Roma Academy Director Massimo Margiotta has outlined his long-term vision for the club’s youth system, emphasizing patient development, local recruitment and a merit-based pathway for players, coaches and staff.
Margiotta officially joined Roma on July 9, 2026, after previously working at Vicenza and Hellas Verona. The former Udinese and Perugia striker believes his extensive experience in youth football prepared him to take responsibility for one of Italy’s most prestigious academies.
“Even though I’m 49, I think I’m one of the longest-serving professionals in this field, and now I’m delighted to have joined a top club,” Margiotta said.
Margiotta proud to lead Roma’s academy
Roma have historically placed considerable importance on developing players at Trigoria, and Margiotta acknowledged the significance of being entrusted with that tradition.
“I’m proud to have joined such an important club, with a youth academy that has a long and distinguished history, and owners who place great importance on developing talent,” he explained.
“The experience I gained at Vicenza and Verona was crucial in allowing me to take this next step. It’s a mix of powerful emotions.”
Margiotta reunited in the capital with Roma sporting director Tony D’Amico, with whom he had previously worked at Verona.
“D’Amico and I already worked together at Verona,” Margiotta said. “He’s a director who places great importance on youth development, and he also delegates responsibility and puts his trust in the people who work with him.
“That’s important for the development of the entire academy.”
Following Bruno Conti and Alberto De Rossi
Margiotta is following in the footsteps of Bruno Conti and Alberto De Rossi, two figures whose work helped establish Roma’s academy as one of the most productive in Italian football.
He views that inheritance as both an honor and an enormous responsibility.
“It’s certainly a huge responsibility,” Margiotta admitted. “Bruno will always be one of the most important figures in the history of youth development.
“What he achieved was revolutionary and historic. As well as being extremely fond of Bruno, I have to say that over the last 16 years I’ve built a great relationship with him, which means a lot to me.
“De Rossi is also a wonderful man who I’ve got to know over the years. Following in the footsteps of two people of their stature is a huge responsibility, but it also motivates me to create something special, just as they did in the past.”
How Margiotta entered youth development
Margiotta’s transition into football management began after the conclusion of his playing career.
“It started at Vicenza,” he recalled. “When I stopped playing, after my final spell at Barletta hadn’t gone well, I received a call from my friend Paolo Cristallini.
“He knew me and had seen that I possessed the qualities needed to work with young players. That’s how it all began. I then spent five years in charge of Vicenza before Setti summoned me to Verona in 2017.”
Like many professional players, Margiotta had not initially given much consideration to his post-playing career.
“Towards the end of your career, no player ever wants to think about stopping,” he said. “You focus on the present rather than tomorrow.
“But after Cristallini called me, my perspective gradually changed, and now I’m here.”
Development more important than immediate results
Margiotta believes time represents the fundamental difference between directing a first team and overseeing a youth academy.
While senior football demands immediate results, academy success can only be properly measured across several years.
“The main difference lies in the relationship with time and results,” he explained. “With the first team, results have to come immediately because it’s through results that you build for the future.
“In the youth sector, however, real success is measured over time. Young players have years to develop, and our job is to guide them through every stage of their growth, taking into account their age, education, family life and physical, mental and psychological development.
“Results matter, but they must always form part of a broader project focused on development and growth.
“In practice, you’re raising children who aren’t your own, but it’s your responsibility to prepare them for the adult world.”
How Roma identify young talent
Margiotta explained that scouting young players requires more than simply evaluating their current technical ability.
“Experience means you can recognize a player’s ability from even a single piece of play, but you also shouldn’t overlook the feelings and emotions a young player gives you,” he said.
“We try to identify even just one standout quality and then work to develop it throughout their time in the academy.”
Rome and the surrounding region continue to offer Roma a rich source of emerging talent. Margiotta emphasized the importance of maintaining strong relationships with the area’s amateur clubs.
“There are a number of clubs in our area doing important work, and they’re known throughout Italy,” he said.
“Even though I worked in the north for many years, I established and maintained a number of relationships with clubs in Rome as I looked to recruit players.
“I know just how valuable these amateur clubs are and how important they are to our work.”
Why Roma appointed Mattia Scala
One of Margiotta’s first major decisions was to appoint Mattia Scala as Roma Primavera coach.
Scala had already spent 13 seasons working within the club’s academy before receiving the opportunity to lead its oldest youth team.
“Mattia is someone we know very well, having spent 13 seasons at the Roma academy, and he has demonstrated quality, expertise and an ability to develop,” Margiotta explained.
“His appointment, however, also reflects a broader principle: we want our youth sector to be a place where talent can emerge in every role, not just among players.
“Coaches and other professionals must have the opportunity to develop through a merit-based pathway founded on quality, passion, expertise and a sense of belonging.
“The Primavera squad, which represents the highest level of our youth sector, must also be the natural culmination of this pathway.”
Margiotta learning from Gasperini
Gian Piero Gasperini’s history in youth development makes his presence particularly valuable to Margiotta and the academy staff.
Roma’s head coach has already demonstrated a willingness to evaluate young players closely and promote those who respond positively to first-team opportunities.
“It means having a huge opportunity for growth every single day,” Margiotta said of working alongside Gasperini.
“Coach Gasperini built an important part of his background in youth development, and I believe that makes being able to observe his work up close even more valuable.
“Watching him coach, understanding how he evaluates players, what he demands, how he develops talent and how he guides young players into senior football is a continuous learning experience for me.
“I am fortunate enough to learn directly from a manager who turned the experience gained in youth academies into one of the defining traits of his career.”
Margiotta recalls facing Roma
Margiotta preferred to focus on the future rather than his playing career, although he acknowledged the extraordinary quality of the Roma teams he faced during Serie A’s celebrated era in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
“To be honest, I don’t particularly like looking back at the past,” he concluded. “I prefer to look ahead and focus on the work that needs to be done.
“What I can say, though, is that facing Roma in that period meant coming up against a team full of incredible champions.
“I was fortunate enough to experience a golden era of Serie A first-hand, playing against some truly outstanding players—and Roma had plenty of them.”
Source: AS Roma
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