On This Day: Bruno Conti remembers the late Dino Viola

Under his leadership, the Giallorossi became a powerhouse of Italian football; winning the Serie A title in 1982-83, reaching the final of the European Cup a year later, and winning no fewer than four Coppa Italia crowns too.

With Viola overseeing things from the front office, Nils Liedholm masterminding things on the pitch and players like Paulo Roberto Falcao and Bruno Conti producing the goods over 90 minutes, Roma became a formidable foe.

Thirty years on from Viola's passing, we spoke to Conti about what the great man was like...

What sort of man was Dino Viola?

“The man who took us to incredible heights. Piece by piece, he built the team that was capable of putting the tricolore [Serie A winners' badge] on our chests after 41 years, and also drove us all the way to the final of the European Cup.

“But perhaps the best memories are of his presence at Trigoria and at our pre-season training camps. He always arrived with Lady Flora. He always mingled with the players. And he was always interested in the youth sector: he followed them intensely.

“Dino Viola was able to bring enormous success to our fans, who all live for this team. For these colours. He will forever be in all our hearts.”

He passed away during your most difficult season personally, 1990-91. What do you remember from those final months of his life?

“That was the season I eventually retired from football. And also the season my father passed away. They happened quite close together. Up until the end, Dino Viola fought his battles with composure and serenity.

"He fought for so long for Roma to be respected in our many battles with Juventus. With his presence around the place we always felt stronger. Dino Viola gave us so much, he gave the club momentum. I’ll say it again: he made us a big club.”

One of Viola’s most famous sayings; ‘Roma has never cried and will never cry; because crying is for the weak, the strong never cry.’

“Yeah. Dino Viola taught us to overcome any adversity. When you have someone alongside you as important and significant as him, you can’t do anything but push on through any difficulty. [Coach] Nils Liedholm was a master of tactics. Viola was a master of life.”

He is the president of the club that has won more than any other.

“All those trophies underline just how good Dino Viola was during his premiership. From his foundation as a great engineer, along with Il Barone [Liedholm] they built the perfect system. And that’s why Roma became champions of Italy."