Paolo Conti: Wearing the Roma jersey is something that stays with you

An iconic Roma goalkeeper of the 1970s, Paolo Conti was an unmistakeable presence, with his tall stature and bushy black moustache.

In total, Conti made 206 appearances for the Giallorossi between 1973 and 1980, winning caps for the national team to boot.

Known for his sophisticated personality, Conti once described Roma as “a phenomenon of spontaneous combustion”.

It’s a rather philosophical way of describing a football club, yet it does encapsulate the deep bond Conti has with Roma.

“Nobody can understand Rome or Roma until you’re a part of it, until you wear that jersey,” he explains today. “It’s a city that gives you more than you can ever give to it.”

That’s the beauty of football...

“Forgive me, not this type of football. I’m not an expert on that.”

You’re not an expert on football?

“I’m not an expert on the sport we see today. I might sit down in front of the television to watch a game, but eventually I’ll start scrolling through my phone, thinking about other things, until I get bored and turn off. I think football’s become too tactical. Stadiums without fans are meaningless. I won’t get drawn into predictions because I don’t want to make a fool of myself, given that I don’t have any direct knowledge of it.”

Didn't you stay in the world of football as an agent?

“I stopped doing that a few years ago. I’m 70 years old now, living in Riccione, where I was born.”

How have you got on during the pandemic?

“I’ve been following the prevention guidelines, of course, with all the restrictions they entail. That said, living by the sea, I’m able to go for a walk by the water from time to time. That’s not the case in other places.”

Do you miss Rome?

“There’s no way I couldn’t. It was a big part of my life. I was just a lad when I arrived, but I’d become a man by the time I left. Rome was my city, Roma my team. You can’t really put that into words.”

Try us.

“I don’t think there’s any better description of it than Renato Rascel’s ‘La Roma non si discute, si ama' ('You don’t question Roma, you love her’). That sums it up. Playing for Roma isn’t like playing for other teams. You experience amazing emotions. You feel the history every day – you feel the constant presence of the people.

"Wearing the Roma jersey is something that stays with you. And do you know what the most incredible part is?

What?

“That you only really realise that when you leave. When you no longer have all that. And you miss it.”

Was it difficult for you to be the Roma goalkeeper?

“No, not for me. I had the benefit of always feeling the support of the fans during my career. I stayed focused on the day-to-day, on the job at hand, keeping the emotions inspired by a unique city in check.”

How is it unique?

“It gives you so much. Often, much more than you try to give it. You’re in debt for life. I met some incredible people during that period.”

Like Nils Liedholm, for example.

“I had a fantastic relationship with Il Barone. I learned an awful lot from him. He’s without doubt the best coach I ever met. He was so modern then that even now he’d be at the cutting edge. He was a hugely important figure for me – I shared many moments with him.”

Can you share one of them with us?

“It’s hard to sum up in just a few words. He was a charismatic guy – he taught football and gave you life lessons. He had a playful way with people, but it was sophisticated too. He’d never say things straight. When I messed up, he’d never just come out and say: ‘Paolo, you made a mistake.’ He’d take the scenic route. He’d say: ‘Paolo, you didn’t mess up, but [Lev] Yashin or [Gordon] Banks would have done better than you in that situation.’ He was an amazing psychologist. He never put pressure on his players, but he got the best out of them.”

What are your memories of Gaetano Anzalone? He was the president that brought you to the capital…

“That’s right, he signed me from Arezzo. There’s one thing in particular I remember about him. He had an incredible fondness for the youth team. His dream was to promote the title-winning Primavera side to the first team and establish the players at the top level in Serie A, with Roma.

"Back then we had [Mauro] Sandreani, [Walter] Casaroli, [Roberto] Vichi… His intuition was right! It was what AC Milan went on to do in later years with [Franco] Baresi, [Paolo] Maldini and [Alessandro] Costacurta. Anzalone was ahead of the curve on many things, and that was one of them. It’s a shame he wasn’t able to see his plans through to fruition, for various reasons. He told us that himself once.”

How did he do that?

“We were in the dressing room. He was disappointed and didn’t say much, but his words were significant: ‘The youth experiment has failed.’ It was very, very hard for him to make that speech. It was no coincidence that he sold the club to [Dino] Viola a few years later.”

Roma take on Verona this weekend. Do you remember the game back on 28 January 1979, when Franco Tancredi came in to replace you? That was the start of the changing of the guard in goal for Roma…

“Absolutely, I remember that time well. I never had any problems with Franco. I behaved the same way [Alberto] Ginulfi had behaved towards me when I became the first-choice goalkeeper for Roma. Alberto was a gentlemen – he taught me a lot. Plus, my struggles weren’t down to Franco.”

What struggles?

“I left Roma for Verona in 1980 after a series of physical problems. I’d hurt my patellar ligament, but I couldn’t say that. The injury definitely affected the way my career progressed from there. Even though I’d already had my best years, in Rome, with Roma.”

"La definizione "La Roma non si discute, si ama", è la sintesi di cos'è la Roma"

- Paolo Conti