How long it took Roma to win in each of their kits – and the ones they never did in

Most Roma fans looked on in horror when the first leaks of their new away kit for the 2024-25 shirt emerged. ‘Leaks’ was an appropriate term, since it looked like the orange splash was some kind of stain.

And as if there was some kind of fate for taste in kit design, there followed a series of horror results in it until the curse was lifted in February with a 1-0 win at Venezia, via a Paulo Dybala penalty (because of course it had to be a narrow win). In fact, it had already become a record-breaker in terms of the highest number of matches it had been worn in before its first win by early November!

Some of the results suffered before that first win in that kit included the 5-1 loss to Fiorentina and the 1-0 loss to Elfsborg under Ivan Jurić – and they were after the three draws out of four that contributed to getting Daniele De Rossi sacked at the start of the season, all in that same shirt.

So, to celebrate the first win in the ghastly shirt, here’s a look back at how long it took Roma to win in each of their kits from recent years – if they did at all.

2024-25

Home: Third game (29th September)

Away (white): Eleventh game (9th February)

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Third (blue): First game (22nd September)

2023-24

Home: Third game (17th September)

Away (white): Second game (21st September)

Third (black): First game (1st October)

2022-23

Home: First game (22nd August)

Away (white): First game (14th August)

Third (black): First game (15th September)

In José Mourinho’s second season in charge, there were positive starts in all three of Roma’s kits – for the first time in nine years.

2021-22

Home: First game (22nd August)

Away (white): First game (19th August)

Third (yellow): Second game (21st November)

The third kit’s first outing was the 6-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt.

2020-21

Home: Second game (3rd October)

Away (white): Second game (22nd October)

Third (black): Third game (18th February)

2019-20

Home: Third game (15th September)

Away (white): First game (22nd September)

Third (blue): First game (19th September)

2018-19

Home: Fourth game (26th September)

Away (grey): First game (19th August)

Third (yellow): Never

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Roma played five times in their yellow kit in the 2018-19 season but among the results achieved in it were the 7-1 loss to Fiorentina and a defeat by SPAL.

2017-18

Home: Third game (23rd September)

Away (white): First game (20th August)

Third (black): First game (16th September)

2016-17

Home: Second game (20th August)

Away (white): Fourth game (26th October)

Third (orange): Second game (3rd November)

2015-16

Home: Second game (30th August)

Away (white): First game (4th October)

Third (grey): Never

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Roma actually wore their third shirt before their first time in their away shirt in the 2015-16 season, but it was the only time they donned it and it was for an embarrassing defeat – by a 3-2 scoreline away at BATE Borisov in the Champions League group stage.

2014-15

Home: First game (30th August)

Away (white): Third game (22nd November)

Third (black): Second or fourth game (20th January or 26th February)

It depends which way you look at it, but Roma’s first win in their third strip in 2014-15 was after extra time in the Coppa Italia against Empoli in January. Since that game was technically a draw after 90 minutes, others may point to the Europa League win away at Feyenoord the following month for its first win in regular time.

2013-14

Home: First game (1st September)

Away (white): First game (25th August)

Third (black): First game (9th January)

It should come as no surprise that Roma won the first time they wore each of their kits in 2013-14, since Rudi Garcia got off to a record-breaking start in the dugout.

2012-13

Home: Second game (16th September)

Away (white): First game (2nd September)

Third (black): First game (25th November)

2011-12

Home: Fifth game (25th September)

Away (white): Third game (5th November)

Third (black): Never

The third kit was only worn in one match, a goalless draw with Chievo on 1st May.

2010-11

Home: Fifth game (25th September)

Away (white): Sixth game (18th December)

Third (black): Third game (1st May)

Roma had gone toe to toe with Inter the previous season but started 2010-11 poorly. Coincidentally, it was the reigning treble winners they beat for their first win in their home kit at the fifth attempt in September. They also endured bad fortunes at first in their away kit, its first outing being a 5-1 loss to Cagliari.

2009-10

Home: First game (30th July)

Away (white): First game (6th August – 7-1)

Third (black): First game (16th December)

There was a happy start to life for the away jersey in 2009-10, with its first outing being for a 7-1 win against Košice in the Europa League qualifiers. In fact, Roma won their first match in all three kits that season.

2008-09

Home: Fourth game (20th September)

Away (white): Third game (1st October)

Third (black): Never

Roma’s third kit was only worn once in the 2008-09 season, for the 1-0 loss to Arsenal on English soil in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

2007-08

Home: First game (19th August)

Away (white): First game (26th August)

Third (black): Second game (27th November)

Similarly, Roma’s first time wearing their third kit in 2007-08 was in England, for a 1-0 Champions League group-stage loss to Manchester United. Interestingly, the first time they wore each jersey in this season was in a different competition. The first time in the white away kit was for the Serie A opener, which they won, and a week before that the first time in the red home kit was when they won the Supercoppa Italiana against Inter.

2006-07

Home: First game (9th September)

Away (white): Second game (8th November)

Third (grey): First game (12th September)

2005-06

Home: Second game (21st September)

Away (white): First game (28th August)

Third (orange): Second game (8th January)

Fourth (green): First game (11th January)

There were actually five varieties of kits in 2005-06, since the white kit Roma wore in Europe was different to the one they wore in the league. But they won in their first time in each, on 28th August against Reggina and on 15th September against Aris.

2004-05

Home: First game (12th September)

Away (white): Second game (16th October)

Third (orange): Second game (12th December)

Fourth (green): Third game (13th January)

Fifth (black): Never

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Permanently remembered as the season of four coaches – but Roma even had more different kits than managers in 2004-05! There were technically six, due to the trim of Roma’s white kit for Champions League games against Bayer Leverkusen – a loss and a draw – being different to the regular away kit. In fact, there were no Champions League wins that season, so the European-exclusive black kit was the subject of three defeats – two to Real Madrid and a walkover awarded to Dynamo Kyiv, to whom Roma were losing anyway.

2003-04

Home: First game (31st August)

Away (white): Third game (23rd November)

Third (orange): Second game (4th December)

Fourth (blue): First game (24th September)

2002-03

Home: Second game (29th September)

Away (white): Fourth or fifth game (21st December)

Third (black): Third game (16th January)

Roma won at the fourth time of asking in their main white away shirt in 2002-03, but there was also an alternative version worn once in Europe, for a game that ended in a draw – which, if counted with the rest of the white kits, would make that win at the fifth time of asking instead. There was also an alternative home kit for European games, which Roma won in the second time they wore it, three days after their first win in the regular home kit.

2001-02

Home: First game (19th August)

Away (white): First game (16th October)

Third (blue): Never

Fourth (orange): Second game (27th November)

Roma’s kits had the Scudetto badge on in 2001-02 for only the third time in their history. They also had an alternative home strip – with a red stripe on one half and an orange one on the other – for their maiden Champions League campaign, which took them three games to win in (until 26th September). Their third kit, which was blue, was worn solely for one loss and two draws.

2000-01

Home: Second game (28th September)

Away (white): Second game (15th October)

Third (blue): First game (14th September)

The season in which Roma became champions of Italy for the third time. Their first win in their home kit was by the margin of 7-0 against HIT Gorica in the UEFA Cup, before the league campaign had begun.

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This article was originally published on 8th November – the morning after Roma were held to a draw by Union SG in their seventh game in their white kit – and has been updated since.