Through the years, many players have carried the title of the æVIIIth King of Rome.Æ Amedeo Amedei. Brazilian Roberto Falcao. Bruno Conti. Now Argentine star Gabriel Batistuta is challenging local hero Francesco Totti as the biggest Roma fan favorite.
The recent history of ItalyÆs Serie A doesnÆt bode well for runaway leader Roma.
During the last two championships, Lazio and Juventus both opened up big leads but were caught at the finish line.
This year, Roma has set a torrid pace, leading by as many as eight points early in the New Year. Of Serie AÆs other major powers, only Juventus seems capable of staying with it.
Roma got a relatively late start in Italian soccer, debuting in 1927, two years before the launch of Serie A, after the merger of three Roman clubs, but itÆs been a fixture on the Italian scene ever since, playing in Serie A every year but one.
Many believe Roma won its first title by conspiracy; its second title was all it had to show in the 1980s for a decade of domination.
Contrary to popular legend, Benito Mussolini didnÆt have a hand in RomaÆs first title in 1941-42, but Roma players drafted into the military were allowed to remain in Rome to play for the Giallorossi.
Brazilian Roberto Falcao was RomaÆs big star, dubbed the proverbial ôVIIIth King of Rome,ö when it won its second title in 1982-83, a year after Italy won its third World Cup title.
The history of Italian soccer, though, is that the Roman clubs, Roma and Lazio, have had to take a backseat to the giants from the industrial north ù Juventus and Torino from Turin, AC Milan and Inter from Milan, even Bologna.
Three times in the space of six years in the 1980s, Roma finished second to Juventus, falling by two points twice.
RomaÆs current boss, Fabio Capello, has a reputation as a no-nonsense coach.
He led AC Milan to four Serie A titles and Real Madrid to one Spanish crown before moving to Roma.
He inherited a solid defense, built around Brazilians Aldair, Cafu and Zago and Frenchman Vincent Candela.
The arrival of Argentine star Gabriel Batistuta now gives Capello the most potent attack in Serie A and has raised hopes among RomaÆs huge following ù it has a club record 46,073 season-ticket holders, the most in Italy this season ù that it can win a third Scudetto.
HereÆs a look at RomaÆs six frontline players, who have combined for more than 500 goals during their careers in Italy:
GABRIEL BATISTUTA. Gaby spent nine seasons at Fiorentina, scoring a club record 167 goals, but it never finished higher than third. He was loyal to Fiorentina, staying in 1993 when it was relegated to Serie B, but not so loyal that he was willing to finish his Italian career without a title.
Roma president Franco Sensi engineered a deal last summer to bring Batistuta to Rome for $35 million, a record cash deal in Italy.
Many thought Sensi was crazy for spending that kind of money on Batistuta, who, at 31, suffers from chronic knee problems, but he remains one of the deadliest finishers in Italian soccer.
He scored 10 goals in his first nine games at Roma to pass Roberto Baggio as the all-time leading scorer among active Serie A players.
His goals have come in all shapes and forms: six with his right foot, three with his left and one header; three goals off rebounds for a hat trick against Brescia and a 25-yard volley against his old club Fiorentina that left him in tears.
ôGaby has made enormous sacrifices,ö says Capello. ôWeÆve watched him grit his teeth playing in pain this season.ö
Indeed, the only thing that may stop Batigol and Roma this season are his knees.
FRANCESCO TOTTI. Such is TottiÆs popularity in Rome that even Batistuta canÆt compete with Totti for the title of the latest ôVIIIth King of Rome.ö
Totti is a homegrown hero, having grown up watching Roma on the Curva Sud, the south stands of the Olympic Stadium.
His family believes he was destined for stardom after being blessed by Pope John Paul II at St. PeterÆs Square.
Totti worked as a ballboy for Roma, signed with the Giallorossi at 13 and made his Serie A debut at 16.
He is surely the best attacking midfielder Italy has produced since Giuseppe Giannini, the player he grew up admiring.
His emergence on the Italian national team at Euro 2000 last summer was one of the main reasons for the AzzurriÆs surprise second-place finish.
Batistuta has been an effective decoy for Totti, whoÆs scored seven goals in his first 13 games.
MARCO DELVECCHIO.The lanky Delvecchio had 29 goals in 1998-99 and 1999-2000 with Roma but didnÆt score his first goal this season until Jan. 7.
Delvecchio, who scored ItalyÆs only goal against France in the Euro 2000 final, debuted with Inter Milan as a teenager but never quite made it at San Siro.
VINCENZO MONTELLA. Montella doesnÆt have much of a reputation outside Italy. Still, he had 72 goals in his first four seasons in Serie A, giving him plenty of opportunity to perfect his ôairplaneö goal celebration.
He moved to Roma from Sampdoria after it was relegated in 1999.
He had a great first season ù 18 goals in 31 games ù but his role has diminished with BatistutaÆs arrival.
HIDETOSHI NAKATA. Nakata, 23, is considered the greatest player Japan has ever produced, the player on whom the World Cup 2002 co-hostÆs hopes will depend.
He was snapped up by Roma from Perugia midway through his second season in Italy but has struggled to keep his spot in the Roma first team since returning from the Olympics.
He has made just five appearances this season and has yet to score.
ABEL BALBO. In his heyday, Balbo was one of the deadliest strikers in Serie A. He averaged more than 15 goals a season in his first stay at Roma to rank fourth on its all-time scoring list.
HeÆs now at the end of his career, back after disappointing seasons at Parma and Fiorentina and has been relegated to a reserve role.
by Soccer America managing editor Paul Kennedy