It’s time to cast a final look back at the 2025-26 season by dishing out the annual Giallorossi Yorkshire awards for Roma’s most impactful players.
Through a collective effort, Roma grabbed a Champions League spot after an eight-year absence from the competition, eventually finishing third in Serie A.
You can see the individual player ratings for Roma’s players here, but here are the standout names for specific categories.
Signing of the season – Donyell Malen
Embed from Getty ImagesIt feels a touch harsh on Wesley for this award not to be going to the pick of Roma’s summer signings, but the impact provided by Malen after his arrival in January was absolutely crucial to the club’s climb into the top four.
Malen made history as the highest-scoring January signing in Serie A history with his 14 goals from his first 18 league games for the club.
Roma were desperate for a striker after their big spend on Artem Dovbyk in 2024 didn’t quite pay off and nor did the summer 2025 gamble to take Evan Ferguson on loan.
Malen was equally hungry to prove he could play at centre-forward and he answered the question emphatically.
In terms of a signing coming to a club and instantly making things better, it’s hard to recall many as impactful as Malen at Roma over recent years.
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Young player of the season – Niccolò Pisilli
Embed from Getty ImagesRoma have had big hopes for Pisilli for a while, but after his promotion to regular first-team action in 2024, he endured a mixed debut season.
His second season was much better as he became more impactful in the attacking phase and established himself as a key player over the second half of the campaign.
Still only 21, he now has four Italy caps to his name and, fitness permitting, should surpass a century of games for Roma at some point next season.
Most improved player – Niccolò Pisilli
Pisilli is also a shoe-in for the most improved player award, thanks to his aforementioned uptick in fortunes after the January transfer window.
His short-term future at the club wasn’t so certain heading into it, but he developed his composure at an impressive rate to show why he could be an important player in the here and now.
Daniele Ghilardi deserves an honourable mention for his consolidation as the season progressed, but he wasn’t considered a regular starter by the end of it, whereas Pisilli was.
Goal of the season – Wesley v Juventus
Roma’s clash with Juventus in March could have been the game where it all unravelled, with a late goal being conceded to cause two dropped points.
Thankfully, Roma qualified for the Champions League at Juventus’ expense after all, so that specific match wouldn’t be remembered as the negative turning point it threatened to be.
Instead, it can be remembered for one of its earlier moments of quality: Wesley’s opening goal.
Scoring five goals in his debut Serie A season was an impressive feat for the wing-back. His strike against Juventus encapsulated how he had managed to become an unexpected threat on the left, rather than his natural right-hand side.
After receiving a pass from Pisilli, Wesley cut in and swung the ball to the top corner, sparking major belief at the Olimpico.
Assist of the season – Manu Koné to Malen v Juventus
Sentiment made it tempting to name Paulo Dybala’s backheel set-up for Stephan El Shaarawy’s final Roma goal as the assist of the season, but the winner actually comes from the same game as the goal of the season.
Roma’s third goal against Juventus was scored by Malen after he was sent through by a long-range Manu Koné pass.
Koné was deep in his own half when he swept the ball forward, creating a one-on-one chance for Malen, who took a touch and finished.
There weren’t as many instances of Koné playing that vertically as some would have liked over the course of the season, but in this case he was able to send a reminder of how effective he can be when given that initiative.
Player of the season – Donyell Malen
He may have only been a Roma player for half of the season, but Malen was unmatched for his contribution.
Roma’s top scorer for the season, he also led the way for various other shooting metrics: shots per game, shots on target, shots from open play and so on.
As good as alternative candidates like Wesley and Mile Svilar usually were, Roma would have struggled to reach their objectives for the season without the way in which Malen lifted them from January onwards.
He was Roma’s most impactful player and the one who transformed their season.
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