From Totti's training ground to police work: Alessandro Simonetta's unexpected digital legend status
Club News·10 June 2026·71d ago

From Totti's training ground to police work: Alessandro Simonetta's unexpected digital legend status

Source: Forza Roma

Alessandro Simonetta, now 40 and an assistant chief with the Prison Police, discovered he had become a legendary digital footballer without knowing it. A Facebook post seeking help to restore an old photo from his Roma youth days sparked hundreds of nostalgic comments — but most were directed at his alter ego in the football management simulation game Football Manager, where he had been coded as a high-potential, low-cost striker despite never actually playing in the game. Simonetta only learned of this phenomenon during the Covid lockdown, years after the game was released.

Simonetta trained with Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi during his time in Roma's youth academy and travelled to America with the first team under Fabio Capello. He was called into a Champions League squad by Bruno Conti when still at school and found himself on the bench against Real Madrid. A serious leg fracture ended his pathway to professionalism, and he eventually left football for a career in law enforcement. He recalled his time at Roma: "I was 17 or 18 years old, we were in America with the team. I still remember those days." He also remembered De Rossi's kindness: when his boots broke, De Rossi brought him a replacement pair the next day. Today, Simonetta works with prisoners and describes the role as "difficult but rich in satisfaction," a far cry from the digital stardom he never sought.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

Alcuni ricordi rimasti per anni in un cassetto, sono tornati a galla grazie ad una foto Redazione 10 giugno - 17:29 Totti-show in Turchia: prima lo scherzo a una turista, poi l'inganno dal gelataio Facebook può ancora regalare sorprese. Dato per social superato, è in realtà ancora capace di far…

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