5 Things I learned about Calcio when I was in Rome

By: Francesco | July 8th, 2008

1. The stereotype is pretty much true.

The stereotype in Rome is that in the city of Rome most people are Roma fans, while Lazio fans are all from the outskirts and from cities in the region of Lazio. For the most part, it’s true, as most people I encountered in Rome were Roma fans, with a few Laziali here and there.

2. Lazio fans hate Lotito.

I guess those “Lotito Vattene” signs aren’t just the workings of a small group of people. Of all the Lazio fans I did encounter, they all said Lotito is not fit to run a football team, and that he is ruining Lazio. They said he is too inexperienced with football, and that he is too cheap to run a competitive team.

3. Daniele De Rossi is treated like a king.

Every Roma fan loves De Rossi. While watching the Italy games, everytime he would touch the ball he would be praised by everyone. “Bravo Daniele!” “Sei Grande!” “Capitan Futuro!” Even when he would take a throw-in he would be praised.

4. Italians love Cassano

As much as the media blasts him after a cassanata, as much as people think he’s a baby and a moron and whatever else, the fact of the matter is that Italians love Cassano because they know that he is the most talented Italian player there is. In the first two group games when he wasn’t starting, all you heard from people were cries of “Metti Cassano!” (”Put in Cassano!”) until Peter Pan was actually standing by the 4th official ready to enter the match. Then whenever El Pibe di Bari would touch the ball, it was met with a loud round of applause and cheers, and whenever he didn’t have the ball, it was cries of “Give the Ball to Cassano!”

5. Roma fans think Aquilani will become the best midfielder in the world.

Of all the Roma fans I talked to, they all would say basically the same thing: “De Rossi is our best midfielder, but Aquilani will become an even better player than De Rossi and the best midfielder in the world. He just needs some luck with injuries and a little more faith from Spalletti.”

Also, the last thing I learned was from the taxi driver that took me to the airport when I was leaving. Never talk to a taxi driver about calcio. He’ll lecture your ear off. It was like he thought he had his own calcio talk show. 45 minutes of the driver lecturing me about why Roma didn’t win the scudetto last season, why they will do better next season, why the United States was never good at soccer and never will be, the greatness of playing 5-a-side soccer, why Marcello Lippi is a crook, how the FIGC is corrupt, and a whole plethora of other topics. The only thing I got to say the whole ride was “Si.”