Giuseppe Giannini, Roma legend and former captain, has ranked Francesco Totti as the greatest number 10 in the club's history by statistical measure, followed by Agostino Di Bartolomei and De Sisti. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport's SportWeek supplement, Giannini placed himself fourth on merit of his Roman identity, and positioned Paulo Dybala fifth among the club's greatest number 10s—despite Dybala wearing the number 21 on his back.
Giannini praised Dybala's playing style and artistry at length. "The fact that he plays with great simplicity," Giannini said. "He always manages to escape from every game situation, even the most complicated ones. Even when surrounded by two or three opponents he's able to manage somehow and come out of it with the ball at his feet. He's a player who has fantasy, moments of genius. And you can see that when he plays, he enjoys himself. When a champion can play while enjoying it, he also carries the fans with him, who identify with him. I would steal his left foot, but I'd give him my right one."
Giannini reflected on his early encounters with Totti, whom his own father brought from Lodigiani to Roma. Before an away match, an unwell teammate was withdrawn from the squad list at the last moment and Totti was called up instead. With no single rooms available at the hotel, Giannini offered to share his double room with the young player. "I didn't make him feel the weight of my captain's role, but he watched me without speaking. He was shy," Giannini recalled. "We played cards and went to sleep. He told me later that night he didn't sleep a wink, but I couldn't swear to it because I slept peacefully."
On his own career highlights, Giannini identified 20 March 1994 at Foggia as his proudest moment wearing the giallorosso. Roma had arrived on the back of poor results against Zeman's Foggia side. "We went down by a goal, I scored the equaliser. The 1–1 final gave us confidence, we put together four wins in a row and by the end of the season we came within a whisker of qualifying for the UEFA Cup," he said. His most difficult moment as captain came when president Dino Viola passed away and Giannini was tasked with laying flowers on his empty seat at the Olimpico before the first match held without him.
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Giuseppe Giannini, Roma's legendary captain, has ranked Francesco Totti as the greatest number 10 in the club's history, followed by Agostino Di Bartolomei and De Sisti. Giannini placed himself fourth and Paulo Dybala fifth among Roma's greatest number 10s—a notable ranking given that Dybala wears the number 21. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Giannini praised Dybala's artistry and simplicity on the pitch, highlighting his ability to escape pressure and create moments of genius even when surrounded by multiple opponents. "When a champion manages to play while enjoying himself, he also drags the fans along, who identify with him," Giannini said, adding he would "steal his left foot" but offer his right one in exchange.
Giannini reflected on sharing a hotel room with a young Totti during an away trip early in his Roma career. When a teammate fell ill and Totti was called up as replacement, Giannini offered to share his double room with the teenager. "He watched me without speaking. He was shy," Giannini recalled. Totti later told him he didn't sleep that night, though Giannini rested peacefully. GialloRossi.net adds that Giannini discussed the character required to wear the captain's armband and number 10, tracing his own leadership to childhood when he took on responsibilities beyond his years, including taking penalties for teammates who lacked confidence.
Giannini identified 20 March 1994 at Foggia as his proudest moment in the giallorosso, when he scored an equaliser in a 1–1 draw that sparked four consecutive wins. His most difficult moment came as captain when tasked with laying flowers on president Dino Viola's seat following his death.
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Testo Originale / Source Text
“Giuseppe Giannini, storico capitano e leggenda della Roma, ha rilasciato una lunga intervista alla Gazzetta dello Sport nell’inserto SportWeek. Ecco uno stralcio delle parole del Principe.
Che cosa vuol dire essere romanista e simbolo della Roma in una città come Roma?“In poche parole è difficile…”
Read the full article in Italian at Roma News.
