Elisa Bartoli, Roma Women’s original captain, has left the club after six seasons to join Inter.
Bartoli, a full Italy international and former Scudetto winner with Torres and Fiorentina, followed her heart and made the bold decision to join her hometown club Roma immediately upon the formation of their women’s team in 2018, despite some of her closest advisors classing it as a risky move at the time.
Instantly installed as captain, Bartoli has been part of Roma’s growth in Serie A Femminile, a journey that has culminated in lifting the league trophy twice in a row.
However, perhaps concerned by her potential playing time next season after the arrival of left-back Verena Hanshaw, which should permit Lucia Di Guglielmo to shift over as the first-choice right-back, Bartoli has now departed Roma to join Inter, where she will reunite with all-time top Giallorosse scorer Annamaria Serturini, who made the same move back in January.
Bartoli’s final appearance tally for Roma stands at 149, a tally seven shy of Serturini’s record. 141 of Bartoli’s appearances were starts, which at the time of her departure is a club-record equal with Manuela Giugliano, the player most likely to succeed her as captain. Bartoli’s record of starting 99 Serie A matches for Roma is unmatched at the time of her exit.
Bartoli also scored 18 goals for the club – including one on the day Roma clinched their first Scudetto in 2023 – which puts her joint-eighth in the all-time charts for that statistic.
Within her time at Roma, Bartoli played in virtually every defensive role, starting out as a marauding right-footed left-back, later deputising on the edge of a back three, and ultimately offering stability at right-back.
With Roma, she won Serie A Femminile and the Coppa Italia twice each, and the Supercoppa Italiana once.
Bartoli’s departure, coupled with Claudia Ciccotti’s exit to Ternana earlier in the summer, means Giada Greggi is the only remaining member of the founding Roma Women squad who will still be playing for the club next season.
The baton of representing Roma will be passed on, but Bartoli’s connection to these colours will never fade. She has been a history maker, a proud servant and an example right from the beginning who had done her people proud.
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