Roma unveil four new Hall of Famers

The four new Hall of Fame members were chosen via a voting process that involved the fans and a five-man panel of experts: Paolo Castellani, Massimo Germani, Gabriele Pescatore, Massimo Ruggeri and Iacopo Savelli.

Carpi, Venturi, De Sisti and Cerezo, who thus form the Class of 2016, join the 23 Famers inducted between 2012 and 2015.

The first three, Carpi, Venturi and De Sisti, were chosen from the 12 candidates in the 1927-1969 category, while Cerezo was selected from the eight candidates in the 1970-2014 section.

“Today and in the future this fitting celebration of Giorgio Carpi, Arcadio Venturi, Giancarlo De Sisti and Toninho Cerezo represents the renewal of a bond that grows stronger and more relevant by the day: the bond between this club and its past," said club general manager Mauro Baldissoni.

"We recognise the extraordinary contribution the four new members of our Hall of Fame made to the history of our club, as well as the human and sporting legacy each one of them has left.”

Andrea Carpi, Giorgio Carpi's son, added: “On behalf of my brother Piero and my dad's grandchildren – all Romanisti, without exception – I want to express my gratitude to AS Roma for showing such consideration for the club's origins.

"My thanks also go to the panel and the fans who voted online. We see this choice as recognition not only of my dad's contribution as a footballer, but also of his honesty and fair play; his role in the club's early history, playing for Roman as a young man then working in an executive role during the difficult rebuilding period in the '50s; his loyalty to the Giallorossi throughout his life; and, last but not least, his decision to refuse payment for his services as a player – an unselfish, honest gesture that rings particularly true in the modern day. After his father Cesare died, in the same year the club was founded, Roma became a second family to my dad. This is an inestimable honour for him.”

After his father Cesare died, in the same year the club was founded, Roma became a second family to my dad. This is an inestimable honour for him

- Andrea Carpi, Giorgio Carpi's son

Arcadio Venturi: “I’m honoured to be recognised in this way. I certainly wasn’t expecting it because it’s been 60 years since I played for Roma. I want to thank all the Roma fans and of course the panel, who have chosen me to be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame. With the greatest respect for my other clubs, I can solemnly say that once you’ve played for Roma, you remain a Giallorossi player for life.

"I’m in constant contact with the club and that is unique – I really mean that. The fact that there’s always a place for former players in the stands is a mark of respect towards those that have contributed to the history of Roma. Forza Roma forever.”

Giancarlo De Sisti: “First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Roma. I remember the first time my father took me to the Stadio Olimpico to watch the team play – I could never have imagined that one day I would be in the AS Roma Hall of Fame. Back then I was just taking my first steps in the Giallorossi youth academy. I had joined from Forlivesi, where I’d been for only six months before the call came through from Roma. It’s wonderful news to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I’m absolutely delighted. I have fond memories of the coaches and players who taught me so much and I feel great affection for all the team-mates who helped me grow as a player, whether we won or lost.

"I want to say a huge thank you to my wonderful family, who taught me to have respect for values and rules, and to my wife, the guiding light in my life. And of course, I want to say thanks to the magnificent Giallorossi fans, who have accompanied me through this long journey. It’s been a dream. Thanks, Roma.”

I want to say thanks to the magnificent Giallorossi fans, who have accompanied me through this long journey. It’s been a dream. Thanks, Roma.

- Giancarlo De Sisti

Toninho Cerezo: “First of all, I want to say that I’m honoured to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s something I welcome with great pleasure. Over 30 years down the line, I’m proud to have been – and to still be – a part of this fantastic club called Roma. After all these years, receiving this recognition from the club and the fans makes me really happy. It makes me realise that all the hard work we did together in the 1980s lives on in all of our memories – memories that make up part of our shared history. Thank you once again, wonderful Roma. Yours, Cerezo.”

THE CLASS OF 2016

Giorgio Carpi

(Verona, 1 November 1909 - Rome, 30 June 1998)

Defensive midfielder, 45 competitive appearances

Giorgio Carpi embodied the joyful, refined Roman spirit of the club's early years. He was a Giallorossi man through and through: he and his brother Luciano played for – and their father was an official of – Roman, one of the three clubs which merged to form AS Roma. He joined the newly founded Giallorossi in the summer of 1927, continuing to defend the colours he had previously worn at Roman. He played in the first Rome derby and the first game at Testaccio – although he never wanted to be paid – and made his last two appearances in 1935-36, when Roma finished second, just a point behind Bologna.

"He was named an honorary member of the club in 1944 by president Pietro Baldassarre and was involved in its daily running in the 1950s, holding numerous management positions. He also took charge of the team for two matches in 1955 against Vojvodina. He remained a devoted Romanista throughout his life.

Arcadio Venturi

(Vignola, Modena, 18 May 1929)

Midfielder, 290 competitive appearances, 18 goals

One of the most popular players in Roma history, Arcadio Venturi guided the club through one of the toughest periods of its existence. Venturi represented the Giallorossi between 1948 and 1957, inheriting the legacy of the heroes of Campo Testaccio and driving Roma through the difficult post-war period and towards the 1960s. Having helped the Giallorossi win promotion back to Serie A in 1952, Venturi took over the captaincy from Armando Tre Re and steadily consolidated his reputation as one of the best midfielders in the world.

Venturi was known for his technical ability, football brain and sportsmanship – on and off the field – and he received six caps for Italy, some of which came during Roma’s season in Serie B. In 1957, the club’s financial difficulties and poor ticket sales forced Roma to sell him to Inter. On his departure, Venturi penned an open letter to the fans: “They’ll never forget me, and I’ll never forget them.”

Giancarlo De Sisti

(Rome, 13 March 1943)

Midfielder, 279 competitive appearances, 29 goals

From the centre of the Stadio Olimpico pitch to the AS Roma Hall of Fame: the culmination of a cycle that has lasted the best part of 60 years. Giancarlo De Sisti was still in his mid-teens when he broke through at Forlivesi, prompting Roma’s youth academy to sign him in 1959. De Sisti soon emerged as an engine in the middle of the park, knitting the play together with consummate skill as the Primavera side won two Scudetto titles.

After being promoted to the first team under Alfredo Foni, De Sisti went on to win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup as well as the first Coppa Italia in Roma history. De Sisti left for a nine-year spell at Fiorentina in 1965, but returned home to the Giallorossi in 1974 despite having more lucrative offers to choose from. After scoring the winning goal in the derby in December 1974, the Curva Sud presented him with an ancient Rome-style helmet, prompting De Sisti to declare: “I’ll keep it with me for life.”

Toninho Cerezo

(Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 21 April 1955)

Midfielder, 104 competitive appearances, 25 goals

Born in Belo Horizonte on the day Rome was founded, Toninho Cerezo was a man destined to play for Roma and became a key member of the unforgettable team from the '80s. Roma first tried to sign him in 1982 before eventually doing so a year later. His arrival further strengthened a team that had just won the Scudetto and would go on to reach the European Cup final. Cerezo’s unique style with the ball, his seemingly inexorable energy, the moments of footballing genius he produced and his striking humility quickly made him a firm favourite with the Giallorossi fans.

His farewell to the club was both clinical and poetic: in the second leg of the Coppa Italia final against Sampdoria, Cerezo entered the fray with just a few minutes remaining and promptly scored to make it 2-0 and overhaul Roma’s 2-1 first-leg deficit. It was a fitting farewell and one that forged an eternal bond between Cerezo, Roma and the Giallorossi faithful.

AS ROMA HALL OF FAME

Class of 2012 – Aldair Nascimento Santos, Amedeo Amadei, Fulvio Bernardini, Cafu, Bruno Conti, Agostino Di Bartolomei, Paulo Roberto Falcao, Giacomo Losi, Roberto Pruzzo, Francesco Rocca and Franco Tancredi.

Class of 2013 – Attilio Ferraris, Giuseppe Giannini, Vincenzo Montella and Sebastiano Nela.

Class of 2014 – Carlo Ancelotti, Vincent Candela, Alcides Edgardo Ghiggia and Rudi Voeller.

Class of 2015 – Gabriel Omar Batistuta, Guido Masetti, Sergio Santarini and Damiano Tommasi.

Class of 2016 – Giorgio Carpi, Antonio Carlos Cerezo, Giancarlo De Sisti and Arcadio Venturi.