Roberto Di Matteo

Role: Manager

Date Of Birth: 29th May 1970

Appointed: 3rd July 2008

Left role: 30th June 2009

Roberto Di Matteo was born on 29 May 1970 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. He began his playing career as a midfielder with Schaffhausen before going on to represent Zürich and Aarau. In 1993, he moved to Italy to join Lazio, before signing for Chelsea in 1996.

Di Matteo earned 34 caps for Italy, scoring two goals, and represented his country at UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. His playing career was cut short by persistent injury problems, and he retired in February 2002 at the age of 31.

Di Matteo began his managerial career with Milton Keynes Dons, taking over from former England midfielder Paul Ince on 2 July 2008. He signed a one-year contract after Ince left to become manager of Premier League side Blackburn Rovers. At the time, the Dons described both Di Matteo and the club as “young, ambitious and hungry to succeed.”

On 26 November 2008, Di Matteo brought former Chelsea teammate and Norwegian international striker Tore André Flo out of retirement, signing him on a contract until the end of the season.

During his only season at Stadium MK, Di Matteo guided the Dons to third place in League One, finishing behind Leicester City and Peterborough United. Their promotion hopes ended in the play-off semi-finals, where they lost to Scunthorpe United on penalties, with Flo missing the decisive sudden-death spot-kick.

At the end of the season, Di Matteo left Milton Keynes Dons to become manager of West Bromwich Albion on 30 June 2009, shortly after the club had been relegated from the Premier League and Tony Mowbray had departed to join Celtic.

Di Matteo later went on to manage Chelsea where he won the 2012 Champions League, Schalke 04 and Aston Villa.