There’s an old adage in sports that the best ability is availability. And in the modern age of sport, where seasons run nearly year-round, durability is more valuable than ever; doubly so for a club with Roma’s injury record. Since arriving at the club in 2019, Gianluca Mancini has amassed an incredible 317 appearances amounting to nearly 26,868 minutes on the pitch, outlasting more managers than we care to recount. Not to be outdone, Bryan Cristante, who arrived in the capital in 2018, has compiled
a whopping 362 appearances totaling 27,419 minutes in all competitions.
While there was some speculation last season that Roma may actually part ways with these mainstays sooner rather than later, the club put that debate to rest, signing both players to new contracts.
First up, Bryan Cristante:
While I’m not sure that Cristante can live up to Leonardo da Vinci’s portrayal of the ideal human form, Roma’s ironman has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2028. Calcio journalist Nicolo Schira claims the deal includes a 2029 option, by which point Cristante will be 34 and could conceivably be approaching 500 appearances with the club.
Speaking of 2029…
Not long after the Cristante announcement, the club announced that Mancini, 30, has signed a new deal through 2029, pushing his tenure with the Giallorossi to an even decade. Once again, Schira claims this deal has an additional option year that would see Mancini in Roma colors through 2030.
While there was certainly a case to be made for cutting ties with Cristante and Mancini, this continuity should serve Roma well as they move into the next phases of Gian Piero Gasperini’s project.
Now, how about some new signings, Roma?
