Roberto Di Matteo facts for kids

In this article, the family name is Di Matteo, not Matteo.

Quick facts for kids
Roberto Di Matteo
Personal information
Di Matteo managing Schalke in 2015
Date of birth	(1970-05-29) 29 May 1970 (age 55)
Place of birth	Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1988–1991	Schaffhausen	50	(2)
1991–1992	Zürich	34	(6)
1992–1993	Aarau	33	(1)
1993–1996	Lazio	87	(7)
1996–2002	Chelsea	119	(15)
Total		323	(31)
National team
1994–1998	Italy	34	(2)
Teams managed
2008–2009	Milton Keynes Dons
2009–2011	West Bromwich Albion
2012	Chelsea
2014–2015	Schalke 04
2016	Aston Villa
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Roberto Di Matteo (born 29 May 1970) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He was a talented midfielder during his playing days.

Roberto started his career playing for Swiss clubs like Schaffhausen, Zürich, and Aarau. He even won the Swiss league title with Aarau in 1993. After that, he moved to Italy to play for Lazio. In 1996, he joined Chelsea for a club record fee. He had to retire from playing in 2002 at age 31 because of injuries.

Even though he was born in Switzerland, Roberto played 34 times for the Italian national team, scoring two goals. He played in big tournaments like UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

After retiring as a player, Di Matteo became a manager. He managed Milton Keynes Dons and helped West Bromwich Albion get promoted to the Premier League. As a temporary manager for Chelsea, he led the club to win both the FA Cup and their first ever UEFA Champions League title in 2012. He also managed Schalke 04 in Germany and Aston Villa in England.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Football Days

Roberto Di Matteo was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. His parents were Italian. He began his football journey with Swiss club Schaffhausen. Later, he moved to Aarau in 1991. He helped Aarau win the Swiss Nationalliga A championship in 1993.

Time at Lazio

In the summer of 1993, Di Matteo joined Lazio in Italy for free. He quickly became a key player in their midfield. During his three years with Lazio, he also made his first appearance for the Italian national team. He was known for being a strong all-around midfielder, helping both in defense and attack.

Chelsea Success

Di Matteo joined Chelsea in 1996. He scored a goal in his very first home game against Middlesbrough. His great passing and powerful long-range shots made him a vital part of Chelsea's success in the late 1990s.

In his first season, he scored nine goals. He helped Chelsea finish sixth in the league and reach the 1997 FA Cup final. In that final against Middlesbrough, Di Matteo scored the opening goal from 30 yards out in just 42 seconds! Chelsea won the match 2–0. This was one of the fastest goals ever in an FA Cup final at Wembley.

The next season, Di Matteo scored ten goals. Chelsea won the Football League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup. This was Chelsea's first European trophy since 1971. In the League Cup final, again against Middlesbrough, he scored the second goal in another 2–0 win.

In the 2000 FA Cup final, Di Matteo scored his third cup-winning goal at Wembley. He scored the winning goal against Aston Villa in the 72nd minute. This helped Chelsea win their fourth major trophy in three years. Di Matteo joked that it was a shame they were tearing down the old Wembley Stadium because it had been very lucky for him.

Sadly, early in the 2000–01 season, Di Matteo suffered a serious leg injury while playing in a UEFA Cup game. He tried to recover for 18 months but eventually had to retire in February 2002 at the age of 31. He played 175 games for Chelsea and scored 26 goals.

International Career

Roberto Di Matteo played for the Italian national team. His first game for Italy was on 16 November 1994. He played in two of Italy's group matches at UEFA Euro 1996.

He scored his first goal for Italy on 30 April 1997 in a 3–0 win against Poland. He scored one more goal for Italy in a friendly game in 1998. He was part of Italy's team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and played in two group games. His last game for Italy was against Cameroon. In total, he played 34 games for Italy between 1994 and 1998, scoring 2 goals.

Playing Style

Roberto Di Matteo was known as a very skilled central midfielder. He was good at both defending and attacking. He could help his team win the ball back and also create chances for goals.

He was excellent at passing the ball with great accuracy and control. He had good vision on the field, which helped him set up plays for his teammates. He was also able to make strong runs forward and had a powerful long-range shot. Many people thought he was one of the best midfielders in Italy and later in the Premier League.

Managerial Career

Milton Keynes Dons

On 2 July 2008, Di Matteo became the manager of Milton Keynes Dons. He signed his former Chelsea teammate, Tore André Flo, to play for the team. In his only season there, Di Matteo led the team to third place in League One. They reached the play-offs but lost in the semi-finals.

West Bromwich Albion

Di Matteo was then appointed manager of West Bromwich Albion on 30 June 2009. In his first season, his team finished second in the Championship. They won automatic promotion to the Premier League on 10 April 2010.

West Bromwich Albion had a good start in the 2010–11 Premier League season. Di Matteo was even named Premier League Manager of the Month for September 2010. However, the team had a tough period later, winning only two out of ten matches. He was removed from his job on 5 February 2011.

Chelsea Manager

Winning Trophies

On 29 June 2011, Di Matteo became the assistant manager for Chelsea. On 4 March 2012, he became the temporary manager until the end of the season. He brought in his former Chelsea teammate, Eddie Newton, as his assistant.

Di Matteo started his time as manager with several wins. He led Chelsea to beat Napoli 4–1 in the UEFA Champions League to move to the next round. He also guided Chelsea to a 5–1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup semi-final.

On 24 April 2012, Di Matteo led Chelsea to a big win over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League semi-final. Chelsea won 3–2 over two games, even though their captain John Terry was sent off in the second leg. On 5 May, Chelsea won the 2012 FA Cup Final by beating Liverpool 2–1. This was their first trophy of the season.

Di Matteo as a coach of Chelsea in 2012

The biggest moment came on 19 May 2012. Di Matteo guided Chelsea to victory in the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final. They beat Bayern Munich in their home stadium, the Allianz Arena. The game ended 1–1 after extra time, and Chelsea won in a penalty shootout. This was Chelsea's first ever Champions League title! It also meant Chelsea became the first club from London to win the Champions League.

After the Champions League Win

On 13 June 2012, Chelsea announced that Di Matteo would be their permanent manager. He signed a two-year contract. The club's chief executive said that Roberto was the right person to lead Chelsea to more success.

Chelsea started the 2012–13 Premier League season well with several wins. However, their form declined later. On 21 November 2012, Di Matteo was removed from his job after a 3–0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League. This loss meant Chelsea was almost out of the competition. He had only been manager for eight months, despite winning two major trophies. Many fans and experts found this decision controversial.

Schalke 04

On 7 October 2014, Di Matteo became the manager of Schalke 04 in Germany. He won his first match 2–0. Schalke made it out of their Champions League group. On 10 March 2015, Schalke even beat Real Madrid 4–3 in Madrid, but they lost the overall match. He resigned on 26 May 2015 after the team finished sixth in the league.

Aston Villa

On 2 June 2016, Di Matteo was appointed manager of Aston Villa, a club that had just been relegated. His former Chelsea teammate, Steve Clarke, joined him as his assistant. However, on 3 October 2016, Di Matteo was sacked as manager after a series of poor results.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

More recently, on 4 January 2023, Di Matteo took on a new role. He became a technical advisor for the South Korean football club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Personal Life

Roberto Di Matteo is married and has three children.

In 2005, he appeared on an MTV show called Footballers' Cribs. On the show, he talked about his injury and the recovery process.

Honours and Achievements

As a Player

Aarau

Swiss League Champion: 1992–93

Chelsea

FA Cup: 1996–97, 1999–2000
Football League Cup: 1997–98
FA Charity Shield: 2000
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997–98
UEFA Super Cup: 1998

As a Manager

West Bromwich Albion

Football League Championship runner-up: 2009–10