History on the pitch! The descendant of Italy's most infamous dictator debuts in Serie A
Lazio's Monday fixture against Bologna delivered a debut that made headlines far beyond football.
Details: Romano Floriani Mussolini, the 23-year-old great-grandson of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, has made his senior debut for Lazio, coming off the bench against Bologna on Monday. The defender entered the pitch in the 19th minute of the match at the Renato Dall'Ara, which Lazio won 1-0 thanks to Davide Frattesi's goal.
The symbolism of the venue was hard to miss: the stadium in Bologna was opened back in the era when his great-grandfather ruled Italy. Romano, a product of Lazio's academy, spent the last three seasons on loan at Pescara, Juve Stabia and Cremonese, making his Serie A debut with the latter a year ago. The player himself has always stressed that he wants to be known only for his football: my surname bothers other people more than me, the less said about it, the better, he once said.
Gennaro Gattuso, who threw the defender into the fray, clearly counts on him for the season ahead. It's worth noting that Floriani Mussolini, who wears the number 15 shirt, is under contract with the Roman club until the summer of 2028, and Transfermarkt values him at €2.5 million.
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Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
