FILE: Italian Roberto Di Matteo gets Chelsea job on permanent basis after winnning the Champions League

Record ID: 852045

  • Title: FILE: Italian Roberto Di Matteo gets Chelsea job on permanent basis after winnning the Champions League
  • Date: 14th June 2012
  • Summary: MUNICH, GERMANY (JUNE 18 , 2012) (REUTERS) ROBERTO DI MATTEO STANDING INSIDE THE ALLIANZ ARENA STADIUM DURING CHELSEA TRAINING SESSION AHEAD OF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL AGAINST BAYERN MUNICH VARIOUS OF DI MATTEO AND PLAYERS WARMING UP LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 20, 2012) (REUTERS) CHELSEA PLAYERS ON OPEN BUS DURING VICTORY PARADE IN WEST LONDON FAN HANGING ON TRAFFIC LIGHTS POST, WAVING CHELSEA FLAG HANGING ON TRAFFIC LIGHTS POST CHELSEA OWNER ROMAN ABRAMOVICH CLAPPING ON OPEN BUS DIDIER DROGBA WHO SCORED THE WINNING PENALTY LIFTING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TROPHY ABRAMOVICH SMILING COBHAM, NEAR LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 15, 2012) (REUTERS) DI MATTEO TALKING TO CHELSEA PLAYERS ON THE PITCH DIDIER DROGBA LEADING GROUP OF CHELSEA PLAYERS RUNNING DI MATTEO SITS DOWN AT NEWS CONFERENCE PAVILION (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA COACH ROBERTO DI MATTEO, SPEAKING BEFORE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL, k SAYING: " I think this game can decide the history of our football club because it would be the first one, obviously, the first time that we would win the European Champions League. That is all it matters and that is all we are thinking about and focusing on." LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MAY 20, 2012) (REUTERS) FANS WAVING TO BUS ABRAMOVICH STANDING ON BUS CHELSEA BUS DRIVING AWAY
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany, United Kingdom
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA8XIFL10F2P8PZ4NKDKXHGO3IR
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  • Story Text: Roberto Di Matteo gained his reward for steering Chelsea to Champions League and FA Cup glory last season when he was appointed manager on a permanent basis on Wednesday (June 13).
    The former Italy midfielder had signed a two-year contract with the Londoners, the European champions said on their website (www.chelseafc.com).
    Di Matteo, 42, is the eighth manager to have worked under Roman Abramovich since the Russian billionaire bought the Premier League club in 2003, following Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas-Boas.
    In March, Di Matteo was promoted from assistant coach to interim manager with the team in turmoil following the sacking of Portuguese Villas-Boas.
    The former Chelsea player sparked a remarkable turnaround in the club's fortunes in the final two months of the campaign.
    Unifying a dressing room of players who appeared to have lost their way under Villas-Boas, Di Matteo guided the team to an against-the-odds triumph over favourites Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
    Then, on May 19, Chelsea lifted the European Cup for the first time after beating Bayern Munich in a penalty shootout in the final at the German club's Allianz Arena.
    Two weeks earlier Di Matteo's side had beaten Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
    Di Matteo told Chelsea's website: "I'm obviously delighted to have been appointed as manager and first-team coach. We all achieved incredible success last season that made history for this great club."
    The Italian won the FA Cup as a player with Chelsea in 1997 and 2000, scoring in both finals against Middlesbrough and Aston Villa respectively.
    Di Matteo, a great favourite of the fans, was also on target in the 1998 League Cup final win over Middlesbrough.
    He suffered a triple leg fracture in a UEFA Cup tie in September 2000 and, after 18 months of battling against the injury, was forced to retire as a player at the age of 31.
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