers. Mile is very strong, he transmits security, he speaks. The role of the goalkeeper has changed.”

“Rome is a warm, passionate city and lives for this club every day. The people cheer you up. In Bergamo they are not so warm. This gives you greater expectations, you go out on the pitch for them too. At Villa Stuart, when I arrived, there was no one. But seeing the scenes of my teammates when they arrive at Fiumicino, with all those people, is beautiful.”