Whereas Daniele De Rossi’s latest return to the Stadio Olimpico sparked recollections of his legendary taking part in profession—the thunderous objectives, bone-jarring tackles, and primeval celebrations—recency bias compelled many people to recollect this ignominious exit as Roma’s supervisor within the fall of 2024. Starting that season with three factors from 4 matches wasn’t perfect. Nonetheless, issues obtained a lot worse after De Rossi was dismissed, because the knee-jerk collection of Ivan Juric as his successor despatched the membership careening in direction of the relegation zone.
However out of that darkness got here the sunshine. Claudio Ranieri, some of the beloved figures within the historical past of AS Roma, got here out of retirement and orchestrated one of many biggest comebacks in membership historical past. After taking the reins from Juric in November 2024, Ranieri lifted the membership out of the relegation zone and to the precipice of the Champions League, lacking out on Europe’s elite membership competitors by one measly level.
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Ranieri could have fallen brief in his Champions League bid, however there’s no underestimating the work he did in 2025. Wanting his legendary Premiership title with Leicester Metropolis, rescuing Roma could have been the best achievement of Ranieri’s profession, however his beneficence didn’t finish there.
By hand-selecting Gian Piero Gasperini as his successor, Ranieri ensured a easy transition for the Giallorossi. Whereas the 2 males have completely different tactical kinds and temperaments on the touchline, Roma’s Ranieri’s ascension has continued below Gasperini.
Whereas Roma has earned extra plaudits than {hardware} for his or her laborious work, the proof is within the pudding: Roma has been the perfect group in Italy over the previous 364 days—a development you might have observed in our (virtually) weekly participant rankings sequence, .
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Through the years, I’ve typically wished to tally the outcomes for a selected yr, however the vacation season’s chaos has made it almost unimaginable. With help from our AI associates, I lastly managed to run the numbers and separate the wheat from the chaff, the Sinners from the Saints, and people Caught In Between.
So, for the primary time, we’re proud to current a full-year model of Sinners & Saints. This isn’t essentially a rating of who was Roma’s Participant of the Yr for 2025 (It’s Mile, duh.), neither is it a qualitative evaluation of a participant’s worth. As a substitute, it’s a rating primarily based on which gamers appeared in every class most incessantly, with the proviso that AI is susceptible to hallucinations, so the info could also be barely off.
(For the sake of this overview, we’ll combine up the order a bit, going from unhealthy to good)
The SinnersZeki Çelik (15 Appearances)
I need to admit, I used to be a bit stunned to see Çelik prime this listing, even because the writer of 99% of those items! I believe it stems from his offensive limitations and his normal lack of WOW performs—components that are inclined to bitter our view of him as a participant. Nonetheless, as we’ve seen within the first half of the 2025-2026 season, Çelik has settled into a pleasant groove alongside Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini in Gasperini’s three-man protection.
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Bryan Cristante (9 Appearances)
I’m unsure we have to elaborate an excessive amount of on this one, proper? When Cristante is taking part in effectively (distributing the ball from deep, making progressive passes into the field, and scoring the occasional headed objective), he appears to be like like a functioning piece of the puzzle. Nonetheless, when the pendulum inevitably swings the opposite manner, Cristante turns into an anchor, weighing Roma down with sideways passes, late closeouts, and poor positioning.
Lorenzo Pellegrini (7 Appearances)
See above, however add the crushing weight of expectations that include being a Roman taking part in for Roma. Will probably be fascinating to see how historical past assesses Pellegrini and Cristante. Pellegrini definitely had extra peak moments throughout his time with the membership, however 2025 noticed a rise in requires his head amongst Roma followers.
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Evan Ferguson (6 Appearances)
Arriving on mortgage from Brighton, Ferguson began pre-season robust, trying like a quicker, extra cellular Edin Dzeko and leaving Roma followers dreaming of a 20-goal season. Nonetheless, as soon as the 2025-2026 marketing campaign started, Ferguson left followers annoyed by a flurry of missed probabilities, missed matches, and a normal incapability to assimilate into Gasperini’s assault. Nonetheless, due to a kick within the pants from Gasp, Ferguson is discovering his footing as 2026 approaches.
Caught In BetweenGianluca Mancini (15 Appearances)
The poster little one for our most nebulous class, Mancini was tremendous extra typically than improbable; stable extra typically than subpar. However that’s what makes Mancini a reliable participant; as a rule, you realize what you’re getting: robust tackling, a superb studying of the sport, deceptively good passing, and moments of ball-watching that value Roma dearly.
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Lorenzo Pellegrini (13 Appearances)
Once we’re not sharpening our post-match pitchforks for Lolo, he as a rule leads to post-match purgatory, the place the great (key passes, balls into the ultimate third, and so forth.) is erased by the unhealthy (poor transition play, missed makes an attempt, heavy touches, and misplaced passes). At this level in his profession, and given the bags that comes along with his distinctive place in membership historical past, that could be the perfect we are able to hope for.
Evan Ndicka (10 Appearances)
We’ll chalk this as much as his exceptionally excessive requirements and understated taking part in type. A grasp of the basics, with a pointy eye, impeccable timing, and anticipation, Ndicka influences the sport so subtly that his contributions are straightforward to miss. We’ll have to provide Ndicka extra credit score in 2026; he definitely deserves each little bit of reward coming his manner.
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The SaintsMile Svilar (19 Appearances)
No shock right here, proper? This will have been Svilar’s first full yr as a beginning goalkeeper, nevertheless it didn’t take lengthy for the 26-year-old Serbian to determine himself as the highest keeper in Serie A and amongst Europe’s finest netminders total. Armed with all the pieces a contemporary goalkeeper wants, Svilar seldom, if ever, stumbled in 2025, incomes Sainthood 79% of the time he appeared within the Sinners & Saints sequence.
Manu Koné (12 Appearances)
Assuming the mantle from gamers like De Rossi, Radja Nainggolan, and Kevin Strootman, Koné has change into the dynamic hub of Roma’s midfield. Along with his relentless urgent, progressive passing, shut management, and defensive acumen, Koné can do virtually something on the pitch. The problem for Roma will probably be retaining the 24-year-old Frenchman, who continues to drag Europe’s greatest golf equipment into his orbit with every successive efficiency.
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Matías Soulé (10 Appearances)
Discuss assuming the mantle. Any issues Roma followers had about their post-Dybala future have been erased the second Soulé stepped onto the pitch. Whereas we nonetheless hope Dybala closes out his profession with the Giallorossi, his youthful compatriot has change into Roma’s finest artistic outlet, main the membership in objectives, assists, key passes, goal-creating actions, and shot-creating actions.
He could by no means change into a world icon, however Soulé has each likelihood to change into a Roma legend.
Paulo Dybala (8 Appearances)
At 32 years outdated, Dybala is coming into the awkward section of his profession, the place he’s now not an unquestioned starter however not able to be put out to pasture. Regardless of being affected by persistent muscle accidents, Dybala stays a artistic spark for Roma, delivering the identical pinpoint passes, expertly positioned photographs, and fantastically bent free kicks that made him well-known within the first place.
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If these subsequent few months are actually his final with the membership, you should definitely get pleasure from each second—we could by no means see one other participant fairly like him.
We’ll finish this 2025 recap with a particular award…
The AngelClaudio Ranieri
Once we first conceptualized Sinners & Saints as our different to numerical match rankings, hewing to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was a given; we’re the Church of Totti, in spite of everything. Apart from the person upstairs himself (or nevertheless one conceptualizes that), the one entity increased than a saint is an angel. And the one man worthy of that title is Sir Claudio Ranieri.
We regularly speak about what makes AS Roma so particular. As essentially the most recognizable membership in one of many world’s most recognizable cities, the membership has a built-in historic identification. From the membership’s colours to the Capitoline Wolf to all of the Imperial regalia and iconography dotting the Stadio Olimpico on recreation day, Roma is among the many most original golf equipment on the planet.
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However how does a person who by no means gained something with Roma change into some of the beloved figures in membership historical past? Easy. His actions converse louder than phrases or trophies ever may. By willingly (and repeatedly) selecting up Roma after they fall, Claudio Ranieri displayed the sort of compassion and beauty usually reserved for members of the family, not soccer groups—no reservations or judgments, solely love.
And if that’s not angelic, I don’t know what’s. Roma owes an everlasting debt of gratitude to Claudio Ranieri.