Photo – Rob O’Brien
Author – Ben Monti
After signing Sam “Ozzy” Osborne, you’d be forgiven for thinking Harborough Town had developed a penchant for signing players with rock ‘n’ roll names. Well, if there was any doubt, they’ve only gone and signed Prince. Prince Mancinelli.
I immediately recognised the name, having seen him play last season when Prince captained Barwell at the Beehive. However, the midfielder ended the season at Quorn, playing alongside fellow new signing Silvio Bello. Like Bello, Mancinelli was also born in Italy before relocating to England as a young lad.
The former Canaries skipper completed the trio of exciting signings the Bees have made this week. As with Sam and Silvio, Prince left me thoroughly impressed. The towering, powerhouse midfielder exuded confidence and charisma. Underneath the confidence I saw a player who has had to work for every step of his journey. Ambitious, driven and refreshingly honest, Prince joined me pitch side to discuss his footballing journey, why Harborough was an easy decision, his desire to prove people wrong, and why he believes the sky really is the limit for this football club.
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Ben: Hi Prince, it’s a pleasure to welcome you to the Beehive. Can I call you Prince, or do you go by a nickname?
Prince: Yeah, Prince. Yeah, yeah.
Ben: And Mancinelli, obviously being Italian. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career in football so far.
Prince: Yeah, Italian dad, Nigerian mum. Moved here when I was about nine years old and just grew up here. Obviously, I’ve been playing football since I was young in Nottingham and stuff. I only really started taking football seriously when I was about 21. I signed for Tamworth, then went on loan to Belper. Thankfully, I managed to get promoted with Belper. Then I went to Nuneaton and did very well there. Unfortunately, the club went down. After that, I just kept progressing and, yeah, ended up here after a few years. So, it’s good. I’m happy with that.
Ben: You played against Harborough last season. How tough was this side to play against?
Prince: Tough. Very tough. Very hard to score against. Just a solid team and I did struggle, to be fair. I’ll be honest. But I really enjoyed it and, just seeing the fans and how many people were here, I was thinking, this is definitely somewhere I’d like to be.
Ben: The club’s gone from the United Counties League to National League North in five years. When Harborough contacted you, was it a fairly easy decision?
Prince: Definitely. Just seeing how well they’re doing and the progression. Three promotions in five years is just crazy, ambitious. So obviously I was thinking in my head, it’s a no-brainer to come here and just go from there and hopefully get another promotion.
Ben: Having played in the same division, I imagine you’ve crossed paths with quite a few of the lads already?
Prince: I actually know a few just from playing against them, but obviously don’t really know them very well. But it was always respectful. I know who I’m playing against and there’s always been that mutual respect on the pitch.
Ben: Is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to playing alongside?
Prince: Oh definitely, Rob Morgan. I’ve played against him a few times.
Ben: Tough midfield battle.
Prince: Yeah, he’s a big, strong lad and I’m a big, strong lad. So, we’ll be two powerhouses in there for sure. So yeah, I’m looking forward to that.
Ben: You captained Barwell last season, so you obviously possess leadership qualities. Aside from that, what can the Harborough supporters expect to see from you on the pitch?
Prince: I’m very driven on the pitch. I always like to be as positive as possible. I love to drive with the ball and just break lines. They’re my main qualities. So, you’ll definitely be looking forward to me getting the ball and just running past a couple of players. So yeah, that’s my main focus.
Ben: Have you had much chance to speak to Mitch about where he sees you fitting into this side?
Prince: So far, I haven’t spoken much about what I’m going to do, but I’m sure he’ll definitely let me know what is expected of me. I’m definitely looking forward to that.
Ben: What are you personally hoping to achieve this season?
Prince: From a personal note, for me it’s definitely to get a few goals and assists and help the team finish as high as possible in the league table. 100%. Obviously, we’re a new team coming up, so people might not have the biggest expectations. So, I want to prove everyone wrong.
Ben: Is that something you believe, that the team can really push on aim for the top end of the table?
Prince: 100%, why not? Why not? Sky’s the limit.
Armed with the knowledge that Prince, like Silvio, was about to make his Football Manager debut, I genuinely couldn’t resist bringing it up one final time. I promise this will be the last Football Manager question of the summer.
Ben: Have your mates said anything about you being on Football Manager this year?
Prince: Yeah, yeah, no, they have, they have.
Ben: And when the ratings come out, I’m guessing you and the boys will be taking the mick out of each other over who has the best and worst stats.
Prince: 100%, 100%. Hopefully, I’ve got the best rating. But we’ll see what happens.
Ben: Finally, what would you like to say to the Bees supporters ahead of the new season?
Prince: I can’t wait to be in front of you lot and just give everything I’ve got and hopefully do the best I can do and prove to you lot that I should be here.
Ben: Lovely. Good luck, mate.
Prince: Thank you very much.
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As Prince and I parted company, I left him in the capable hands of Harborough Town’s scoreboard operator extraordinaire, social media guru, and quick-fire interrogator, Russell Barder, to learn more about Prince, the person. To find out who his footballing idol is, what hidden talent he possesses, and much more, you can watch the video on all our social media platforms or continue reading below.
Full Name: Prince Mancinelli
Position: Centre Midfielder or Defensive Midfielder
Favourite Club: Juventus
Nickname: Just Prince
Go to takeaway: Meat Feast from Domino’s
Job outside football: School teacher and model
Hidden talent: Good dancer
Key attribute on the pitch: Driving with the ball
Who would play you in a movie of your life? Denzel Washington (another thing in common with Silvio)
Favourite film: Scarface
Footballing idol: Ronaldinho or Moussa Dembele
Favourite holiday destination: Italy, back home
Cats or Dogs: Dogs
Best player played with: Isaiah Osborne
Best player played against: Odin Bailey
Favourite sport outside football: Padel
Most embarrassing song on your playlist: (laughs) “I’ve got a lot of bad ones, a lot of bad ones”.
Describe yourself in 3 words: Intelligent, kind, aggressive
Best footballing moment: Winning promotion with Belper
What should Bees fans know about you? “I give it my all, I leave everything out on the pitch”