Nostalgic Serie A five-a-side teams- picking a lineup for … Roma

We head to Italy’s capital for the latest instalment of a series where writers delve into their banks of calcio nostalgia
By Martin Dunlop for The Gentleman Ultra
Martin DunlopWed 16 Oct 2024 06.07 EDTLast modified on Wed 16 Oct 2024 06.28 EDTShareHere we go; the almost impossible task of picking a Roma five-a-side team and keeping most people happy. Roma, like many Italian sides, are a club with a rich history of top-class players who have each brought their own unique skills and styles of play to an adoring public.
I would argue, reasonably confidently, that three of my five selections will not spark much debate. I have chosen only one midfielder, which means legends such as Agostino Di Bartolomei, Giuseppe Giannini and Daniele De Rossi miss out. However, my midfield choice brings energy, dynamism, and a creative spark that I feel would flourish on a five-a-side pitch. I’m confident that if my attacking duo rediscover their old spark, this team would be competitive against any side put in front of them.
Franco TancrediAn attack-minded five-a-side team needs to be complemented by a solid base, and the goalkeeper Tancredi has that task for my side. Tancredi made a remarkable 258 consecutive Serie A appearances for the Giallorossi between 1980 and 1989, so reliability isn’t going to be an issue here.
Arriving in the Eternal City from Rimini in 1977, Tancredi spent 13 seasons with Roma, and was a key member of the club’s 1983 Scudetto-winning side. Tancredi was blessed with great agility and was an excellent shot-stopper. Known for his speed, he would often race out of goal to thwart opposition strikers, though I may need him to stick to his line a bit more in these small-sided matches.
Standing at 5ft 9in, Tancredi was not a particularly tall goalkeeper, though that will not be an issue on the five-a-side circuit. He also gained a reputation as a penalty-saving specialist, which could come in very handy.
Such was Tancredi’s dependability, the former Roma manager Nils Liedholm said: “I could trust him blindfolded”. That’ll do for me.
AldairKeeping things tight at the back alongside Tancredi is one of Roma’s all-time greats – the Brazilian defender Aldair.
View image in fullscreenAldair was a rock at Roma for 13 years. Photograph: Richard Sellers/SportsphotoWidely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of his generation, Aldair was a rock at the centre of Roma’s defence between 1990 and 2003. Alongside his undoubted defensive qualities, Aldair emanated calmness and composure at the heart of the backline – qualities that will be needed to balance out my explosive attack.
With 436 matches for the Giallorossi, the popular Brazilian is fifth on the list of the club’s all-time appearance holders. Heartbreakingly, Aldair suffered a bad injury midway through Roma’s 2000-01 Scudetto season, but he is, of course, recognised as a key member of Fabio Capello’s title-winning side.
At a club that usually reserve a special place for their local heroes, it’s a measure of Aldair’s ability, loyalty and personality that he enjoyed a loving relationship with the Roma fans. So popular was Aldair that his No 6 jersey was retired by the club at the supporters’ request when he left in 2003. It was a sign of Aldair’s humility that he requested the shirt be reintroduced to Roma’s squad following the arrival of Kevin Strootman 10 years later.
Bruno ContiMy midfield dynamism comes from a man who lives and breathes all things Giallorossi and the Eternal City. He may not always be the first name that springs to mind in the “Roma legends” category, but Conti is undoubtedly one of the club’s greatest ever players.
What Conti lacked in height and physique he more than made up for in speed, skill and determination. Save for two loan seasons at Genoa, Conti spent his entire playing career – from 1973 to 1991 – at Roma, making 402 appearances. Although left-footed, Conti was normally deployed as a right winger, and he could also play centrally as an attacking midfielder.
Conti was a key player in Roma’s 1983 Scudetto triumph, which came a year after he played every match in Italy’s victorious World Cup campaign in Spain.
Nicknamed “The Mayor of Rome”, Conti was a buzz of excitement on the park and someone teammates loved to play with. Although weighing in with a healthy 47 club goals, Conti was chiefly an assist-maker – a quality my next two additions will lap up.
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Francesco TottiWho predicted this one? Joking aside, Totti is AS Roma. For almost a quarter of a century, Totti was the beating heart of his home town club. From sensational goals, outrageous assists, ludicrously good passes and the odd moment of madness, Totti did it all.
His talismanic role in the 2001 Scudetto, Roma’s third league title triumph, must be the career highlight, but the exquisite goals – the delicate chips against Lazio and Inter and the outrageous volley at Sampdoria – are arguably his most memorable moments.
View image in fullscreenFrancesco Totti was given a hero’s farewell when he retired as a one-club man. Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty ImagesIn a career that spanned 24 years, Totti played 786 matches for Roma, scoring 307 times; unsurprisingly, he is the club’s record appearance holder and top goalscorer. Considering his misfortune with injuries, Totti’s longevity and endurance as a player were remarkable; he was continually able to adapt his game to suit his body and, indeed, he played some of his finest football during the later stages of his career. In the 2006-07 season, following Italy’s World Cup triumph, a 30-year-old Totti scored 32 goals in all competitions and won the European Golden Shoe.
As Roma’s greatest player of all time, I think it’s safe to say that Totti will captain this team.
Antonio CassanoAnyone fortunate enough to have witnessed Totti and Cassano share a football pitch will know why the Bari-born maverick takes the final spot. To this day, I’ve never seen two players more in sync than the King of Rome and his one-time apprentice.
“We spoke the same language with our feet,” Totti said on his partnership with Cassano. “We could play with our eyes closed. We were in symbiosis on everything. We had become one. It was like there were no other players on the field.” These are incredible words from Roma’s greatest.
Roma paid Bari €30m in 2001 – a world-record fee for a teenager at the time – to secure Cassano’s services. For large spells of the five years Cassano spent in the Eternal City, he was in scintillating form. Cassano could control a football like a magician, and his flicks and tricks cast many Serie A defenders under a spell. In a match against Reggina in 2005, one Cassano and Totti combination almost produced one of the great goals.
Sadly, following his departure from Roma, Cassano did not go on to fulfil his enormous potential. However, for those magical years at the turn of the century, he more than merits the fifth and final spot in my team.