Former Roma midfielder Federico Viviani has spoken exclusively to Retesport, reflecting on his debut against Slovan Bratislava and expressing regret that Luis Enrique did not remain at the club. Viviani made his debut against Slovan Bratislava on 18 August 2011, and it was his first start for Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, in front of more than 60,000 spectators. Having come through the club's youth sector, he described the night as indescribable on a personal level.
Viviani said the Roma of 2026-27 is showing it is a very good team after 10 matches, though he noted the season is still long. Asked about the Slovan Bratislava match, he recalled that Roma had many chances that went unconverted, and that the evening was strange, with supporters rightly expecting more. He said the emotion of his personal milestone was swept away by what happened on the pitch afterwards.
On Luis Enrique, Viviani said he had been able to speak with former team-mates and that the coach was, in his view, years ahead in managing the group and in his working methods. "For me it was a great experience, he had ways of training and setting the team out that were cutting-edge," he said. He added: "Unfortunately we know how it went... That project was not carried forward, partly by his own choice... Francesco and Daniele, who were great champions, tried to dissuade him, but Luis Enrique did not change his mind. He came out of it drained, as it was his first experience with a first team."
Viviani spoke warmly of Gianluca Mancini's teammate Daniele Ghilardi's fellow academy product Daniele Lulli, noting that Lulli shares Viviani's agent and that the club brought him up from childhood. He said: "It always gives great pleasure to see young players come through the youth sector and find continuity in the first team: it is every young player's dream to play for the team they grew up with." He added that scoring his first Serie A goal at the Olimpico must have been a great reward for Lulli.
Asked about regrets, Viviani said the only thing that disappointed him was Luis Enrique's departure, because he would have kept him at the club. He said the coach also stood in the way of a possible move for Viviani in January. "The only regret is this: had he stayed, I would have had the chance to work with him, continuing to grow on and off the pitch. He helped me enormously, it was a fundamental experience. I will always be bound to Luis Enrique for the opportunities he gave me."
On his future, Viviani said he has started a coaching course and hopes everything goes well. He said the hardest part after retiring is understanding which path is right for you. On Daniele De Rossi, he said: "He was a fundamental part of my growth, above all on a human level and in how he behaved with team-mates. He is an exceptional person as well as a fantastic player. Not one person who knows him could say a bad word about him. I hope he becomes a great coach because he deserves it."