Arne Selmosson: The first man to score in the derby for both sides

Only two players have scored in the Rome derby wearing the jerseys of both Roma and Lazio.

Before Aleksandar Kolarov achieved the feat in 2018, there was Swedish forward Arne Selmosson.

Nicknamed “Moonbeam”, Selmosson was born in Gotene, in southern Sweden, on 29 March 1931.

It was on 10 July 1958 that Arne Selmosson swapped Lazio for Roma in exchange for the sum of 135 million Italian lire, drawing the fury of the Biancocelesti fans. It was a matter of weeks after he had become a runner-up at the World Cup as Sweden – with a team featuring a certain Nils Liedholm – surged into the final only to be denied by Brazil and the likes of Pele, Djalma Santos, Didi, Garrincha, Vava and so on.

Lazio and Roma sealed the deal in a restaurant in Via Borgognona owned by the family of Egidio Guarnacci, who spent eight years with the Giallorossi and would also captain Selmosson.

Part of the Roma delegation in the negotiations was Vincenzo Malago, the father of the current president of the Italian Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malago.

Fast forward a few months and Selmosson was competing in – and scoring in – his first Rome derby as a former Lazio player. Roma took the spoils that day, defeating their eternal rivals in the battle for the Eternal City by three goals to one.

Beyond their shared milestone, the links with Kolarov are perhaps limited. Other than their divergent roles – Selmosson was a striker, whereas Kolarov played at full-back – Arne ended up scoring in each of his first three derbies for the Giallorossi; all of which the side would win.

Selmosson would go on to spend three seasons with the Giallorossi. Many years later, in June 2001, he told the La Roma magazine that he harboured just one great regret: “I played in the whole Inter-Cities Fairs Cup but was sold just before the final. I was angry not to be involved, but luckily Roma won.”

Selmosson’s sons, Rogher and Stefan, inherited their father’s passion for Roma: “We’re half Italian. Our mother, Anna, still speaks with a Roman accent.”

This is how they describe their dad: “In his eyes, the team came first, then him. He had a good sprint and struck the ball well. He could get past anyone and would always look to score or provide an assist for a team-mate.

“He wasn’t much of a talker, but when he opened his mouth the team stopped to listen to what he had to say.”

Selmosson is fondly remembered in Sweden.

“Basically every month we run into people who tell us they saw him play,” continued Rogher and Stefan.

“After a campaign by a reporter, the Gotene council had a monument to our father installed. Lars-Ake Lagrell – the president of the Swedish football league – came to the inauguration ceremony, which was years ago now. Thomas Nordahl also came – he’s the son of Gunnar [Nordahl, another former Roma player and Selmosson’s first coach at Roma].”

After Selmosson, Nils Liedholm was another Swede who entered the Roma history books. And in 2002, when Selmosson passed away, the 1983 Scudetto-winning Giallorossi boss used his vineyards in Monferrato to pay his compatriot a very special tribute, created a sparkling wine with the name “Raggio di Luna” – “Moonbeam”.

Both Liedholm and Selmosson were great servants of the Swedish national team. And both loved AS Roma.