Totti on the number 10, Ronaldo regret, and Dybala: 'It's not given for five or six good matches'

AS Roma have secured definitive authorization to build a new stadium in the Pietralata area following approval by the services' conference on Tuesday at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. The meeting greenlit the final technical adjustments and economic feasibility of the entire plan, clearing the path for the operational phase to commence. Roma will present the executive project shortly and break ground in spring, with construction targeted for completion by 2030 in time for Euro 2032, scheduled to take place in Italy and Turkey. The club will continue playing at the Stadio Olimpico until the new ground is ready. The new stadium will hold 60,000 seats, with roughly a third dedicated to the new Curva Sud, designed in the style of Borussia Dortmund's Die Gelbe Wand. The project incorporates a substantial new park, a club museum and store. According to QuiFinanza, the stadium itself will cost approximately €600 million, while the entire project is priced at €1.37 billion. The Friedkin Group and its partners will finance the scheme entirely through their own capital, a construction loan, a project bond and a VAT facility. The final deadline for completion falls roughly one year before Euro 2032 kicks off. The stadium's relocation to a different part of the city carries significant urban planning implications for Rome.

AS Roma's new stadium at Pietralata has cleared its biggest hurdle. The Services Conference concluded positively and the single authorization was signed, closing the main approval phase of the project. The groundbreaking is targeted for March 2027, but several technical and administrative steps remain before construction can begin. Crucially, the dynamic has shifted: the question is no longer whether the stadium will be built, but whether all necessary procedures can be completed to make it a functioning construction site. The first phase involves detailed design. The approved executive project must be further developed to incorporate all requirements that emerged during the Services Conference, including archaeology, environment, traffic and public works provisions. This stage is expected to take three to four months. Parallel verification and validation activities must also proceed ahead of actual construction work. Significantly, much of the process will not rest solely with Roma. A central step is a public tender for the concession—which covers detailed design, construction and management of the facility plus surface rights over municipal areas. This is not a private procurement where the club freely selects a contractor; the procedure must follow public-private partnership rules. Roma, as project promoter, begins from a particular position and may exercise rights provided by regulations within the procedure. The club must complete design work and prepare the construction phase while Rome's municipal administration handles project verification, the public concession procedure and area procedures. These steps can largely run in parallel. Additionally, procedures for expropriating private portions necessary for the project—now possible following the public utility declaration—must be finalized, with costs borne by the concessionaire. Archaeological activities required by the Archaeological Superintendent must also continue. The final phase involves concession award, agreement, guarantees, creation of surface rights and area handover. Only when all these elements are in place can the project become a functioning construction site. The March 2027 target remains realistic but not automatic; meeting it requires Roma and the administration to run all procedures simultaneously without significant delays.

AS Roma are preparing third-kit designs for their centenary campaign, with details emerging of a tribute to Alba Audace, one of three clubs that merged to form the giallorossi. The 2027-28 third kit will feature a white base with dark green details and carry the ASR acronym badge already used in the current season, according to Footyheadlines. Adidas will continue as kit supplier through the centenary year, with the design honouring Alba Audace's heritage without reproducing its original crest. The full presentation remains some way off, but the leaked concept signals a clear intent to mark the approach to 22 July 2027—the club's 100th anniversary—with historical resonance. The kit details offer the first concrete indication of how Roma plan to celebrate the milestone season.

This week's ratings roundup celebrates the Roma fanbase's enduring bond with Francesco Totti as the club legend approaches his fiftieth birthday. Totti has not simply reached that milestone—his supporters have kept it in play through their unwavering affection, refusing to let the moment pass him by. The city's new stadium project earns the highest architectural praise, described as epochal rather than merely historic, with the piece invoking Dino Viola's pioneering vision as vindication of the long-held dream. Ángel Di María features prominently for his infinite quality and timeless left foot, embodying the passion of his Rosario Central roots. The Argentine's influence proved decisive in a tightly contested Argentina Supercoppa final against Estudiantes, where he took command when the match had turned adversarial. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini's management of squad movements—particularly the potential departures of Nahuel Molina and Paulo Dybala—draws recognition for his paternal firmness. Rather than imposing vetoes, Gasperini demanded maximum intensity in training sessions before players left and upon their return, a form of accountability the Roma players have earned through their pitch performances. The week's wider observations span Italian football's structural challenges. Gigi Cagni's commentary on Italian players and their attitudes, the absence of genuine phenomena alongside widespread affected arrogance, and the loss of academy talent such as Kayode receive critical attention. Germany's national team management under Klopp faces the paradox of overseeing one of the technically weakest squads since the postwar era, while incidents of booing national anthems—both Turkey's conduct towards Italy and Italy's towards Belgium—highlight how incivility transcends borders. A separate note addresses the defacement of Franco Baresi's image, an act of vandalism that damaged a legend's standing while tarnishing only the perpetrator's own reputation.

Radio commentators on Roman sports radio have hailed the approval of AS Roma's stadium project as a major turning point for the club. Carina told Radio Radio: "Yesterday was a watershed day. Now we will have to wait for the executive version of the project. After that the works will begin: and there is always a question mark there, because every time you dig you can find an artefact, a Roman villa, and so on. In any case it is a great victory for Roma. Now we wait and see how long it takes: the idea is to try to fit into the schedule of the Euros. Today Roma returns to training, there should also come a decision on Dybala and Molina. It seems strange to me that Messi is retiring: if the two wanted to leave, it does not seem to me that Gasperini would oppose it. Maybe they are not pushing that hard, but let's see what they decide." Pruzzo added: "We will be in line if we manage to be part of it. It seems to me that there are difficulties everywhere in Italy for stadiums. In any case it is a huge step forward: we will see how long it takes and whether the timescales become biblical or not." Orsi told Radio Radio: "Let's hope this city becomes a bit more European, instead of being strangled by bureaucracy. I hope the Roma stadium, with the green light, moves forward, and I hope the same for the Lazio stadium. With two stadiums of their own Rome would become better."

Roma's training camp at Trigoria resumes today following a rest period authorised by Gasperini. The squad will prepare for the Como fixture with most players available, though those on international duty will not yet return. Evan N'Dicka is the first to rejoin, with Sunday's return to Rome marking the start of a phased reintegration. Wesley, Bryan Cristante and Donyell Malen are improving and will resume group training in the coming days, clearing them for the 11 October away trip. A final decision on Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina's availability will be made today, following Argentina's fixtures.