The eight highest scoring defenders in Roma history

They weren't paid to stick the ball in the back of the net but they still managed to chip in with their fair share of goals. So who are the highest-scoring defenders in Roma history?

Here we list eight of them:

8. John Arne Riise: 11

After signing from Liverpool in 2008, John Arne Riise instantly won over the Giallorossi fans with his gutsy displays and rocket left foot. He spent three years in the Italian capital and was part of the team coached by Claudio Ranieri that came within a whisker of claiming the title in 2010.

He weighed in with 11 goals during his time at the club, the pick of the bunch perhaps being the last-gasp header he scored against Juventus in 2010 to hand us an unexpected win in Turin.

7. Juan: 11

Signed as a replacement for a certain Cristian Chivu, Juan had big boots to fill at Roma. Yet it was a challenge he rose to in stunning fashion, slotting right into Luciano Spalletti’s playing system and becoming a mighty presence in the centre of defence.

Over the course of his five-year stay Juan scored 11 goals, including one against Arsenal in the 2008-09 Champions League last 16, when he played through the pain to hand Roma an ultimately futile 1-0 win in the second leg.

6. Walter Samuel: 11

Having joined the club in the summer of 2000, Walter Samuel was undoubtedly one of the iconic figures of Roma’s subsequent title-winning campaign, becoming a rock in the centre of Fabio Capello’s defence. Yet the Argentine stopper was not just a menace for opposition strikers – he also wreaked his fair share of havoc down the other end of the pitch too, using his powerful leap to great effect.

As well as winning one Scudetto title and one Italian Super Cup, Samuel scored 11 goals for the Giallorossi, including the winner in Roma’s 1-0 defeat of Lecce in the 2000-01 season.

5. Philippe Mexes: 15

Though his 2004 arrival coincided with a wholly forgettable season for the Giallorossi, Philippe Mexes developed into one of the key men in Luciano Spalletti’s first Roma side. The French centre-back – who formed partnerships with first Cristian Chivu and later Juan – spent seven seasons at Roma, scoring 15 goals.

One of the most memorable was his opener in the 2008 Coppa Italia final against Inter, when he stole a march on the Nerazzurri backline to smash home an unstoppable first-time shot with his right.

4. Vincent Candela: 16

Roma’s French No.32 had a cultured left foot and elegance to burn. Vincent Candela may have been a full-back, but he possessed the kind of technical skill that many of his defensive counterparts could only dream of. One of the key men in the Giallorossi’s 2001 Scudetto triumph, Candela found the net 16 times in eight years at Roma.

One of the best was undoubtedly the goal he scored away at Bari in that glorious season, when he produced two sumptuous flicks before thrashing the ball into the top-right corner of the net.

3. Sebastiano Nela: 19

His birth certificate may read Sebastiano, but he’ll always be Sebino around these parts. A legendary Roma defender in the 1980s, Nela won the Scudetto crown in 1983 and was inducted into the AS Roma Hall of Fame in 2013. Though he started out as a midfielder, Nils Liedholm transformed him into a solid right-back who could often be found bombing up the wing and cutting inside to make full use of his tasty left foot.

In total, he scored 19 goals in his 11-year stay with the Giallorossi.

2. Aldair: 20

Thirteen years, 436 appearances. Aldair will always have a place in the hearts of the Giallorossi fans, with his hero status confirmed when he was inducted into the AS Roma Hall of Fame at the very first opportunity, in 2012. An extraordinarily classy defender, the Brazilian scored 20 times for the Giallorossi, winning one Scudetto and one Italian Super Cup during his time in Rome.

1. Christian Panucci: 31

Roma’s highest-scoring defender of all time with 31 goals over eight seasons with the Giallorossi. After joining the club in the summer of 2001, Panucci went on to win two Coppa Italias and one Italian Super Cup with Roma.

A leader on and off the field of play, he was held in high regard by the fans – indeed, when he later returned to the Olimpico as a Parma player, he was given a rousing ovation by the Curva Sud. His time at Roma will be remembered for the brace he scored in the famous 6-2 win over Inter in the first leg of the 2006-07 Coppa Italia final.