From A-to-Z: Giorgio Rossi's Roma

It forms a veritable Romanista alphabet, from A to Z, that takes us through a vast array of characters and anecdotes.

A – Agostino Di Bartolomei: “We grew up together in the youth sector, then we ended up working together in the first team. He had that killer shot – you had to get out the way when he lined one up. He was a neat and tidy guy, but the problem was that gun he carried around with him.

Every night during training camps I’d bring him a chocolate milk and he’d wait in the room with the gun. I’d say to him: “Agosti, put that gun away.” He’d reply: “Don’t worry – the safety’s on.” Apart from that, he was a tough guy who made sure people respected him. He even had the better of [Romeo] Benetti, who was a tough old dog.”

B – The Baron, Nils Liedholm: “He was a superstitious guy. He always wore that yellow and red cap that Perinetti's mother had given him – he thought it brought him good luck. He took us on a trip to Buscate, to see the ‘wizard’ Mario Maggi.

Every time Roma played, he would bless the water in the dressing room with a bottle of holy water, which Perinetti's mother sent him on Sundays. What happened was that one day this bottle of holy water broke, so we replaced it with a normal bottle, but he didn't notice. We won 3-0, so the water wasn’t that holy.”

C – Conti, Bruno: “We had many moments together. He was a Roma captain and was also an extraordinary player. There was a time towards the end of his career when he wasn’t playing so much, during the 1990s, under coach Ottavio Bianchi. I remember a funny thing that happened one day: his son, Daniele, who went on to play for Cagliari, turned to the coach and said: 'Why don't you let my father play?'”

D – De Rossi, Daniele: “He dedicated a goal to me – one he scored in Roma v Fiorentina during the 2006-07 season. It was a strike from outside the box that went right in the top corner. From midfield, he ran over to give me a hug – it was a beautiful, unforgettable moment.

"We have a special affection for one another – like between a father and son, I could say. He remains one of the greatest and most significant players in Roma’s history.”

E – Europe, memories of the cups: “In Nuremberg, Renato [Portaluppi] scored and we went through. It was incredibly cold, we were all wrapped up in our coats and hats. Alicicco only had his jacket on. Liedholm said to him: 'Doctor, if you don’t wrap up in Rome they’ll think we’re fools.' He always said he felt warm.

"Another memory is Slavia Prague v Roma: on every trip I took little bottles of cognac with me – I poured it over a sugar cube to warm up anyone who was cold. Once, three little bottles of cognac went missing. Who took them? It was Alicicco, who was feeling cold... In Bordeaux, on the other hand, [Jean] Tiganà gave me a bottle of wine.”

F – Falcao, Paulo Roberto: “When Cerezo came to Roma, I warned him and said: 'Be careful, that Falcao has plenty of women.' He answered jokingly: 'It’s a miracle.' Paulo was a real womaniser – I used to clean his car every week because he often went out and about at night.”

G – Giannini, Giuseppe: “Peppe used to get an average of 50 letters a day. As well as being a strong performer on the pitch, he had lots of female admirers – sometimes even very young girls, aged 12 or 13. He was always being asked for signed photos. I learned how to do his signature and he handed this mountain of work over to me. He’d always joke with [Valter] Bonacina, saying: “You run and I’ll look after the ball.””

H – Haessler, Thomas: “I remember him because he was stingy. One day he asked me to buy him some batteries. When I brought them to him, he said: 'You have to wait until my wife gives me the money.' He was under his wife’s thumb – she managed the family finances. In the end, however, he paid for everything.”

I – Il Capitano, Totti: “I met him when he was little boy. I used to visit him in Via Vetulonia – when there was some little problem, his mum Fiorella always used to call me. One day he was unwell – he had a cough. Alicicco didn't want to give him an X-ray. His mum called to ask me how to resolve the matter. She wanted to call the president but I advised her to go to the family doctor, who would prescribe an X-ray.

"Of those I met at Roma, Francesco is one of the dearest to me: he was not only a great champion, but a man of immense humanity.”

L - Luis Enrique: “He was the last coach I experienced at Trigoria before retiring. Once I bumped into him and said: 'Here in Rome people want to win.' Once he mentioned me at a press conference and I thanked him. He probably didn't have the right people to develop his footballing ideas at Roma. Maybe, with other players, he could have done great things.”

M – Montella, Vincenzo: “When he was on the bench (it often happened under Fabio Capello) you could see that he would go on to be an excellent coach. In Naples, the year we won the Scudetto, we were sitting next to each other. Capello kept on saying to him: 'Get ready, because you’re coming on.' He was trembling – he wanted to help Roma. Eventually he said to me: 'Am I going to get to play some minutes against this team or what?' Then, as you know, he kicked a bottle at the coach.”

N – Nela, Sebino: “When I massaged him, I used at least a litre of oil, with those thighs he had. At Naples he got an elbow in the forehead from Bonetti, which caused him to have a bad fall. He looked like he was dead, lying on the ground. I was very close, behind the goal, so I gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Luckily he recovered, but he didn't play the second half.”

O – Omar, Gabriel Batistuta: “He was tight-fisted, quite stingy. Just think that many years before I had a deal with [Roberto] Pruzzo, which brought him good fortune – every time he scored a goal, he gave me fifty thousand lire. So, I proposed the same thing to Batistuta. He took a day to think, then he came to me and said: 'Let's do it, but you will have to give me the money after each goal.' He’d turned it in his favour.

"He left some unpaid bills at the bar in Trigoria. They are still waiting for him… I must admit, however, that when he left Roma he left me the keys to his locker and gave me everything he’d left behind.”

P – 'Pluto', Aldair: “Alda was almost dependent on me – he always entrusted me with things. They must have turned his power off dozens of times because he forgot to pay his bills. He got me to pay his bills every month. I couldn’t tell you how many fines his wife got around Rome – about 200, something like that. We saw and heard from each other even after his departure. I felt a lot of affection for him.”

R - Roma: “In 1957, when Sacerdoti was president, they suggested one day that I should be a masseur for the Primavera side of Masetti and Arcangeli at a tournament in Sanremo. We won and when we returned, the kit room man Pierino Rovita accused me of losing twenty shin guards.

"The president called me to Viale Tiziano. I thought they wanted me to pay for the equipment that had been lost, but instead I was given a contract worth twenty-five thousand lire a month. From there it all began, signing contracts year after year.”

S – Sensi, Franco: “He was a good president. In his final years, when he was unwell, he often came to Trigoria for treatment. One morning he entered the room where the players were taking hot baths and everyone greeted him, except [Antonio] Cassano, who stayed put with his head on the bed. Sensi hurled various profanities at him, in Roman dialect and with a nasty tone. Cassano then raised his head and answered: “Good morning, President”, imitating Sensi's voice.”

T – Trigoria: “I witnessed the creation and development of this sports centre, later named after Fulvio Bernardini. Firstly during [Dino] Viola’s presidency, when the headquarters moved, and then under Sensi who also had the chapel and everything else built.

"I can say that I have slept and lived in every room. When the players slept there for training camps, our task was to go and wake the boys for breakfast. If they arrived late to the meeting with the coach and he got angry, they would blame us saying that we hadn't knocked on their door.”

U – Uomo, Giorgio Rossi the man: “I consider myself a generous person, sometimes even too generous. I have always tried to lend a hand to those who asked. Whenever I’ve been asked for help, I’ve tried to please, giving everything I have.”

V – Viola, Dino: “He had an eye on everything. He was in Trigoria every day until late at night. He was really the last one to leave the training centre – the one to turn off the lights, as they say.

"I remember once he came by and I was taking a shower. He told me to turn out the lights when leaving. When he was at the training camp with the team, he would give away one ticket per player. I used to take advantage of this too and he gave me two tickets every game. Once he called me because I had forgotten to ask for the tickets – he wanted me to have them.”

W – Whom we haven’t mentioned: “Gerolin, Desideri, Cervone, Carboni, Rizzitelli, Maldera, Ancelotti. It’s always very touching for me when these great characters remember me by calling me or mentioning me in some interview. I gave them so much; besides satisfying them when they wanted chocolates or cakes, of which I always had a supply, I was their confidant.”

Z – Zeman, Zdenek: “He used to want breakfast in his room. Coffee, fruit juice and newspapers. When I’d get there, I couldn't find him in that cloud of smoke. He got through I don’t know how many packs of cigarettes a day. Perhaps he put those around him under too much pressure, and at the end of the season there was a certain drop off. But he was a great coach too.”

I always tried to offer a hand to those who needed it

- Giorgio Rossi