Born: Rome, 8/4/55
Died: 1994
Position: Midfield
Clubs: Roma, Vicenza, Roma, Milan, Cesena
Serie A apps: 350
Serie A gls: 63

Whatever happened to Agostino Di Bartolomei is a question that many Roma fans are still asking today. A midfielder of intense quality, he led the side to an historic Scudetto success in 1983. Yet the Di Batolomei story has a sad ending. One which finishes with the player taking his own life in 1994.

Di Bartolomei was a native Roman, a player that developed in the Giallorossi youth system, a player that would eventually captain the side to only their second and to date last championship. Nicknamed ‘DiBa’ - Agostino had excellent technical ability, midfield vision, a wonderful cross field pass and the ability to shoot at goal from distance.

Rome and Roma were in his blood and he debuted for them as an 18-year-old before spending a season on loan at Vicenza. Yet DiBa returned to the Olimpico just one year later and would become a key figure in Nils Liedholm’s wonderful Roma side of the early 1980s. Agostino also knew where the goal was, one season he hit eight, the next 10. Statistics that many forwards in Serie A would cry out for.

While many would talk about Falcao’s presence in that side, Di Bartolomei was the silent hero. The one that formed an important and maybe key cog to the midfield set-up that also included Carlo Ancelotti and the Austrian Prohaska.

Being a native he was a crowd favourite yet unbelievably he was allowed to leave the club when Nils Liedholm took him with him to Milan. It was a move that shocked the whole Giallorossi population, a move that the player didn’t really want. Yet, President Dino Viola and new Coach Sven Goran Eriksson allowed DiBa to leave. A decision that proved disastrous for the club.

A season later Falcao became injured and played just four games and with Agostino now in the San Siro the Roma side had a midfield with no leader and no ideas.

Di Bartolomei stayed three seasons in Milan before drawing his career to an end with spells in the lower Divisions. Astonishingly he never played for Italy, or indeed ever got a call-up. A crime in itself, yet it was the decision to end his own life that may have proved the biggest regret in a world where he was loved both on and off the pitch.