Future Stars Emerge as AS Roma Invest Further in Homegrown Development | OneFootball

Roma are one of the most storied and famous clubs in Italy having enjoyed a long and illustrious in Serie A and Europe. The Giallorossi is a proud club playing in the capital and has won three league titles and the Coppa Italia on nine occasions as well as the UEFA Conference League in 2021 and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1961. Much of this success has been built on the club’s academy which has nurtured countless young players who have gone on to contribute to the Roma cause.

As football enthusiasts explore sports betting apps and casino platforms featuring German no deposit bonuses, Roma will likely appear as a club worth backing due to routinely finishing in the top six and pushing for top spot. This article will delve into how the academy has played a key role in helping the team consistently compete with the best and win silverware.

How Roma Invest in the Academy

Roma’s academy is an integral part of the football club and a key asset. Therefore, the club continually invests into how it operates behind-the-scenes so that the system of finding and nurturing top young players from the capital and beyond functions at a high level.

The club employs a number of scouts who will go out at a local level to spot the next big talent, focusing on players at all ages and levels. Remember, while some will possess natural ability, others will develop over time and so the skill is to spot potential. Other scouts will go further afield or the club will take on scouts who operate outside of Rome and even Italy. It is such a competitive business, this is crucial.

Then, when players are taken on by Roma, appearing for different age groups, they train and play at top facilities befitting of a professional outfit and one of the biggest and most iconic clubs in the world. From top-class coaching to taking into account player welfare, Roma will have steps in place to ensure players are properly supported so that they can thrive while also enjoying their football alongside the pressures and demands of representing the club.

Leading the Way

The Giallorossi has long been a club that has brought through top talent with homegrown heroes appearing at the Stadio Olimpico each week. Back in 2016, Roma’s youth system was revealed to be among the top ten in Europe, while also producing more footballers plying their trade across Europe’s five best leagues than any other club in Italy.

Following a major study by the CIES Football Observatory, Roma came seventh on the list for academies who have produced the most players featuring in the top leagues of England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy.

Roma Academy Players Currently Making the Grade

In the Roma squad today, there are a number of players who came through the youth ranks before making the grade with the first-team. Of course, to be ultra competitive, the club have spent money on high-profile signings and buys to instantly improve the squad. However, some of the names below have proved to be the bedrock of how the team develop talent to compete at the top level in Serie A and European competition.

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Lorenzo Pellegrini was born in Rome and joined the club’s youth set-up at the age of nine. Climbing the ranks, the central midfielder broke into the team in 2014 and made one appearance before signing for Sassuolo at the age of 19. After two years, Roma exercised the buyback clause of €10 million and brought Pellegrini back to the Stadio Olimpico.

Since then, Pellegrini has gone on to make more than 300 appearances for the club, scoring 58 times. Winning the Player of the Year award in 2021, the season after Pellegrini helped the club lift the Conference League trophy. Capped 36 times for Italy, this is a true success story of the Roma academy and the player himself, of course.

Edoardo Bove

Bove joined Roma at the age of 10 and made his first-team debut in 2021. Called on by manager Jose Mourinho, the midfielder has gone on to make more than 90 appearances for the team, netting four times. He also appeared for Italy Under 21s and spent last season on loan at Fiorentina.

Niccolo Pisilli

The midfielder born in Rome is still only 21 but made 28 Serie A appearances for Roma last season while also earning a cap for the Italian national team in October 2024.

Loanees

Alessandro Romano, Mattia Mannini, Luigi Cherubini, Riccardo Pagano are all pushing for first-team spots and are currently out on loan in order to gain experience.

Legendary Roma Figures who came through the Youth Ranks

Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi are two of the most famous names in Italian football history and each devoted their careers to Roma. 

Totti, who is adored by the Roma faithful as a one-club man, was born in the city and went on to make 786 appearances, scoring 307 times. In 2001, the iconic number 10 helped the team win the Serie A title. De Rossi, another local, played 616 games for the club and scored 63 goals from defensive midfield, winning the Coppa Italia with Totti in 2007 and 2008.

Other famous players like Giuseppe Giannini and Angelo Peruzzi also started their careers with Roma and there is no doubting the club will continue to produce global talents who will contribute to the team’s glory years in the future.