The Pioneering President: Remembering Gaetano Anzalone

The fact that Gaetano Anzalone was an entrepreneur in the construction industry probably explains why he was so good at laying the foundations for the best Roma team in the club's history.

The president was a pioneer.

During his eight years at the helm of AS Roma, he introduced concepts that were unfamiliar at the time - such as marketing and merchandising - oversaw the construction of the club's training ground at Trigoria and built the backbone of the 1982-83 Scudetto-winning side.

The birth of the Lupetto

Anzalone was almost 41 when he took over AS Roma in 1971 from entrepreneur Alvaro Marchini.

He immediately realised that he needed to find ways to boost the club's turnover. In 1974, he decided to put his faith in graphic designer Piero Gratton to launch a new logo, which could drive the sales of Roma merchandise.

A pivotal meeting between Gratton and Gilberto Viti, the historic Roma director, took place at the European Athletics Championships, a tournament whose image had been designed by the latter, which were held in the Italian capital in 1974.

Gratton, who was born in Milan but was an adopted Roman and had Roma running through his blood, designed the club's logo with "AS" in red and yellow, and "Roma" in black.

In 1978, an inspired Gratton conjured up the mother of all Romanista icons: the Lupetto. As well as appearing on school diaries belonging to Roma fans for many years, the new logo also featured on the club kit from the 1978-79 season onwards.

Gratton did not stop there, however, as he went on to design the famous Ghiacciolo (ice lolly) strip by Pouchain. The new kit was first worn on 17 December 1978 in a memorable 1-0 win over Juventus thanks to a solitary goal by Agostino Di Bartolomei.

Anzalone did not stop there either, as the revamp of the club followed a precise strategy. The president then launched the Roma Shops, where supporters were able to buy official club merchandise, which were effectively the predecessors to the current AS Roma Stores.

The marketing and merchandising revolution was complete.

A Home for Roma

Anzalone also realised that Roma needed a training ground that the club could call home.

The president purchased 30 hectares of land in Trigoria from one of his predecessors, count Francesco Marini-Dettina, and in December 1974, he announced that the works would begin in April 1975.

That would prove to be the last act of Anzalone's presidency, having sold the club to Dino Viola in May 1979. The training ground was inaugurated on 23 July that year, despite not yet being finished. Viola, who was an engineer himself, oversaw the final stages of the works before the first training session led by coach Nils Liedholm took place there on 9 January 1980.

Anzalone told the Roma website in 2012: "Trigoria is something I'm proud of. It was a two billion lire investment back then. Think how much it's worth today."

Viola hen dedicated it to the memory of Fulvio Bernardini in 1984.

The Foundations for a Scudetto

The photo above fittingly sums up Anzalone's presidency.

A smiling Di Bartolomei is pouring a drink to toast the first game of the 1978-79 season. The president is on his right and Santarini on his left. Roberto Pruzzo is next to Santarini.

The foundations of the Roma side that won the league in 1982-83 were laid by Anzalone. Under his presidency, some key pieces of the puzzle were placed: Liedholm was named manager for his first stint, Bruno Conti and Di Bartolomei made their debuts and Pruzzo was signed.

Another key snippet from Anzalone's interview with asroma.com reflected on what went into laying these foundations: "I paid quite a lot for Roberto. Everyone wanted him that summer, but we managed to get him.

"Juventus even offered me a huge amount for him, but I turned them down. I was in the transfer market to strengthen Roma, not other teams."

Apart from an Anglo-Italian tournament in 1972, Anzalone did not win any major honours, but he is the man who laid the foundations for a modern Roma side that were crowned champions. As a banner read during a match with Sassuolo after his death on 18 May 2018, Anzalone was not simply a man, he was a 'gentleman'.

An unforgotten gentleman.