Manuela Giugliano has stood the test of time as a Roma Women player, being a big part of the team’s evolution.
Roma’s captain signed a new contract this week that will take her beyond a decade of service to the club she has become a figurehead for.
Giugliano was the original marquee signing for the Giallorosse, joining ahead of their second season in Serie A Femminile. She has lived up to the hype, becoming a three-time league champion and the division’s player of the season for 2023-24 and 2025-26.
To celebrate her commitment to Roma and to reflect on her journey so far, let’s look back at the starting lineup from her debut for the club – against Milan in September 2019 – and where they are now.
Rosalia Pipitone – Roma’s original goalkeeper, Pipitone was soon to be phased out by Camelia Ceasar, who had also moved from Milan to the capital like Giugliano. After retiring in 2024 at Palermo, she moved into coaching at the same club. Pipitone left Palermo in the summer after two seasons in Serie C and her next move remains to be seen, but having the UEFA A Licence should serve her well for the future.
Kaja Eržen – One of Giugliano’s fellow Roma debutants on the opening day of 2019-20, Eržen spent two seasons with the club before having spells with Napoli and Fiorentina. The right-back joined a Ternana side packed with a few other familiar ex-Roma faces in 2025 after their promotion to Serie A. She played eight times in the league last season, but hasn’t featured yet this term.
Allyson Swaby – Swaby has been here, there and everywhere since she left Roma in 2022. Her big move to Angel City in the USA didn’t quite turn out to be the dream ticket it looked like, so she returned to Europe with PSG and then to Serie A with Milan. Crystal Palace offered her the next step – a first taste of the WSL – in 2025.
Federica Di Criscio – Di Criscio has predominantly played in Serie B over the past five years. She joined her current club, Genoa, in 2024 from Ternana and won promotion with them at the first time of asking. But they dropped straight back down and so the centre-back is playing in the second tier again this season.
Angelica Soffia – Having left Roma in 2022, Soffia has since established herself at Milan, where she is now closing in on a century of appearances. She recently lined up at centre-back on her old stomping ground against Roma, where she’d been a full-back before.
Andrine Hegerberg – A big-name signing for Roma in 2019, even if her younger sister Ada was the better player, Hegerberg spent two years in Italy but ended up struggling with injuries. The midfielder last played in 2024 for SK Brann before retiring at the age of 31. These days, she can sometimes be seen offering insights as a pundit in her native Norway. She is also studying on a UEFA course – among the same cohort as ex-Roma men’s defender Simon Kjær – that could lead to a second career as a footballing executive.
Manuela Giugliano – Roma’s record appearance maker. Roma’s record scorer. Roma’s record assist maker. And, of course, Roma’s captain. It’s fair to say she’s done very well in the seven years since her arrival.
Vanessa Bernauer – The player who gave up the number 10 shirt for Giugliano, Bernauer eventually left Roma just before their first Scudetto season and retired in 2024 after two years with Zürich. She remained there as a sporting coordinator until this summer, when she was appointed as the director of women’s football for Wolfsburg, the side she had played for directly before her four years with Roma.
Andressa Alves – Along with Giugliano, Andressa was the headline signing for Roma in 2019, arriving from Barcelona. By the time she left four years later, she had 40 goals for the club to her name. A new challenge with Houston Dash beckoned, before she headed home to Brazil in 2025 with Corinthians.
Amalie Thestrup – A striker who only lasted a season at Roma, Thestrup went on to play for Liverpool when they were in the English second tier. After a spell with PSV, she played in the WSL for West Ham and Bristol City. Having spent last season with Charlton, she re-joined her first club, Brøndby, for the current season.
Annamaria Serturini – Roma’s top scorer in their first season, Serturini would eventually be overtaken in the all-time standings by Giugliano in September 2024. By then, Serturini was half a year into her Inter career, marking her first post-Roma venture. Her second began this summer with a move to Juventus.
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