Roberto Mancini and Damien Delaney’s shared time at Leicester City is proof that the Six Degrees of Separation Theory is, in fact, true.

Current Italy boss Roberto Mancini spent approximately six weeks at the Midlands club at age 36, whilst Damien Delaney was just a year on from his move to Leicester from Cork City.

Moving on loan in January 2001, Mancini had left Leicester by Valentines Day, opting to take the Fiorentina job instead.

Suit yourself, Roberto.

Despite his brief stint, Mancini fulfilled Damien Delaney’s childhood dream and even once sang to him.

Roberto Mancini

Speaking on Off The Ball’s The Football Show, Delaney recounted when the legendary Mancini comforted Delaney in one of his first matches for Leicester.

Delaney said, “In one of the cup games I played in, Aston Villa away, I remember he was stood behind me in the tunnel before we walked out.”

“He must have sensed I was nervous, and he put his hands on my shoulders and started singing ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ to me.”

Delaney acknowledged the bizarre nature of the situation distracted him from his nerves but expected that it was the extent of Mancini’s English at the time.

“I kind of laughed, and he laughed; I’d say that was about as much English as he had.”

Delaney added that meeting Mancini represented a momentous moment for the young professional, who idolised the icon of Italian football on the streets of Cork.

“He was a fabulous player, me growing up in the ’90s watching Channel 4’s Italian football, and he was such a huge part of ‘90’s Italian football.

”I remember when I first saw him, I remember thinking, ‘I used to pretend to be you as a kid on the housing estate in Cork’, which was really surreal for me; he was the first heavyweight superstar I had ever met.”

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.