[The following is a guest post from Zach Lowy of Breaking the Lines. For more of Zach’s work, be sure to follow him on social media ]
It has been a mixed start to spring for Roma. After a dismal March, which saw them lose to Genoa and Como and get bounced out of the UEFA Europa League by Bologna, Roma kicked off April with a 5-2 defeat to runaway Scudetto favorites Inter. They bounced back with a 3-0 win over Pisa before drawing 1-1 with Atalanta. They have five finals remaining as they seek to qualify
for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2018/19.
While England has already secured its status as one of the two leagues with at least one extra Champions League spot, the second will be either Spain, Germany, or Portugal, meaning only four Italian teams will qualify for Europe’s premier competition. Roma currently sit fifth in the Serie A table, level on 58 points with Como, five behind Juventus, eight behind Milan and Napoli, and 20 behind Inter. They sit four points clear of seventh-placed Atalanta and will look to close out the season in strong form as they take on Bologna, Fiorentina, Parma, Lazio, and Hellas Verona in the final weeks. One player in particular who could prove crucial in the home stretch is Mario Hermoso.
Born on June 18, 1995, Hermoso rose through the ranks at Real Madrid’s academy, spending a loan spell at Real Valladolid before departing Madrid for the first time to join Espanyol in 2017. Hermoso established himself as one of LaLiga’s top center backs for the Pericos, earning interest from a host of clubs, including Atlético Madrid, which signed him in 2019 for €25 million plus €4 million in add-ons. Hermoso excelled with his astute passing and pivotal interventions, even captaining the side on multiple occasions, yet left Colchoneros supporters perplexed by his positional errors and lapses in concentration. Keen for a new adventure, Hermoso decided to leave Spain for the first time in his life and joined Roma on a free transfer in 2024.
The Madrileño got off to a shaky start in Italy and was eventually loaned to Bayer Leverkusen midway through the campaign, where he managed just seven appearances because of a chest injury. It seemed Roma would try to cash in on Hermoso in the summer of 2025, but instead, he ended up sticking around and impressing new manager Gian Piero Gasperini during preseason. With Zeki Celik suspended, Hermoso started Roma’s league opener vs. Bologna, where he impressed with his measured passing and sturdy tackling. He’s gone from an afterthought to an indispensable figure in Roma’s backline, ranking third in the squad with 45.4 accurate passes per game (87% accuracy) and 2.4 accurate long balls per game in Serie A.
Hermoso constantly has his head on a swivel, looking to snuff out danger before it develops, and he’s proven crucial in Gasperini’s squad for both his clarity in possession and his awareness and anticipation off the ball. He ranks third in their squad with 1.2 interceptions per match and 3.0 clearances per match, and he’s also making his presence felt in the opposing box with greater regularity. Hermoso was the X-factor on March 22 vs. Lecce, racing forward and playing a one-two with Malen before weighing up a world-class cross into the box for Robinio Vaz to head home the game’s only goal. This audacity to push forward has cost him on occasion, as when he attempted to charge forward from the edge of his own box, only to lose it and allow Atalanta to immediately transition and open the scoring. Nevertheless, Hermoso made amends at the interval after buying himself an inch of space and volleying home a cannonball of a shot into the back of the net in a 1-1 draw.
“Mario is more comfortable in a three-man defense, both for what he can contribute in attack, and he’s starting to find his rhythm at Roma,” stated former Almeria defender Carlos García in a recent interview with Chiesa di Totti. Similar to Hermoso, García was a center back who enjoyed success with Espanyol and Spain, playing 90 times in LaLiga. “He’s a player who doesn’t struggle defensively when playing out wide; he’s quite comfortable in those situations.”
“Personally, I think that Mario’s best years were the last two at Atlético de Madrid, although it’s true that he did well at Espanyol. He was very good, and that allowed him to take the step to Atlético, but for me, especially the last one at Atleti, I think it was the year that Mario was at a very, very, very high level. I think that now, with his age as well as moving to a new country, which changes everything, I don’t think he’s at the same level that he was at, where he was one of the 5-6 best Spanish defenders. It’s very difficult to maintain that level for so many years; it’s certainly not easy.”
At nearly 31, Mario Hermoso might no longer be the spring chicken he once was in Spain, but he is proving to be a shrewd addition to Roma, which has allowed only 29 goals in 33 matches this season. Roma relies on him to maintain the solid left side of their defense, working alongside Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini, as they aim to finish the season strongly and possibly secure a final Champions League spot.
