Mention the name Antonello Venditti to any Roma fan and you will receive a huge, warm smile in return. But Venditti was not a clever trequartista or rugged centre-back, nor even an iron-lunged midfield workhorse. He has never coached the team, nor has he held the presidential reins. Instead, Venditti is the man who put the Eternal City’s love for the Giallorossi to music, the singer who makes the fans sing.

Born in the Italian capital in 1949, the popular performer has Roma in his DNA: his uncle, Adalberto Sicardi, was one of the club’s founders in 1927. Venditti has long served the team’s cause with distinction as well, writing not one but two songs that have become calling cards among fans. Known for his dark sunglasses and swept-back, raven-coloured hair, he is the unofficial official voice of the Serie A side and genuinely synonymous with all
things Giallorossi.

This year one of his iconic hits, Grazie Roma, will be gracing the airwaves more than ever – because it was released 40 years ago in 1983, the same year as the club’s second Scudetto triumph. In a bold move, Venditti actually penned the celebratory lyrics before the title had been secured. “The song was born out of gratitude to the city and my team, given that the two are inseparable,” the star explains. “I composed it in November 1982 and recorded it on 8 March 1983. I had faith. I felt that Roma would go on to win the Scudetto.”