Read about Sergio Santarini, the former club captain and legend, who was elected into the Hall of Fame 2015 Class in the ‘Goalkeepers and Defenders’ category.
PLAYER BIO
Born: September 10, 1947 in Rimini
Position: Defender
Year inducted into Hall of Fame: 2015, Goalkeepers and Defenders category
Career in AS Roma first team: 1968-1981
Debut: September 8, 1968, Roma 1-0 Lazio, Coppa Italia group stages. Sergio Ferrari scored the winner, with Aldo Bet and Vito D’Amato making their Giallorossi bows alongside Santarini.
Last competitive appearance: June 20, 1981, Torino 1-1 Roma, Coppa Italia final second leg. Agostino Di Bartolomei scored a second-half penalty for Roma, who won the subsequent penalty shoot-out 3-5 after Carlo Ancelotti, Bruno Conti, Santarini himself and Paulo Roberto Falcao all successfully converted.
Honors: Coppa Italia 1968-69, 1979-80, 1980-81, Anglo-Italian Cup 1972
Total appearances and goals scored: 431, 6
Appearances and goals scored in league: 344, 5
Appearances and goals scored in European competitions: 15, 0
Appearances and goals scored in Coppa Italia: 70, 1
Appearances and goals scored in Torneo di Capodanno: 2, 0
The real measure of Sergio Santarini’s greatness came in 1977, when Fulvio Bernardini was asked if he would change anything about his management of the Italian national team. Bernardini simply replied: “I would like to apologize to Sergio Santarini.” Santarini, who found his opportunities limited under Bernardini, began playing football at a later age than most, initially taking up a position on the right wing before dropping back into defense. Blessed with impeccable technical ability, he stood out for his elegant, decisive playing style. Santarini was a modern defender, a steadfast competitor with an impressive sense of timing that meant he would almost always beat his opponent to the ball.
Captaining the side for years, Santarini was exemplary in his stewardship of the Giallorossi defense and, over the course of his 13-year stay in the capital, served as a bridge between the Roma sides of the 1960s and 1980s. During his career, he made a total of 431 official appearances for the Giallorossi, with 344 of those coming in Serie A (he also played 62 times for Inter and Catanzaro).
Santarini lifted the Coppa Italia three times, in 1969, 1980 and 1981, while he also tasted Anglo-Italian Cup glory with Roma. He got his first taste of international football in 1967, when he linked up with the Azzurri youth teams for the first time. Santarini was in and around the national team until April 1978, when he was included in the 40-man preliminary squad for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina by Italy manager Enzo Bearzot (he was not named in the final Azzurri squad, signifying the end of his international career). For many Giallorossi fans, the highlight of his Roma career was his winner against Hellas Verona on April 19, 1978, a goal that helped the club secure its Serie A status after a difficult season.
