Pruzzo reflects on decade at Roma, still haunted by European Cup penalty loss to Liverpool

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 Before an away match, an unwell teammate was withdrawn from the squad list at the last moment and Totti was called up instead.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.

Roma radio commentators have praised Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar as central to the club's prospects under head coach Gian Piero Gasperini this season. Carina told Radio Radio that Dybala represents Gasperini's main gamble and is succeeding in it. "The big difference compared to the past is exactly Dybala," Carina said. "If he continues like this, at these high levels, I would sign off on it. It's clear that at Roma it can change important targets. Gasperini is right: Dybala doesn't miss a training session, he has found the key to extend Dybala's career, who is a champion of Italian football." Carina also noted that Bryan Cristante has a knee inflammation that, while not serious, is a concern. Roberto Pruzzo backed goalkeeper Svilar without reservation. "Svilar is world-class for Roma, I have no doubt," Pruzzo said on Radio Radio. "If there is a normal goalkeeper, it is easy then to lose 3–1." Orsi, also speaking on Radio Radio, observed that goalkeepers in Italy are not generally regarded as world-class figures.

Giuseppe Giannini, Roma's legendary captain, has reflected on what it means to represent the club and reflected on the greatest number 10s in its history. Speaking in an interview, Giannini ranked Francesco Totti as the greatest, followed by Agostino Di Bartolomei and De Sisti, with himself in fourth place and Paulo Dybala fifth—despite Dybala wearing number 21. Giannini praised Dybala's ability to play with simplicity and escape pressure, saying: "The fact that he plays with great simplicity. He always manages to get out of every game situation, even the most complicated one. Even when surrounded by two or three opponents he is able to manage somehow and come out with the ball at his feet. He is a player who has fantasy, strokes of genius. And you can see that when he plays, he enjoys himself. When a champion manages to play while enjoying himself, he also drags the fans along, who identify with him." Giannini also shared a memory of sharing a hotel room with Totti during an away trip early in the young player's Roma career, when a teammate fell ill and Totti was drafted in as a replacement. With no single rooms available, Giannini offered his bed to the teenager: "My father had brought Totti from Lodigiani to Roma, so I had no problem letting him sleep with me. I didn't make him feel the weight of my role as captain, but he watched me without speaking. He was shy." Totti later told Giannini that he did not sleep that night, though Giannini himself rested well. Giannini discussed the character required to wear the captain's armband and the number 10, saying it demands "a special character and personality. Very strong. The character and personality that have been demonstrated by the various Di Bartolomei, Bruno Conti, De Rossi, Totti, and that I see again today in Cristante and Pellegrini." He traced his own leadership back to childhood, explaining: "Even as a boy I understood I had something more than others, because I took on responsibilities that perhaps didn't belong to me, like taking a penalty kick in place of a teammate who didn't feel up to it." Asked what he would steal from Dybala and what he would give in return, Giannini replied: "I would steal his left foot, but I would give him my right one." His childhood idol was Argentine forward Mario Kempes, whose playing style and long hair inspired him—Giannini wore his own hair in the same way. After Kempes, Di Bartolomei became his model. The most difficult moment wearing the giallorosso came when, as captain, he was tasked with laying flowers on president Dino Viola's chair at the Olimpico following Viola's death, during the first match at the stadium without him. Conversely, Giannini felt greatest pride after a match on 20 March 1994 against Foggia, when Roma came from behind: "We were coming off a series of negative results and we had Zeman's Foggia against us, which was going at 200 an hour. We went down by a goal, I scored the equalizer. The 1-1 final gave us confidence, we put together four straight wins and at the end of the season we came within a whisker of qualifying for the UEFA Cup."