July 2019. Fresh from starring for Italy at the World Cup, Manuela Giugliano joins Roma from AC Milan. Just a year after the founding of their women’s team, the addition of one of the country’s most promising players – at that point a month shy of her 22nd birthday – was regarded as a big coup for Roma.
They knew they were getting a player who could boost their midfield. Someone they’d be lucky to have for the next phase of their evolution. And in the end, Giugliano has become someone Roma have been lucky to have for six years and counting.
Roma’s number 10 and captain – a classic combination at the club from years gone by on the men’s side – reached the milestone of 200 appearances by playing against Vålerenga in a Champions League defeat on 11th November, the first player to do so for the Giallorosse.
Here are some of the main milestones that have punctuated her journey with Roma.
July 16, 2019
Giugliano joins Roma
There was a buzz around Giugliano after her involvement in Italy’s first Women’s World Cup campaign for two decades. After spending the 2018-19 season with AC Milan, following their acquisition of her previous club Brescia’s place in Serie A and being named in the league’s official team of the year, Giugliano appeared to be a major upgrade to what was one of the less inspiring parts of Roma’s formation.
September 15, 2019
Roma debut
Fatefully, Giugliano’s Roma debut was against the team she’d just joined from, as the club’s second season began with a game against Milan. Unfortunately, the visitors at Stadio Tre Fontane ran away with a 3-0 victory over the Giallorosse.
October 19, 2019
First goal
Giugliano got off the mark for Roma on her fourth appearance in a game against another of her former clubs, Verona. She opened her account in style, too, scoring from outside the box after controlling the ball from a defender’s clearance.
November 21, 2020
First time as captain
Giugliano’s destiny would be to become Roma’s captain, but the position was held by Elisa Bartoli to start with. The first time Giugliano started a Roma game as captain in Bartoli’s absence was during her second season, for a Coppa Italia match against Tavagnacco that finished as a 5-0 win. Giugliano scored the third goal.
May 30, 2021
Coppa Italia triumph
Roma claimed their first piece of silverware by going all the way to win the 2020-21 Coppa Italia, facing Giugliano’s former side Milan in the final. It went to penalties and Giugliano took – and scored – Roma’s first to set them on their way to a 3-1 shootout win.
October 16, 2021
Captaining Roma in the league
The first time Giugliano led Roma out in a league game was in Alessandro Spugna’s first season as head coach after succeeding Betty Bavagnoli. It was an away game against Inter, but Roma lost 1-0.
August 18, 2022
Champions League journey begins
After securing their highest league finish to date by the end of the 2021-22 season, Roma went into the Champions League for the first time. Their journey began in Scotland against Glasgow City. Giugliano started in the heart of midfield. In fact, she unprecedentedly went on to feature in Roma’s first 33 Champions League matches, a streak that only ended in October 2025 due to injury ruling her out against Barcelona.
November 5, 2022
Supercoppa success
Roma added a second trophy to their cabinet (and first of the Spugna era) by winning the Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus in November 2022. Once again, it was via a penalty shootout, and once again, Giugliano took and scored Roma’s first from the spot.
January 29, 2023
Goal of the year
Roma were flying at the top of the Serie A table towards the end of the regular season in 2022-23, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that they could brush aside Sassuolo 5-0. But Giugliano’s main contribution made headlines that lasted longer; her goal to make it 4-0 was a looping, laced volley from the edge of the box that flew above the diving keeper’s head. Later that year, on 4th December, it was announced as the goal of the year at the Gran Galà del Calcio awards ceremony by the AIC (Italian Footballers’ Association).
March 21, 2023
Century up at the Olimpico
When Giugliano reached the milestone of 100 appearances for Roma, it was quite the occasion. Indeed, her 100th game was in the Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona, which was the Giallorosse’s first time playing at Stadio Olimpico. In front of more than 39,000 fans, Giugliano started the game, which respectably finished 1-0 to the visitors. When Bartoli went off, Giugliano finished the game wearing the captain’s armband.
April 29, 2023
Serie A champions
Roma reached the promised land of becoming Scudetto winners for the first time in women’s football with time to spare in the 2022-23 season. The decisive day was in April 2023, when Roma hosted Fiorentina. A 2-1 win was enough to make Roma champions. Giugliano set up the winning goal by Bartoli, although it wasn’t credited as an assist due to a deflection on the way.
December 11, 2023
Player of the month
With Roma starting their title defence strongly, Giugliano received the prize of being the player of the month from the AIC for her efforts in November 2023. Playing further forward than before, Roma’s number 10 was contributing plenty of goals and assists, scoring against Juventus, Napoli and Sassuolo in November, as well as against Bayern Munich (with an added-time equaliser) and Ajax in the Champions League. Giugliano would later win the same award for her efforts in February 2024 as well.
December 28, 2023
Contract extension
If it had been a coup for Roma to attract Giugliano in the first place, her rising profile thanks to her top-class form made it just as vital for them to lock her down. Having penned a fresh deal until 2025 as Serie A Femminile turned professional in 2022, Giugliano committed even further to Roma just after Christmas in 2023. Roma signed her up to the contract she remains on to this day, lasting until 2028 (when she will be 30).
May 24, 2024
Assist frenzy in final
Roma retained their Serie A title in 2023-24, before going on to record the double by winning the Coppa Italia. In the final against Fiorentina, Roma drew 3-3 in normal time. Impressively, Giugliano provided the assists for all three of Roma’s goals. After extra time, she characteristically went on to score Roma’s first penalty in the shootout, which Roma won 4-3. Giugliano was officially recognised as the player of the match.
June 3, 2024
Serie A MVP
After the conclusion of the 2023-24 Serie A season, more recognition for Giugliano arrived in the form of her being named as the league’s player of the season. Her league stats that season were 10 goals and 7 assists from 25 appearances.
August 30, 2024
Captaincy begins
Following the departure of Bartoli to Inter in the summer of 2024, Giugliano stepped up to become the club’s official captain – only the second in their short history. Nearly four years since she first wore the armband, the first game of her permanent captaincy was the derby at the outset of the 2024-25 season, which Roma drew 2-2.
September 4, 2024
Ballon d’Or nomination
After her supreme season in 2023-24, Giugliano historically became the first Italian player to be nominated for the women’s Ballon d’Or. Also the first Roma player nominated for the award, she eventually placed 27th in the voting with a score of 10 points, when the awards were given out towards the end of October 2024.
September 29, 2024
Roma’s record scorer
In January 2024, Roma let go of Annamaria Serturini, who was their all-time top scorer on 41 goals. Having really ramped up her goalscoring output, Giugliano matched that number on 26th September that year by scoring against Servette. Three days later, Giugliano set the record in her own right, with a brace against Napoli.
February 1, 2025
50th goal
Racing away with the record, Giugliano became the first player to score 50 goals for Roma on the day she scored a brace against Sampdoria in a 4-0 win. A couple of months later, Valentina Giacinti became the only other player to date to reach the landmark, but Giugliano remained out in front with the goalscoring record.
November 11, 2025
200th appearance
After turning down a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2025, Giugliano set out on a second season as Roma’s captain. Already holding the club’s all-time appearance record after overtaking Giada Greggi earlier in 2025, she arrived at the tally of 200 appearances for the club before anyone else – although it wasn’t a game with too much to celebrate as Roma lost to Vålerenga. At the time of her double century, Giugliano has 62 goals and 57 assists to her name for Roma, from 193 starts. 130 of her appearances have been in Serie A, in which she has scored 42 goals. Those numbers only serve to cement the legacy of one of Roma Women’s best ever representatives.
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