Lorenzo Pellegrini

There are Roma players, and then there are Romanisti. Lorenzo Pellegrini belongs to the second category. Born in Rome, he joined the club's youth academy at nine years old — shortly after recovering from a childhood heart condition — and has essentially spent his entire life in giallorosso colours. When Roma sold him to Sassuolo in 2015 to raise funds, they included a buyback clause. They exercised it.

Pellegrini is a central or attacking midfielder who plays with both technical grace and physical commitment. He has an exceptional range of passing, a powerful long shot, and the ability to drift into goalscoring positions. He is strong in the air despite not being especially tall, and his stamina allows him to box-to-box for 90 minutes without losing quality.

His finest hour came in the 2021-22 UEFA Conference League — the first European trophy in Roma's history — when he captained the side to glory and was named the competition's Player of the Season. That night in Tirana was the fulfilment of a dream for every Romanista, and Pellegrini was at the heart of it.