Early career Regarded as a promising talent, Mancini began his career in his homeland of Brazil with his hometown club,
Atlético Mineiro, where he remained from 1999 to 2002. During that time he had two loan spells, at
Portuguesa and at
São Caetano in 2001.
Venezia He was signed by
Serie B side
Venezia in January 2003. During that time he struggled to adapt to Italian football, and was criticised by the Venezia manager for his errors, and for his habit of controlling the ball with the outside of his foot, which in Italy is considered unconventional. Mancini only made 13 appearances for Venezia that season. In the summer of 2003 he was signed by
AS Roma for nominal fees totalling €1,000.
Roma Having lost
Cafu, Roma needed a replacement at right-back, but with his early performances in Italy being far from convincing, many Roma fans were sceptical about his ability. However, their then-manager
Fabio Capello gave the Brazilian a chance, and Mancini went on to complete a consistent first season in
Serie A, the highlight being a backheel flick from a set piece in the
Derby della Capitale against
SS Lazio. In the
2005–06 season, Mancini began to find his top form, once again becoming a key player for the Roma side. Following the
Calciopoli scandal, Roma qualified for the
UEFA Champions League, giving Mancini the chance to play at the highest level of club football. In the last 16 of the
2006–07 UEFA Champions League, Mancini scored a goal against
Lyon after beating their defender
Anthony Réveillère with several stepovers before firing the ball high into the net. That same year, Mancini also celebrated his first silverware since arriving in Italy as Roma won the
Coppa Italia, beating
Internazionale in the final. In the
2007–08 season, Mancini scored eight league goals as Roma reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and finished as runners-up in
Serie A for the second year running. He did not have the best of seasons though, in what would prove to be his last in Rome.
Internazionale in 2009. After the appointment of
José Mourinho, Mancini was signed by Internazionale for €13 million, along with
Ricardo Quaresma and
Sulley Muntari in his maiden season. (Although Mancini was a long desired target of
Massimo Moratti and ex-coach
Roberto Mancini). However, he failed to become a first team regular due to his lack of consistency.
Milan in 2010. On 1 February 2010, he moved to
city rivals AC Milan, on loan for the remainder of the
2009–10 season, with an option for them to acquire half of the player's rights at the end of the loan spell. He made his debut for Milan in a scoreless draw against
Bologna.
Return to Inter and then Brazil After playing only two official matches in the 2010-2011 season with
Inter Milan, on January 12, 2011, he was permanently transferred to
Atletico Mineiro, a club in the
Brazilian championship, thus returning 8 years later to the team that had launched him. At the end of 2010, he was accused of sexual assault and personal injuries against a young Brazilian woman, whom he had met in Milan during a party hosted by
Ronaldinho, on the night between December 8 and 9, 2010. Mancini always maintained that the girl was consenting. The outcome of the trial is unknown: as reported by
Corriere della Sera, in 2019 Mancini's criminal record did not indicate a conviction, which would mean that "in subsequent appeals, Mancini was then acquitted, but also that Amantino, being a first-time offender - if the outcome of the appeal had allowed it - could have benefited from both probation and the 'non-disclosure' of the conviction on the criminal record." He made his debut three days later, on June 24, in a league match that ended in a 0-0 draw away against Figueirense. He made 16 appearances for Bahia, 15 in the national championship and one in the Copa Sudamericana. At the end of 2012, he returned to Atlético Mineiro but was never used and terminated his contract with the Belo Horizonte team in April 2013. In November 2013, he was signed for the following season by Villa Nova, a team in the Brazilian Série D. His experience started very well, scoring 7 goals in 9 matches in the first months. On April 9, 2014, he was signed by América-MG with a one-year contract. During his time at the club, he made 31 appearances and scored 9 goals. On January 7, 2016, after being a free agent for almost a year, he returned to Villa Nova on a six-month contract. He made 11 appearances and scored 6 goals in the championship. On May 16, 2016, at the end of the season, he officially retired from football. He returned to
Atlético Mineiro on 5 January 2011, signing a three-year contract. In June 2012, Mancini joined
Esporte Clube Bahia. He played for the team until the end of the year. After spending 2013 as a free agent, in January 2014 Mancini signed with
Villa Nova for their
Minas Gerais state league campaign. He scored seven goals, making him the top-scorer of the league. At the end of the state league season, Mancini signed a contract with Série B team
América until December 2014. In January 2016, the Villa Nova-MG agreed to hire Mancini for the next season. == International career ==