Roberto Di Matteo

Date of birth: 29 May 1970
Nationality: Italian
Playing career: FC Schaffhausen, FC Zürich, FC Aarau, SS Lazio, Chelsea FC
Coaching career: MK Dons FC, West Bromwich Albion FC, Chelsea FC (assistant), Chelsea, FC Schalke 04

• Born in the Swiss city of Schaffhausen, Di Matteo started his career with the local club, scoring two goals in 50 league appearances over three seasons before moving to Zürich in 1991. Won the Swiss league title with Aarau in 1992/93, his sole season with the club, going on to a three-year spell at Lazio.

• Became Chelsea's record signing in 1996 and paid back a chunk of that €5.85m fee with goals in their final victories of the 1997 FA Cup – after 42 seconds, then the fastest in the final's history – and 1998 English League Cup. Scored the only goal of another FA Cup final triumph in 1999/2000, the last final at the old Wembley.

• Having won 34 caps for Italy, Di Matteo sustained a triple leg fracture in a UEFA Cup tie against FC St Gallen early in the 2000/01 campaign and was forced to retire in February 2002. Then-manager Claudio Ranieri asked him to lead out the team for the 2002 FA Cup Final, which Chelsea lost to Arsenal FC.

• Took charge of MK Dons in July 2008 and, having finished third in the English third tier, was appointed by West Brom the following summer. In his first season, led the club to second place in the Championship and promotion to the Premier League but sacked in February 2011.

• That June, Di Matteo returned to Chelsea as assistant to André Villas-Boas and, following the Portuguese coach's dismissal on 4 March 2012, was appointed as interim first-team coach for the remainder of the season. After guiding the Blues to FA Cup and UEFA Champions League glory, Di Matteo was confirmed as manager on a permanent basis that summer but left the club in November 2012, resurfacing at Schalke almost two years later.