Roberto Di Matteo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roberto Di Matteo
Personal information
Full name	Roberto Di Matteo
Date of birth	May 29, 1970 (age 36)
Place of birth	Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Position	Midfielder
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1988-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-96 1996-00	Schaffhausen Zürich Aarau S.S. Lazio Chelsea	50 (2) ? (?) 33 (1) 87 (7) 119 (15)
National team
2002-	Italy	34 (2)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Roberto Di Matteo (born May 29, 1970 in Schaffhausen, Switzerland) is a former Swiss-Italian professional footballer. He scored the fastest ever goal in a Wembley FA Cup Final, after 42 seconds, when Chelsea F.C. beat Middlesbrough F.C. in the final in 1997. He also scored the only goal in 2000 final, when Chelsea defeated Aston Villa in the last ever cup final played at the original Wembley Stadium.

On the club level, Di Matteo played for Schaffhausen (1988-91), Zürich (1991-92), Aarau (1992-93), Lazio (1993-96), and Chelsea (1996-2002). He was capped 34 times, scoring two goals for the Italian national team, and played for his country in the Euro 1996 and 1998 FIFA World Cup. Injury forced his retirement in 2002 but he retains strong links in London owning several restaurants.

[edit] Chelsea career

Roberto Di Matteo joined Chelsea in 1996 from Lazio for a then club record of £4.5m and became a favourite with the fans almost immediately, after scoring the winner against Middlesbrough F.C. on his home debut. His sublime passing and accurate long-distance shooting saw him become one of the driving forces of Chelsea's resurgence in the late 1990s. Under Ruud Gullit, the club became known for its "sexy football" of which Di Matteo played no small part, contributing nine goals in his first season. Showcasing his accomplished shooting with either foot, he slotted long-range efforts against both Tottenham and Wimbledon - two of his finest strikes. After achieving the club's highest league finish for a decade in 1996-97, Chelsea played Middlesbrough in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Di Matteo rose to the occasion, smashing home a goal from 30 yards after 42 seconds. Eddie Newton scored a second late on to give Chelsea a 2-0 victory and their first major trophy for 26 years.

The following season he again proved his worth to the team, chipping in with ten goals and numerous assists, as Chelsea went on to claim the League Cup and the club's first European triumph in 27 years: the 1998 Cup Winners' Cup. Di Matteo scored the winner at Wembley again in the League Cup final - remarkably also against Middlesbrough. Season 1998-99 turned out to be a special season for Chelsea as they went on an unbeaten run of over 20 games to finish third in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. Di Matteo played a pivotal role in midfield next to Gustavo Poyet, Dennis Wise and Dan Petrescu and scored some memorable goals - none of which more special than the winner against Coventry in the dying seconds of the game.

During the 1999-00 season he was hampered by injury but returned late in the season to score a handful of crucial goals, and his third Cup-winning goal at Wembley. In a dour match, Di Matteo scored the winner against Aston Villa in the 71st minute to give Chelsea its third FA Cup and second in four years.

Early into the 2000-01 season, Di Matteo sustained a triple leg fracture in a UEFA Cup tie against FC St. Gallen and spent the next eighteen months on the sidelines. He eventually admitted defeat and retired in February 2002 at the age of 31. In his six years at Chelsea, he made 175 appearances and scored 26 goals. He was selected in the squad of Chelsea's greatest ever XI. Di Matteo still occasionally returns to Chelsea for promotional purposes on match days and also to use the new gym at the Cobham training base.

	Italy squad - 1998 FIFA World Cup Quarter-finalists
1 Toldo | 2 Bergomi | 3 P. Maldini | 4 Cannavaro | 5 Costacurta | 6 Nesta | 7 Pessotto | 8 Torricelli | 9 Albertini | 10 Del Piero | 11 D. Baggio | 12 Pagliuca | 13 Cois | 14 Di Biagio | 15 Di Livio | 16 Di Matteo | 17 Moriero | 18 R. Baggio | 19 Inzaghi | 20 Chiesa | 21 Vieri | 22 Buffon | Coach: C. Maldini