The Spanish Inquisition: Five players set new club record

With Borja Mayoral's arrival last month, the club set a new record...

Cinco. Five – that’s how many Spaniards Roma now have in their first-team squad.

Starting from the back: Pau Lopez, Gonzalo Villar, Carles Perez, Pedro Rodriguez and Borja Mayoral.

Never before have the Giallorossi had so many Spanish players at the same time.

Indeed, it’s the first time Roma have simultaneously had five players of any single European country – Italy excluded, of course. Previously there had never had more than three European compatriots in the Giallorossi ranks at once.

To list some of the more recent examples of countries with three players at the club together, we have Greece (Jose Cholevas, Kostas Manolas and Vasilis Torosidis), France (Vincent Candela, Olivier Dacourt and Jonathan Zebina), Bosnia (Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic and Ervin Zukanovic) and the Netherlands (Rick Karsdorp, Justin Kluivert and Kevin Strootman – who then left almost immediately).

The current crop of Spanish imports – all recruited in little over a year – means Spain is now second on Roma’s all-time European players chart, with 14.

France leads the way with 17 players - although that is including Medhi Benatia and Houssine Kharja, who both have dual French-Moroccan nationality.

This sudden influx of Spanish nationals comes in the wake of Spain’s ascendancy as a footballing nation. In the last 15 years, Spain and Spanish clubs have won a World Cup, two European Championships, eight Champions Leagues, nine Europa Leagues, ten European Super Cups and seven Club World Cups. A total of 37 trophies – ten of which Pedro was involved in!

If La Liga keeps going from strength to strength, it is not just because of the big-name foreign signings but also thanks to the quality being produced year on year by the canteras (youth academies).

Argentines and Brazilians

Outside of Europe, Argentina and Brazil are the two countries which have provided Roma with the most players by far. Indeed, Roma’s first-ever foreigner was an Argentine, Arturo Chini Luduena.

Since Paulo Roberto Falcao joined the capital club in 1980 – coinciding with Serie A’s decision to re-open the borders to foreign stars – Roma’s South American contingent has continued to grow, with as many as eight from the same country in the squad at once.

Aldair, the longest servant

From 1997 to 2002, the Giallorossi always had at least five Brazilians every season: from Aldair, Cafu, Paulo Sergio, Vagner and Zago in 1997-98 to Aldair, Assuncao, Cafu, Emerson, Lima and Zago in 2001-02.

That same season – the year after Roma won the Scudetto – the Giallorossi ranks also included five Argentines: Abel Balbo, Gabriel Batistuta, Sebastian Cejas, Leandro Cufre and Walter Samuel.

There was a repeat of the 5+5 Argentine/Brazilian contingent in 2011-12, with Nicolas Burdisso, Fernando Gago, Gabriel Heinze, Erik Lamela, Dani Osvaldo, and Cicinho, Juan, Marquinho, Fabio Simplicio and Rodrigo Taddei.

The record for most foreigners of the same nationality in one season was set in 2010-11, when the Giallorossi boasted eight Brazilians: Adriano, Julio Baptista, Cicinho, Doni, Juan, Julio Sergio, Fabio Simplicio and Taddei.

Aldair remains Roma’s longest-serving foreigner with 13 seasons of stalwart service, from 1990-91 to 2002-03.