Exactly 20 years ago, on March 28, 1993, Francesco made his league debut in a Roma jersey. Today, exclusively on asroma.it, our No.10 looks back on his Giallorossi story and tells us about the matches he remembers most fondly from each season. There's only one Capitano!
1992/93
Brescia 0-2 Roma, 3/28/1993
"You never forget your first time in a love story… My Serie A debut in a Giallorossi jersey. That day at the Stadio Rigamonti in March was a dream come true for me!"
1993/94
Lazio 1-0 Roma, 3/6/1994
"My first derby, though sadly there were no smiles for us afterwards. I won a penalty but Giannini missed it. A bad way to end the game but it was still a highly emotional experience."
1994/95
Roma 1-1 Foggia, 9/4/1994
"Another amazing 'first': my first goal in Serie A – and in front of our fans! What more could you ask for? The first in a long series… and I’m not planning to stop yet either!"
1995/96
Bari 1-2 Roma, 3/31/1996
"My first goal away from the Stadio Olimpico. Statuto crossed it in, the ball bounced in front of me and I hit it off the top my laces: it flew past Fontana. Powerful shots – right- or left-footed – have always been my favorite!"
1996/97
Roma 3-0 AC Milan, 10/12/1996
"My first goal against of a ‘big’ team; Tabarez’s goal had set us on our way against Milan. I challenged Rossi as came out and the ball fell for me: I snatched at it instinctively with the outside of my right then exploded with joy and took off my shirt. I’ll never forget that feeling."
1997/98
Roma 2-2 Parma, 3/29/1998
"My first ‘cucchiaio’ from long range. One of the best lobbed goals I’ve scored, beating my friend Buffon who was off his line. I tried it with my left and… well you can see what happened. No sooner had a struck it than I was over with the fans celebrating!"
1998/99
Roma 3-3 Lazio, 11/29/1998
"My first goal in the derby. We’d lost several in a row before then and we were trailing 3-1. Di Francesco had made it 3-2 then just a few minutes afterward I scored the equalizer, catching it on the half-volley then watching it go past Marchegiani. I ran over to receive the share the joy with the Curva Sud… what a thrill!"
1999/2000
Roma 2-0 Bologna, 4/16/2000
"I don’t know what my head was telling me when I ran up to the ball, but when I reached the 12-yard spot I dug my foot under the ball and scooped it over Pagliuca. The first time I’d taken a penalty like that in my life. I did it again two months later in the semi-final at Euro 2000."
2000/01
Roma 3-1 Parma, 6/17/2001
"The Scudetto goal, hard to sum up in a few words. The most important goal in Roma’s recent history, the one I feel most strongly about and I think most of our fans do too. Outside of my right boot from Candela’s pass… the ball hit the net and then all I heard was the deafening explosion of the Stadio Olimpico. I raced over to the Sud and could already sense what was happening: we were champions of Italy!"
2001/02
Lazio 1-5 Roma, 3/10/2002
"I’d done this a few years before but there’s nothing better than pulling it off in a derby after we’d dominated as we did. Peruzzi was in goal and I scooped my foot under the ball from outside the area. That spinning ball is an image will stick in my mind forever: it dropped gently towards the goal before kissing in off the underside of the bar to make it 5-1. I was already on my way over to the Ilary in the stands to show her my “6 Unica” T-shirt."
2002/03
Brescia 2-3 Roma, 9/29/2002
"My first hat-trick in Serie A at last! Three goals which sealed victory over Mazzone’s Brescia. The first a penalty, the second a free kick and finally a right-footer from outside the box for an unforgettable treble."
2003/04
Empoli 0-2 Roma, 12/20/2003
"Two goals, with the second a cucchiaio from outside the box that curled in. Two goals and three huge points that sent us top… just a shame we couldn’t stay there until the end of the season."
2004/05
Roma 5-1 Parma, 12/19/2004
"Two goals, one left, one right in a big win. But it also meant I beat another important record as I overtook Pruzzo in the list of all-time top-scorers for Roma. What an honor!"
2005/06
Inter 2-3 Roma, 10/26/2005
"This is perhaps the best lob I’ve scored: I set off from midfield and went past several opponents, at the edge of the box I tried a deft touch… and it beat Julio Cesar. Afterwards I scored from the spot as well to make the points safe. The applause I got from San Siro made me feel really proud. That was my first win in Milan… and it came with a spectacular goal."
2006/07
Sampdoria 2-4 Roma, 11/26/2006
"Cassetti pinged over a long crossfield ball from right to left and I caught it on the volley from a wide angle. I did my pacifier celebration and I couldn’t help smiling. Did I really just score that? Possibly one of the best strikes of my career - and the crowd at the Marassi let me know about it too by applauding me."
2007/08
Roma 2-2 Juventus, 9/23/2007
"Scoring against Juventus is always a special feeling for us Romanisti and in this game I got two. Shame it ended as a draw but it's always nice against Juve..."
2008/09
AC Milan 2-3 Roma, 5/24/2009
"As I said, winning at the San Siro, whether it’s against Inter or Milan, is an amazing feeling. And if you score the winner with five minutes left it feels even more special! Pek teed me up from a free kick and I hit a powerful shot that beat Dida at the far post. 3-2 to us. But more than for my goal I’ll remember this game because it was the day Paolo Maldini – another great one-club man – hung up his boots."
2009/10
Roma 3-1 Bari, 11/22/2009
"Another hat-trick in a game that put us back in the hunt to catch Mourinho’s Inter. A penalty and a right-footed strike from a free kick to get things going. But I saved the best goal for last. Following a corner, from the right-hand side of the area, I curled it inside the far post with my left. And I’d only just come back from injury!"
2010/11
Roma 2-0 Lazio, 3/13/2011
"My first derby double. In the rain and both of them in front of the Curva Sud. One of the commentators said that I’m 'not dead yet'. Maybe he’s right…"
2011/12
Roma 5-1 Cesena, 1/21/2012
"Another brace at the Olimpico and another day to remember: two right-footed strikes to take me past Nordahl in the list of all-time top scorers in Serie A with the same club. One a volley and the other following a delightful back-heeled assist by Lamela. Doing it all in the yellow and red jersey has been the realization of a childhood dream…"
2012/13
Roma 1-0 Juventus, 2/16/2013
"To keep up my good habit of scoring against Juve and Buffon (that’s a joke, he’s a friend of mine): a vicious right-footer that gave us three important points for our league campaign. I celebrated with all my team-mates jumping on me. The ovation of the Olimpico is what I remember most fondly. And it's a feeling I want to keep experiencing…"
Legend doesn't do him justice, he's much more than that. 20 years of football at the top tier of Serie A. No words really.
This is gold. "Large cock please"
