Plenty of players have scored on their Roma debuts over the years, but some have taken the initiative early enough to be the team’s first goalscorer in a season.
First impressions count, so here’s a selection of players who, as summer signings, scored Roma’s first goal of a Serie A season. Scroll to the end for a full list.
Wesley (2025)
When Roma shelled out €25m to bring Wesley to Serie A from Brazilian football, the expectation was that the new right-back would be a more attack-minded than defensive option.
On his debut against Bologna in the first game of the Gian Piero Gasperini era, he scored the only goal of the game, showing persistence as he entered shooting territory and finishing across the keeper.
Other than that, his debut wasn’t entirely convincing, but he still earned the Serie A player of the match award.
Aleksandar Kolarov (2017)
Prior to Wesley, the most recent summer signing to open Roma’s account for a Serie A season had, curiously, been another full-back, in the shape of Kolarov.
If there was ever a signing that needed to get fans on side fast, it was Kolarov, who previously played for rivals Lazio.
But Kolarov made a convincing start, scoring a free kick under the wall against Gasperini’s Atalanta in Bergamo. The left-back went on to enjoy a total of 100 Serie A games in Roma colours, which suited him better than what he’d worn before.
Abel Balbo (1993)
There’s always a sense of anticipation about new strikers and Balbo arrived at Roma on the back of a 21-goal season in Serie A with Udinese, which made him the joint-second highest scorer in the 1992-93 campaign.
Balbo brought his shooting boots with him to the capital. Although he failed to score on his debut against Genoa, no one else on his new team found the net either. Thus, when he opened the scoring on matchday two against Juventus, he was Roma’s first scorer of the Carlo Mazzone reign.
The Argentine striker wasn’t as prolific as he had the potential to be in his debut season, but his output skyrocketed the next season and he ultimately scored 87 goals for the club.
Odoacre Chierico (1981)
Although born in Rome, Chierico began his senior career with Inter in the late 1970s. It was Pisa that Roma bought him from in 1981 as they looked to build on a runners-up finish – which could quite easily have been a Scudetto – under Nils Liedholm.
Roma’s opening game of 1981-82 was a goalless draw, but after a trip to Northern Ireland to face Ballymena United in the European Cup Winners’ Cup, Chierico got the Giallorossi off the ground in their league campaign just three minutes into their subsequent trip to Cesena.
Roma finished third by the end of the season, but glory followed in Chierico’s second season with his hometown club, as they won Serie A for the second time in their history.
Roberto Pruzzo (1978)
Embed from Getty ImagesRoma’s best ever goalscorer until a certain Francesco Totti came along, Pruzzo joined the club in 1978 from Genoa.
When the Serie A schedule got underway in October after the early phases of the Coppa Italia, Pruzzo scored Roma’s equaliser in their opening fixture against Hellas Verona.
But the striker soon suffered a dip in form and even contemplated leaving the club. He stuck around, though, which was a blessing; Pruzzo eventually scored 138 goals for Roma and was a key part of their Scudetto-winning squad.
Pierino Prati (1973)
When Liedholm was appointed for his first spell as Roma’s coach in 1973, he was reunited with his former Milan striker Prati, who’d moved to the capital that summer.
Prati brought a big reputation with him after firing in more than a century of goals for Milan and was still only 26 at the time of his arrival in the capital.
Roma were still coached by Manlio Scopigno at the time of Prati’s league debut against Bologna in October 1973. The new striker scored the equaliser for Roma in what became a 2-1 win.
Gunnar Nordahl (1956)
One of the greatest goalscorers in Italian football history, Nordahl was the Serie A Capocannoniere (top scorer) five times with Milan.
He was 34 by the time he brought his experience to Roma and dropped in productivity, but scored 24 minutes into the first game of the Serie A season against Genoa and ended the season with double figures of goals still.
Fulvio Bernardini (1928)
A year after Roma’s foundation by merger in 1927, there was the first big signing that made waves at the club. Bernardini, born in Rome, had enjoyed spells with Lazio and then Inter before returning to the capital.
Immediately identified by captain Attilio Ferraris as someone worthy of the armband himself, the 22-year-old Bernardini – already a full Italy international – hit the ground running with Roma in the Divisione Nazionale (in an era prior to the setup of Serie A) with a goal inside 15 minutes against Legnano.
Bernardini stayed with Roma until 1939, fulfilling his destiny of becoming the club captain, and later became a successful coach, leading both Fiorentina and Bologna to the Scudetto.
The full list
2025: Wesley
2017: Kolarov
1995: Branca
1993: Balbo
1992: Caniggia
1981: Chierico
1978: Pruzzo
1975: Petrini
1973: Prati
1972: Spadoni
1970: Amarildo
1967: Taccola
1965: Da Silva
1958: Zaglio
1956: Nordahl
1951: Galli (Serie B)
1950: Ganassi
1949: Bacci
1948: Tontodonati
1939: Pantó
1938: Alghisi
1937: Michelini
1935: D’Alberto
1932: Banchero
1928: Bernardini (Divisione Nazionale)
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