"Many of you have asked me why I left the national team and the timing of the new engagement. I imagine you have been confused by certain press reports. On the other hand, false information and manipulation have always existed": in a post on Instagram Roberto Mancini points out some steps of his transfer to Arabia. The real and concrete contact with the representatives of the Saudis dates back to August 18," he writes. Then he adds: "Receiving full trust, with the autonomy that follows, has always been my first criterion of choice. Because where there is no trust, there is no football, no victory and no future."
"I want to thank all of you for the great support and true friendship shown to me - Mancini writes on Instagram - and in particular in these last days and hectic hours, which have seen me not on the bench but in the 'midfield'. Your testimonies of affection and esteem are all contained in important, true and sincere words such as 'remember that you are the heel goal', 'the man of extra time victory', 'you never gave up, until the last second', 'you are the embrace of friendship'. Here, I put them all in my suitcase and they will accompany me and inspire me to face the new challenges that await me".
"Many of you have asked me why I left the national team and the timing of the new engagement - he continues - I imagine that you will have been confused by certain press reports. On the other hand, false information and manipulation have always existed if the ancient poems were already full of false news, circulated by the gods only to confuse mortals. The timing is only what I also reiterated yesterday at the press conference, that is, the real and concrete contact with the representatives of the Saudi Federation dates back to 18 August, nothing more. And then, for those who really know football, they know that the times for reaching agreements are always extremely fast, even a few days."
Mancini then concludes: "In my life, football has always been everything to me, since I was little more than a child, in the dirt fields, at thirteen, always and only to challenge a ball. And to this life, for me the only one, I have always associated founding words such as sacrifice, work, merit and trust. Yes, trust. Because receiving full trust, with the autonomy that follows, has always been my first criterion of choice in both human and professional relationships. Because where there is no trust, there is no football, no victory and no future. I count on you and your support, from the heart and from the gut, as only a true fan knows."
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