El Shaarawy's farewell: the final chapter of a Roma love story
Squad News·8 July 2026·15h ago

El Shaarawy's farewell: the final chapter of a Roma love story

Source: Il Romanista

Stephan El Shaarawy's decade at Roma ended with a goal against Verona in the final fixture of the season, a moment already etched into club folklore. The winger started the campaign as captain under new coach Gian Piero Gasperini on 23 August 2025 in the opener against Bologna, rewarded for having the most appearances of any Roma player. The captaincy lasted only three matches before Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini superseded him, while a long Achilles tendon inflammation kept him sidelined for 9 matches. He made just 9 starts all season.

El Shaarawy appeared 27 times overall in a campaign that marked his lowest appearance count since arriving at Roma (excluding two spells that began in January). He provided 3 assists and scored only once in league play before that final moment at the Bentegodi—a Europa League goal against Midtjylland in November proved his only other strike. The 34-year-old had squandered a clear late chance against Lazio at the Olimpico in his penultimate appearance. His journey from a once-heralded young talent whose image appeared on trading cards and video games to a squad player willing to sacrifice wages during his Shanghai Shenhua spell to return to Roma was defined by selflessness, including a standout European performance as a defender against AC Milan two years earlier. The goal at Verona provided the perfect send-off for a married man departing after a beautiful era.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

«Il bacio d'addio di Stephan El Shaarawy alla Roma è la Champions League». La telecronaca di Dazn al gol contro il Verona di Stephan El Shaarawy, atto finale della stagione del ritorno nell'Europa dei grandi e, al contempo, della storia del Faraone nella Capitale, è già un piccolo classico da…

Read the full article in Italian at Il Romanista.

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