The veteran centre-back spoke to Rai 2 immediately after AS Roma's 2-0 victory at Hellas Verona on the final day of the season, a result that sealed a third-place finish and a return to European football's top club competition for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
"Gasperini told us: 'Five games, 15 points, it's a lot. Many teams trying to get into the Champions League won't be able to win five games. If we manage to win them, we'll go into the Champions League.' From those words from the manager — our leader — we won all five. Maybe everything started from those words."
Mancini traced the significance of that run back to a match that had tested the squad's belief at the very moment it needed to hold firm.
"At Parma we made a comeback we had never managed before. At 2-1 down, none of us believed we would lose. From that moment, everything changed."
He described the season as one that had required patience and resilience in equal measure, acknowledging the club's inconsistency across the campaign.
"There was joy, emotion, everything. I have been inside this club for many years. Roma deserves these joys. We suffered with ups and downs, but arriving at the end and seeing Roma in third fills us with pride, building on the years spent with previous coaches, making finals and semi-finals in the Conference League and Europa League. Last season we finished one point off the Champions League."
He was warm on his relationship with Gasperini: "With the manager I have a beautiful bond. I am happy for him too — arriving in his first year at Roma is tough. He achieved this great milestone. I am happy for him and for this group."
Mancini also addressed his personal evolution, acknowledging that he had worked hard to bring his disciplinary record under control without losing his competitive edge.
"I have some limits. I used to lose concentration. Today they told me it was my eleventh match in the season on a yellow card booking. I do certain things less now, but I have not lost my aggression. The manager and the staff worked on those things. I looked at myself in the mirror and worked on it."
Roma will play Champions League football next season for the first time in seven years.