If it’s August at the Chiesa di Totti, that can mean only one thing: It’s time for our annual U-23 countdown. This late-summer rite of passage began 12 years ago as a way to mirror the baseball prospect lists I comb through each spring. While our U-23 countdown hasn’t always produced global superstars, it has included many first-team players, some sold for tidy profits, and even a few current and former Premier League champions.
These countdowns have proven one incontrovertible fact: it is incredibly
difficult to become a reliable and consistent first-team footballer. Considering that, it’s a credit to Roma’s scouting and development department that we’ve seen players like Lorenzo Pellegrini, Davide Frattesi, Alessio Romagnoli, and Riccardo Calafiori come through the ranks. Similarly, Roma was responsible for refining U-23 talents like Antonio Rüdiger, Emerson Palmieri, Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker and Mile Svilar.
Time will tell which of this year’s top 10 will rise to the top, but the competition was fierce, which is why we turned to you, the reader. Rather than the CdT staff sitting in a smoke-filled room with snifters of brandy, deciding who the best and brightest of Roma’s U-23 set are, we left the decision in your hands. And we have quite a list this season, but before we run through the top 10, let’s give a shout-out to the young men who narrowly missed a spot in the top 10.
The Honorable Mentions
Luigi Cherubini (MF/FW)
In addition to being hailed as the greatest living composer by none other than Beethoven himself…oh, wait, wrong Cherubini. That Luigi Cherubini was a late 18th/early 18th century composer; this Luigi Cherubini is a 21st-century footballer. Cherubini, a 22-year-old winger and midfielder, joined Roma’s youth academy at age nine. He made his professional debut as an 89th-minute substitute for Houssem Aouar in Roma’s 2-0 Europa League victory over Slavia Prague in October 2023.
Although Cherubini has not yet debuted in Serie A, he had two reasonably successful loan seasons in Serie B, playing 69 league matches for Carrarese and Sampdoria over the last two years. In a different era, he might have been a suitable bench player for the Giallorossi, but since he hasn’t been given a chance so far, it’s unlikely he will get one now.
Still, as the countdowns have shown, development is rarely linear, so perhaps he’ll carve out a productive top-flight career outside the capital.
Cristian Cama (LWB)
A 19-year-old Roman, Cama currently plies his trade at the Primavera level. As one of the youngest players on this list, Cama doesn’t have an extensive history, but he is widely regarded as one of the best defensive prospects in the Roma academy.
This past season, Cama made 23 appearances at the Primavera level, recording two assists in 1,200 minutes, bringing his youth totals to four goals and eight assists in 84 appearances. Additionally, Cama has featured prominently with the Azzurrini, earning 52 caps for Italy’s youth teams, including several appearances at the 2025 U-20 World Cup.
Muhammad Bah (MF)
Bah, a 19-year-old Gambian midfielder, was recently in the news after tearing his ACL in his right knee during Roma’s friendly against Cardiff City. While ACL tears aren’t as devastating as they were 30 years ago, the injury came at an unfortunate time for Bah. After signing his first professional contract in April, Bah had a chance to impress Gian Piero Gasperini this summer; an opportunity that will now have to wait until next summer.
Despite this setback, Bah is a promising box-to-box midfielder with 23 goals and 12 assists at the youth level, so we shouldn’t write him off yet. Fun fact: Bah is the cousin of former Roma midfielder Ebrima Darboe, who, in 2021, became the first player born after 2000 to play in the Derby della Capitale.
Mohamed Seck (CB)
A 20-year-old dual Senegalese/Italian international, Seck is a towering 6’3” centerback with extensive experience at the youth levels. After leaving Pro Vercelli’s U-19 squad, Seck joined Roma in January 2024 and has played nearly 5,000 minutes across all youth competitions, scoring nine goals. Seck profiles as a typical physical center-back who commands the back line with his stature and strength.
Roma is well stocked at the center-back position, so Seck could be an ideal loan candidate, gaining much-needed professional experience and potentially positioning himself as a long-term successor to Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka, or Mario Hermoso.
Alessandro Di Nunzio (MF)
Another teenager who barely missed the cut, Di Nunzio is a left-footer capable of playing anywhere along the spine of the midfield, seeing time at DM, CM, and AM. He’s also incredibly experienced, logging more than 7,000 minutes at the youth levels, with 10 goals and seven assists along the way. Di Nunzio profiles as a possession- and passing-oriented midfielder rather than a creative maestro, but he carries a €1 million Transfermarkt valuation, second only to Antonio Arena among Roma’s U-20s, underscoring his potential.
That’s it for the kids who just missed, but stick with us over the next week or so as we count down Roma’s top 10 U-23 players!
