Standing in attendance among the Curva Sud at the Stadio Olimpico for their recent fixture against Atalanta, I could not help wonder if some Roma fans around me were perhaps hard of hearing as the teams were announced before the game.
For a massive roar went up around me when the name of a certain Roma starting player whose name began with ‘T’ and ended in ‘I’ was announced. Surely it was their captain and not the number 11, Rodrigo Taddei, whose beaming face was shining down from the large screen above the goal at the far end of the field.
Yet Francesco Totti it was not. Aside from the eternal love and appreciation showed towards their captain, the Giallorossi reserved the second loudest cheer (on par with Daniele De Rossi) for Taddei, a man both scorned (at times) and venerated in equal measure during his nine years in the capital.
There have been peaks and troughs for him during his time there but now, he has incredibly reached a standing with the Roma support that can only be described as cult worship and yet the appreciation they have for the 34-year-old is very much reciprocated.
That was evidenced most recently in their 4-2 win over Parma when he hit the back of the net with a firm header and in that moment Taddei became Tardelli.
There were echoes of the Italian midfielder’s famous wide-eyed, frenzied World Cup final goal celebration of 1982. Showing a speed that has rarely been seen since he lit up the right hand side of a Roma attacking trident under Luciano Spalletti’s exciting teams, he sprinted for the Curva Sud where fans exulted in their hero’s effort.
The reaction to the goal was almost akin to that you see in boggy Sunday League pitches across the United Kingdom when a player low on technical skill but high on effort manages to hit the back of the net, his teammates treating him as though he had managed the last gasp winner in a Champions League final.
He climbed atop the barrier separating the support from the players and while that may have physically kept them apart, there was a bond between them that could not be broken.
Roma fans, more than most in the peninsula, are appreciative of effort from their heroes. Gervinho, another who is as capable of head-scratching misses or loose controls as he is of defense-ripping solo runs ending in goals, is loved by fans of the Lupi for the determination he shows to always give 100% and go beyond his job description for the side.
A great deal of this is, of course, down to Rudi Garcia. He has rejuvenated the careers of these players who many had written off. Under Zdenek Zeman and Aurelio Andreazzoli, Taddei failed to scratch the 10 appearance mark last season and with one year remaining on his contract, he looked to be on borrowed time by the banks of the Tiber.
Until the Frenchman entered to instill a sense of pride back to a Roma team split by divisions in the camp and pain still being felt by their Coppa Italia final defeat last May to Lazio.
They spent a summer licking their wounds with Garcia making it clear that those who were willing to make the effort for him and identify with his philosophy of flowing football on the field and a real relationship with the fans off it, would always be welcome in his side.
Taddei grasped that opportunity, more so in the absence of Kevin Strootman through injury and in the midst of suspensions but he is in and playing so well it would be harsh if he were not offered at least a one year extension to his current contract.
Every squad needs a player who can play that utility role given how comfortable he is in wide areas, at full back or in a midfield three and fighting on numerous fronts next season, versatility could be crucial.
A quick perusal of various club and personal social media accounts makes it obvious that the Brazilian is a popular fellow within the dressing room. Pictures of Alessandro Florenzi, Radja Nainggolan and Douglas Maicon can all be found with an arm around the smiling Taddei.
Do not just sign him based on popularity of course.Taddei has shown a great reading of the game from his midfield berth in the past month or so, and has chimed in with two goals and an assist recently. His partnership with De Rossi and Nainggolan has flourished in Strootman’s absence and although he may still be a figure of fun and derision to some outside of Roma, he definitely still has something to offer.
It may not be the pace and trickery he showed of old. Who can forget his amazing drag back piece of trickery that wowed Europe in a 2006 Champions League encounter with Olympiakos that he named after then assistant coach, the aforementioned Andreazzoli.
He was a key component on the right, with Mancini on the left on each side of Totti through the middle, and chipped in with some key assists and goals at vital times both domestically and in Europe.
Nearing the 250 appearance mark at Roma, you would hope he reaches it. This is a club synonymous perhaps more than any other in Italy with local lads coming good and lining out for the club they loved.
It is refreshing to see a foreigner fall in love with a team in much the same way since his 2005 arrival from Siena as a (moderately) fresh-faced winger and if his performances are anything to go by, it would be folly of the Giallorossi hierarchy to allow him to walk this summer when he is currently in an Indian summer of his own.
