Associazione Sportiva Roma has been consistently ranked among the top 5 football clubs in Italy for many years. On top of winning three league titles and nine domestic cups, Roma has also produced fifteen players who have won the FIFA World Cup over the years.
The Giallorossi have also always featured on various sportsbooks, and Bookmaker Review can help highlight what punters should look for in a site before they place their bets. But who are the players that have stood out above the rest in the Italian capital?
Francesco Totti (1993-2017)
Vision, goal-scoring ability, and technique are some of the features that best described this creative offensive playmaker. He has also been described as one of the most talented players of his generation and one of the greatest Italian players of all time.
Totti made his debut for the club in 1993 when he was just 16. He spent his entire career at Roma, where he won two Supercoppa Italiana titles, two Coppa Italia titles, and one Serie A title.
Bruno Conti (1973-1991)
Conti is ranked among Italy’s best wingers and was among the world’s best footballers during his prime years. He could play on either flank despite being left-footed and could also be deployed as an attacking midfielder.
Conti spent his entire career at Roma apart from two loan spells at Genoa. In 2012, the Nettuno-born star was inducted into the AS Roma Hall of Fame.
Giuseppe Giannini (1981-1996)
He was for many years regarded as the club’s symbol. Giannini turned down several big-money advances from various teams and chose to stick with his hometown club for the majority of his 16-year career.
His creativity, technique, vision, elegance, and passing range saw him nicknamed the “Il Principe” (The Prince) during his prime years. The star left for Austria to play for Sturm Graz in 1996 but only spent half a season and went back to Italy due to homesickness.
Roberto Pruzzo (1978-1988)
Pruzzo was a prolific goalscorer with unmatched heading ability. He was among the best Italian strikers of his time. His amazing techniques, eye for the goal, and hard work as a center forward are some of the features that rank him among the best Roma players of all time.
He was the top scorer in Serie A in 1981, 1982, and 1986. He was part of the team that won the Scudetto in the 1982–83 season. Pruzzo was also part of Roma when the club lost to Liverpool on penalties during the 1984 European Cup Final.
Paulo Roberto Falcão (1980-1985)
Falcao joined the club in 1980 and proved his worth to the fans who knew little about him. He would later be described as the “the greatest ‘regista’ I’ve ever seen” (deep-lying playmaker) by liedholm.
Falcao was rated among the best complete midfielders of his time, and he was a general on the field, technical and brilliant, which saw him nicknamed ‘Eighth King of Rome’. He was part of the Italian national team during the 1982 World Cup hosted by Brazil.
Daniele De Rossi (2001-2019)
De Rossi is another player who dedicated his entire professional football career even though he was approached by teams such as Manchester United in 2011.
His first match with Roma was during the 2001–02 season, and he would play in Serie A the following year. He was dubbed the ‘Capitano Futuro’ (future captain), and the dream finally became a reality when Totti retired, and he was made Roma’s captain, a position he held until he left the club in 2019.
Aldair (1990-2003)
This versatile defender could play as a sweeper and a center-back. He was praised for his vision, passing range, and technical ability. He joined the club from Benfica in 1990 and went ahead to appear for Roma for 13 seasons.
He was lucky to captain the team and even won the Coppa Italia in 1991. He played almost 400 Serie A matches and won one title in the same competition.
Although they lack the league titles of a Juventus or Milan, Roma is no stranger to world class players since their foundation nearly a century ago.
