Historic XI: The day Aldair made his debut for the club

Roma v. Foggia. 5 September 1990. Coppa Italia.

An opening act, a first time. For many reasons: among them, of course, the venue.

It was a day that saw the Giallorossi return to playing at the Stadio Olimpico, for the first time in 465 days. The last time they had been there, in fact, had been a goalless draw against Lazio - one that won’t feature on many lists of the most memorable derbies.

After that there was the stadium redevelopment, a season played at Flaminio, and a World Cup held in Italy that saw Germany beat Argentina in the final – held, where else, but at the Olimpico.

The stadium had been given a more modern look and feel, upgrades most visible in the roof that now covered the stands. Now, at least, if it rained then many would be able to find cover.

That was not going to be an issue for this game, however. It was still the summer, and so it was still hot. Like a first day at school, the Giallorossi were back where they belonged.

For the first game of the season, in a competition the side would actually end up winning – along with a run to the final of the UEFA Cup too.

A team trained by Ottavio Bianchi, who was also making his debut in the dugout for the Giallorossi.

His team contained a number of debutantes too: the goalkeeper Giuseppe Zinetti, the full-back Amedeo Carboni, the forward Carnevale, the playmaker Salsano and – perhaps above them all – a Brazilian defender who had arrived from Benfica in the summer, with a glorious head of hair to make anyone jealous.

Aldair Nascimento Santos. He would become a World Cup winner with Brazil in 1994, and a Serie A winner in 2001.

A world-class player, one of the best defenders in the history of the game. And his first game for the club came against Zdenek Zeman’s Foggia, a coach he would meet again in future.

Giuseppe Zinetti
A goalkeeper with good reflexes, who was nevertheless sometimes a bit erratic in his decision-making, Zinetti would eventually become Giovanni Cervone’s understudy. He would represent Roma from 1990 to 1993, playing 44 times.

Antonio Tempestilli
A stout defender, albeit one lacking in technical quality – but always willing to dig deep for his teammates. He represented the club from 1987 to 1993, making 162 appearances for the club and scoring seven goals. After his playing days ended, he would go on to hold various positions within the club.

Amedeo Carboni
A striving, surging full-back – not always perfect with his final ball, but always active and involved in both phases of the game. By the 1996-97 season he would become Giallorossi captain, following Giuseppe Giannini’s farewell. Between 1990 and 1997, Carboni would make 230 appearances for the club – scoring four goals. A successful stint at Valencia followed.

Giovanni Piacentini
A tireless operator in midfield. So many times he sacrificed himself in order to give his teammates a platform to perform, rendering his own lack of technical excellence less of an issue. Despite that, of course, he would end up scoring one of the best derby goals in history, in 1993. In total he made 189 appearances for the club – that Lazio strike was one of just two he scored.

Aldair
A cornerstone of every Roma side throughout the 1990s, a centre-back with rare quality and an even rarer ability to read the play. One of the best in his position Brazil, or indeed the world, has produced. For 13 years he went to battle in Giallorosso, making 436 appearances and scoring 20 goals. And there were trophies too: Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa.

Sebino Nela
The only player to have played in both of Roma’s major European cup final appearances – starting against Liverpool in the 1984 European Cup final, and being among the starts at the end of this campaign as Roma faced Inter in the UEFA Cup. A Serie A winner in 1983 he won three Coppa Italia crowns too, along with making 397 appearances and scoring 19 goals for the club.

Stefano Desideri
A powerful central midfielder blessed with a damaging shot from distance, he was a product of the club’s academy system. In the end, he made 190 appearances – scoring 32 goals.

Fabrizio Di Mauro
Another quality central midfielder, one who usually wore the No. 8 on the back of his shirt and tied white tape around his ankles – lending him a distinctive look. Like Desideri he was a Roman-born presence in the team, although he ended up joining Lazio in the summer of 1993. In total for the Giallorossi he managed 132 appearances, scoring nine goals.

Rudi Voeller
Scorer of the first and last goals of Roma’s Coppa Italia campaign during this season, winning this tie with his ninth-minute strike and clinching the final with another. That’s what his career was all about – goals – and for Roma he notched 68 of them in 198 games.

Giuseppe Giannini
The captain. Say no more. The leader (Roman-born), he took that mantle on from Agostino Di Bartolomei and became, as was once said, “the prince that carried Roma under his arms”. He was the one who lifted the Coppa Italia at the end of this season, and he could have done it again in 1993 were it not for the fact he hit the woodwork in the final (after scoring three others already). In total he played 437 times for the club, scoring 75 goals.

Andrea Carnevale
The 1990-91 season would not exactly be a great one for either him or Angelo Peruzzi, both youngsters who ran into issues with suspected doping. A powerful, classic forward, he would have a bigger role to play between 1991 and 1993. He managed 73 games in the end, scoring 25 goals.