Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
In an interview for Italian television, Italian football manager Roberto Mancini, who is the manager of Italy’s national team the "Squadra Azzurra", talked about the important place that the Virgin Mary occupies in his life. He says that she is the rock on which he leans, both as a man and as a football manager:
"I am a practicing Catholic. I grew up with a prayer corner at home, it was a great gift." Well-dressed and smiling, the talented manager who had a brilliant career as a professional player, Roberto Mancini is also a man of faith. At 56, he has had a perfect Euro Cup, with three straight victories in the first three pool games. Could he owe his success to his great faith in God? Dario Viganò, former prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications and now in charge of the religious program of the "Rai", the Italian public service television channel, interviewed Mancini at length about his faith and in particular his devotion to the Virgin Mary: "The Blessed Virgin is the Mother of all of us, she is always close to us", Mancini said.
He also shared this amusing story about the day of his first Communion: "It was a game day for my team, so the priest asked and obtained that they move the time of the game. Thanks to his intervention, I was able to make my First Communion and then joined my team for the second half of the game. I scored two goals!" he recalls.