Thirty years without an immortal idol in the hearts of many fans, not just those of the Roma Giallorossi who have always been proud to celebrate a captain who became a legend. Agostino Di Bartolomei, three decades after his death, remains the symbol of a romantic football made of heart, determination and lungs, an example of how a silent leader, both shy and courageous, can make the difference and leave a mark as deep as a furrow in the history of a club.
Protagonist of the 1983 Scudetto but also of a dramatic Champions Cup final against Liverpool (May 30, 1984), “Ago” committed suicide ten years later, on the same day as this sad anniversary for the Giallorossi, almost wanting to symbolize the end of everything, of dreams and hopes and therefore of life itself. It happened in San Marco, a hamlet of Castellabate, in the province of Salerno, hometown of his wife Marisa. Ago had a lot of talent and he exercised it with joy, without ever smiling, always faithful to his role as a serious, humble and uncompromising man with himself.
In the neighborhood south of Rome where he was born, in Tor Marancio, and where he kicked the first ball, everyone remembers him as a reserved boy, with a sensitivity and intelligence that went off the beaten track. . Blessed with a powerful shot (his “bomb” free kicks were memorable), he was called up to Roma's youth team. His first team debut came during the 1972-1973 season, at just over eighteen years old, against Inter in Milan. At the time, technical direction was entrusted to Manlio Scopigno.
A constant rise which made him the “beacon” of Nils Liedholm’s Roma with whom he wrote the triumphant scudetto season 82-83. “Ago” was not a worldly figure like Falcao, nor a popular national hero like the imaginative Bruno Conti, a driving force in the imagination of “Brazil” style. But to Southern fans, his every thought, every word was the “verb.” After this cursed European evening at the Olimpico, Di Bartolomei found no place in the new Roma of Sven Goran Eriksson who did not consider him the cornerstone of his team. And he went to the North, to Milan. And this fan base “ripped” from their “idol” gave them the opportunity to recognize his greatness every time. This immense banner remains in your eyes, the synthesis of a popular thought: “We took Roma away from you. But not your curve”.
Wikipedia Agostino Di Bartolomei
“Ago” will never forget this lost final. And from there, something broke. An example of loyalty and accuracy on the pitch, after three seasons at Milan he moved to Cesena and later finished his career with Salernitana, helping them reach Serie B after 23 years. On September 20, 2012, his name was enshrined in the Roma Hall of Fame. A plaque for him, 'Ago' the immortal.
