Roma World: Meet Rabal from Marseille, France

In today's Roma World, meet Rabal, the self-described 'French Romanista'...

Name: Rabal

Age: 31

City: Marseille

Country: France

Where did you grow up?

"I grew up in Marseille, in the south of France under the Mediterranean sun."

Why did you choose Roma?

"It's a long story but to simplify, I first fell in love with the city of Rome and then with the club. The colours, the badges, the players, the origins - I had to learn the history of Roma to understand it as well as possible. To fully appreciate AS Roma, you have to be very passionate, to know how to accept moments of joy and victories as well as sadness and defeats. Roma is more than a football, it's a religion, a love story."

Who was your first Roma hero and why?

"The player who made me fall in love with Roma is undoubtedly Jeremy Menez, the French legend with elite technical skills and an extraordinary vision of the game. Unfortunately, he didn't win anything in this city, but I keep great memories of him in the Giallorossi colours. He was greatly appreciated by his teammates, his coaches and Francesco Totti himself."

What is your memory of your first game?

"My first match at Stadio Olimpico was, unfortunately, a defeat against Bologna in September 2012; so I prefer to speak about my first victory at the stadium. A sensational match with an exceptional atmosphere, Roma downed Inter 4-2 Inter in November 2014! It was a magical evening with two goals from Miralem Pjanic, an incredible match under torrential Roman rain."

Tell us about your YouTube channel:

"My YouTube channel " AmoRoma Starring Rabal" is a channel 100% dedicated to AS Roma in French. It is not only my channel, it symbolically belongs to the French-speaking community of AS Roma. I give the opportunity to French fans to be able to come and speak about the same and unique passion, AS Roma.

"Entertainment, news, post-match debriefings ... my channel is entirely devoted to the Giallorossi. The page is also built in partnership with the large community "AS Roma Francophone" and "AmoRoma.fr" to whom I would like to express my gratitude."

What is your favourite Roma kit of all time?

"Difficult question! I think I'll have to pick three:

• The 2013 home kit, for the first year of Rudi Garcia.
• The 2015 third kit, with the grey wolf was really magnificent.
• The 2017 home kit, the year of the Champions League epic with this famous victory against Barcelona 3-0.

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Who is your favourite current player and why?

"Jordan Veretout - for me, he is an essential part of this team, and a real leader with an extraordinary vision of the game and endurance. It also helps that he's French!"

If you could meet anyone connected to Roma - past or present - who would it be and why?

"Wow, the list goes on and on! Aside from Totti, Daniele De Rossi or Alessandro Florenzi who are eternals, I would very much like to meet Jordan Veretout or Javier Pastore now. For the past, meeting players like Aleksandar Kolarov, Vincent Candela, Gabriel Heinze, Miralem Pjanic, Radja Nainggolan, John Arne Riise, Ricardo Faty, Jeremy Menez would be a dream come true for me."

What makes you most proud to be a Roma supporter?

"What is Roma? Roma is history! Being a Roma supporter is magic, it's supporting an authentic club, a club that doesn't exist anywhere else. In France and French-speaking countries, we are a great community with a fantastic group of supporters. The whole Roma community gives me so much strength and happiness. We are a family, who is all united for this incredible team. Forza Roma!"

Follow Rabal on social media...

• YouTube
• Twitter
• AmoRoma France Website
• Roma Francophone Twitter