The Roma Women player who has been at the club the longest is also now the one scheduled to stay at the club furthest into the future.
Giada Greggi was rewarded earlier this week with a contract renewal until 2029, extending the expiry date of her spell with her hometown team by two years after the most recent deal she penned in 2023.
Among her teammates, only Annalena Rieke and Olivie Lukášová are contracted for as lengthy a timeframe.
As the last remaining member of Roma’s founding squad from 2018, what is it about Greggi that has made her such an enduring presence?
On one hand, her lifelong support for Roma makes it the place to be. When offered a contract renewal, as was also the case in June 2022 and October 2023, Greggi won’t have hesitated.
But being a Roma fan doesn’t mean the club are guaranteed to keep you. Former captain Elisa Bartoli left in 2024 after being told she wouldn’t necessarily play as much. It was previously almost unthinkable that she wouldn’t end her career in the capital.
In Greggi’s case, there are fundamental footballing factors that have solidified her status as a Roma regular, in the past, present and future.
She has overcome adversity in the form of an ACL injury in October 2020, and competition for places either side of that setback, with the same kind of drive and determination she constantly applies on the pitch.
A diminutive dynamo, Greggi sets the tempo for Roma with her pressing and passing.
In the 2024-25 Serie A season, Greggi was joint-third for assists provided by Roma players, second for progressive passes and passes into the final third, third for carries into the final third, top for through balls, third for tackles and joint-third for interceptions. Furthermore, she drew the second-most fouls by opponents and led the way for ball recoveries.
That’s impressive enough before even factoring in that she missed the last quarter of the season through injury. It was little surprise that Italy included her in their squad for the Euros in the summer once they knew she’d be the slightest bit ready.
Not many Roma players preserved their 2023-24 form in 2024-25, but Greggi did, and that’s part of the reason why she’s earned a new deal.
On Wednesday night, Roma face Barcelona in the Champions League. The last time the two sides met in the competition, at Camp Nou in March 2023, Greggi was left out of the starting lineup in favour of the more experienced Vicky Losada. Three goals down at half time, Alessandro Spugna swapped them.
This time around, Greggi is likely to be in the starting lineup for Luca Rossettini. With Manuela Giugliano out injured, it should even be as captain. In some ways, that previous Barcelona game – which finished 5-1 – was a turning point. Since then, Greggi has been a go-to player in the big games.
Currently the vice-captain of the club, she is now due to stay at Roma until she is 29, taking her through her peak years. By that point (with Giugliano out of contract a year earlier in 2028), Greggi is likely to remain a key part of the club’s leadership group.
Thanks to her contract extension, Greggi is on course to become the first Roma Women player to reach a decade of service to the club. She has been the right player at the right time as the team has evolved, encapsulating their initial promise and then, fulfilling her potential at the same time as the team itself, cementing her place in a title-winning side.
Roma have more journeys to go on to become one of those again in the coming years, but they will do so with a player they deservedly trust immensely in Greggi.
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