The 2026–27 season is the 100th season in the history of Associazione Sportiva Roma and the club’s 75th consecutive season in the Italian top flight. In addition to the domestic league, the club is participating in the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Champions League. Among the many club achievements, Roma has won Serie A three times as well as nine Coppa Italia titles and two Supercoppa Italiana titles.
Among the many players who follow the Christian faith in the current squad, Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, and Donyell Malen are the most well-known for being open about their beliefs. Meanwhile, Evan Ndicka is the most prominent Muslim player featured in Roma’s squad for the 2026–27 season.
Read below all the players in AS Roma and their religious beliefs. Please contact us if you see any mistakes or errors regarding a specific player’s religion.
Table of Contents
Mile Svilar Religion
Mile Svilar is a Serbian professional footballer who has not publicly discussed his specific religious beliefs.
Mile Svilar was born on 27 August 1999 in Antwerp, Belgium, to parents of Serbian descent. He developed through the youth system of FCO Wilrijk before moving to Royal Germinal Beerschot and then RSC Anderlecht. In the summer of 2016, he was officially promoted to Anderlecht’s first team as the club’s third-choice goalkeeper. During the 2016-17 season, he won the Belgian Pro League title and the Belgian Super Cup with the team. In 2017, at age 18, Svilar moved to Benfica, making his professional debut in a Portuguese Cup match against Olhanense.
In July 2022, Svilar joined AS Roma on a free transfer from Benfica, signing a contract until 30 June 2027, which was extended in July 2025 until 30 June 2030. On 22 February 2024, he saved two penalties during the shootouts, which ended in a 4–2 victory over Feyenoord in the 2023–24 Europa League knockout round play-offs.
In December 2025, during a UEFA Europa League League Phase match where AS Roma defeated Celtic FC 3-0 away in the sixth round, Svilar achieved a save percentage of 85.2% and conceded an average of only 0.57 goals per game.
Leonardo Balerdi Religion
Leonardo Balerdi is an Argentine professional footballer who is a Christian, specifically identifying as a Catholic.
Balerdi plays as a centre-back for Roma, on loan from Ligue 1 club Marseille, and the Argentina national team. He began his career in the youth academy of Boca Juniors. He transferred to Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in January 2019 for €15 million and joined Olympique de Marseille in July 2021.
On 30 August 2026, Balerdi joined Roma on a one-year loan with an option for purchase. On September 5, 2026, he made his debut for AS Roma in a 2-1 Serie A victory against Atalanta.
Bryan Cristante Religion
Bryan Cristante is an Italian professional footballer who has not publicly shared details about his specific religious beliefs.
Bryan Cristante was born on 3 March 1995 in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy, to a father of Canadian-Italian descent and an Italian mother, granting him dual Italian and Canadian citizenship. He plays as a defensive midfielder for Roma, which he captains, and the Italy national team. Previously, he played for football clubs AC Milan, Benfica, and Atalanta.
In July 2018, Cristante was immediately loaned out to Roma in a one-year loan deal from Atalanta for a fee of €5 million with a compulsory purchase option for an additional €15 million and a further €10 million in performance-related bonuses. The move was completed permanently in July 2019. In May 2022, in the UEFA Europa Conference League final, Cristante started and helped Roma defeat Feyenoord Rotterdam 1-0 to win the title.
On 22 February 2026, on his 350th Roma appearance, Cristante scored in a home game against Cremonese. On 10 September 2026, he scored his first-ever goal in the Champions League during their 1-1 draw against Fenerbahçe.
Santiago Castro Religion
Santiago Castro is an Argentine professional footballer who has not shared any public details about his personal religious beliefs.
Castro began his youth career at Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina before making his professional debut with the senior team in 2021. He made 64 appearances for the club, scoring 9 goals and providing 2 assists. In January 2024, he signed with Bologna for €13.2 million. He spent two years before signing a five-year contract with Roma in July 2026. He joins at a cost of €35 million plus bonuses, with his former club Bologna holding onto a 10% sell-on clause.
On August 24, 2026, Castro made his competitive debut for AS Roma during a dominant 4-0 victory against ACF Fiorentina.
Daniele Ghilardi Religion
Daniele Ghilardi is an Italian professional footballer who has not publicly shared details about his specific religious beliefs.
Ghilardi is a product of the Fiorentina youth system and has previously played for Mantova, Sampdoria, and Hellas Verona. In August 2025, he joined Roma on loan for the 2025–26 season, for an estimated €2.5 million fee with a conditional obligation to make the move permanent at the end of the season. He signed a contract with Roma until 2030 that would be in effect if the conditions are triggered.
During his career, Ghilardi has won the Coppa Italia Primavera twice and the Supercoppa Primavera once and was a runner-up at the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the Italy U20 national team.
Manu Koné Religion
Manu Koné is a French professional footballer who is a practicing Christian.
Koné was born in Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, to parents of Ivorian descent. He began his professional career at Toulouse FC, joining their youth academy before making his senior debut in 2019. In January 2021, he moved to Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach for a reported €9 million.
In August 2024, Koné moved to Italy and joined Roma for an €18 million estimated fee, signing a five-year contract. The deal was structured as a loan for the 2024–25 season, followed by an obligation to buy. He made his Serie A debut for Roma on 1 September 2024, substituting in during a 0-0 draw against Juventus. On 27 October, he scored his first goal for Roma in a 5–1 loss against Fiorentina in the Serie A.
Paulo Dybala Religion
Paulo Dybala is an Argentine professional footballer who is a Christian, specifically identifying with Catholicism.
Dybala began his club career in 2011 with Instituto de Córdoba before signing for Palermo in 2012, where he won a Serie B title. After three seasons with Palermo, Dybala transferred to Juventus Football Club in June 2015. During his seven-year tenure at Juventus, Dybala helped the club win five Serie A titles, four Coppa Italia titles, and three Supercoppa Italiana titles. He was also named Serie A Most Valuable Player in the 2019–20 season and was named in the Serie A Team of the Year four times.
In July 2022, as a free agent, he signed a three-year contract with AS Roma, later extended in January 2025 until June 30, 2026, via an automatic clause. On July 13, 2026, Dybala signed a one-year extension.
Internationally, Dybala won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2022 Finalissima with the Argentina senior team.
Mario Hermoso Religion
Mario Hermoso is a Spanish professional footballer who has not publicly spoken about his religious beliefs.
Hermoso began his career in the Real Madrid youth academy, joining Real Madrid Youth in 2012 and Real Madrid Castilla in 2015. In July of the same year, he was loaned to Real Valladolid for the 2015–16 Segunda División campaign before joining RCD Espanyol on a permanent transfer in 2017. In July 2019, Hermoso signed with Atlético Madrid for a reported €25 million, where he spent five seasons, making over 170 appearances and contributing to their 2020–21 La Liga title win with 31 league matches and two goals that season.
In June 2024, his contract with Atlético expired, and he left the club, subsequently joining AS Roma on a free transfer in September 2024. He debuted in Serie A and appeared in 13 matches with one goal in his first half-season. In January 2025, Hermoso was loaned to Bayer Leverkusen, where he finished as Bundesliga runner-up in the 2024-25 season. After returning from his loan to Roma in June, Hermoso scored his first goal for Roma in Serie A Matchday 9 in October 2025. In December, he scored his first official goal for Roma in a UEFA Europa League match against Braga.
Rodrigo Mora Religion
Rodrigo Mora is a Portuguese professional footballer who is a Roman Catholic.
Coming through Porto’s youth system, he was promoted from the reserve side to the first team in 2024 and helped his team win the league title in his second season with the side. Mora also represented Porto at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, becoming the youngest player in the tournament at 18 years and 40 days.
On 19 August, AS Roma signed Mora from FC Porto for a fixed fee of €25 million. This initial fee secures 50% of his economic rights for Roma. Roma holds an option to purchase the remaining 50% of his rights for an additional €25 million at a later date. That same month, on 31 August, Mora scored his first goal for Roma during a 4-0 away win against U.S. Lecce in Serie A.
Donyell Malen Religion
Donyell Malen is a Dutch professional footballer who is a devout Christian.
In his early years, Malen played for the youth academies of Ajax and Arsenal before joining PSV Eindhoven in 2017, playing for their youth side Jong PSV before graduating to the senior team. He joined German club Borussia Dortmund in 2021, where he scored 39 goals in 132 appearances over three and a half seasons, helping the team reach the 2024 UEFA Champions League final. He joined Premier League club Aston Villa in January 2025 for around €23 million.
After a six-month loan spell at Roma, Malen permanently signed for the club in the summer of 2026 in an undisclosed deal. He made his Roma debut on 18 January 2026 in an away game against Torino, where he also scored his first goal for the club. On 25 May, Roma announced that Malen had signed a permanent deal running until 30 June 2030.
Malen was born in Wieringen, Netherlands, to a Surinamese father, Robert Malen, and a Dutch mother, Mariska Manshanden, who worked night shifts as a taxi driver.
Konstantinos Koulierakis Religion
Konstantinos Koulierakis is a Greek professional footballer who has not publicly spoken about his religious beliefs.
Koulierakis plays as a centre-back for Roma and the Greece national team. Previously, he played for PAOK and VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. On 1 August 2026, Koulierakis joined Roma for a transfer fee of €16.5 million, signing a contract until June 2031. Wolfsburg also retained a 20% future sell-on clause.
Niccolò Pisilli Religion
Niccolò Pisilli is an Italian professional footballer who has not publicly discussed his specific religious beliefs.
Pisilli began playing football with a local club, Helios, before moving to Roma at the age of eight and working his way up their youth categories. In November 2022, he signed a professional contract with the club until 2026. He scored his first professional goal in December 2023 during a UEFA Europa League group stage match against Sheriff Tiraspol.
In February 2025, Roma extended his contract until June 2029.
Matías Soulé Religion
Matías Soulé is an Argentine professional footballer who has not publicly spoken about his religious beliefs.
Matías Soulé Malvano was born on 15 April 2003 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, to parents of Argentine nationality with Italian ancestry, granting him dual citizenship. He began his youth career at Vélez Sarsfield in Argentina before moving to Italy in January 2020 on a free transfer to join Juventus’ academy at the age of 16. He was promoted to the first team in July 2022, making 21 appearances and scoring 1 goal for Juventus. During his loan spell at Frosinone in August 2023, he contributed 11 goals and 3 assists in the 2023-24 season. He became the only player across Europe’s top five leagues to record over 80 chances created and over 80 successful dribbles that season and was awarded the Player of the Month by the Italian Professional Footballers’ Association.
In July 2024, Soulé completed a permanent transfer from Juventus to Roma for an initial fee of €25 million plus €4 million in potential bonuses, signing a five-year contract until June 2029. On matchday 2 of the 2025–26 Serie A, Soulé scored the sole goal for Roma in a 0–1 away win at Pisa.
Emanuele Lulli Religion
Emanuele Lulli is an Italian professional footballer who is a devout Christian.
Lulli plays as a right-back for Roma. He joined the Roma Youth Sector in 2021 before signing his first professional contract with Roma in September 2024. During the 2025–26 pre-season, he made his unofficial first team debut under newly arrived manager Gian Piero Gasperini, during a friendly against Neom. Since early 2026, he has started to regularly feature on the bench as an unused substitute in Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Europa League.
On 24 August 2026, Lulli made his professional debut with Roma in a 4–0 Serie A win over Fiorentina.
Marten de Roon Religion
Marten de Roon is a Dutch professional footballer who has not publicly shared details about his specific religious beliefs.
De Roon plays as a defensive midfielder for Roma and the Netherlands national team. He previously played for football clubs Sparta Rotterdam (2010–2012), Heerenveen (2012–2015), Atalanta (2015–2016), Middlesbrough (2016–2017), and Atalanta (2017–2026). On 30 August 2026, De Roon joined Roma for €850,000 on a one-year contract.
Among his career achievements, De Roon won the 2023–24 UEFA Europa League with Atalanta and became the club’s all-time appearance maker in 2026.
Gianluca Mancini Religion
Gianluca Mancini is an Italian professional footballer who has not publicly spoken about his personal religious belief. However, he grew up in a predominantly Roman Catholic cultural background.
Mancini has previously played for Fiorentina, Perugia Calcio, and Atalanta. During his time with Atalanta, he made 48 appearances, scoring 7 goals and providing 1 assist. In July 2019, he joined Roma on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for €13 million plus bonuses. He helped Roma win the 2021-22 UEFA Europa Conference League and became the third-highest-scoring defender in the club’s history. On July 12, 2022, Roma officially announced a contract extension with Mancini until 2027.
In January 2026, Mancini reached his 300th official appearance for Roma during a match against Torino.
Nahuel Molina Religion
Nahuel Molina is an Argentine professional footballer who is a Christian.
Molina started his career at Boca Juniors in Argentina. He moved to Udinese in Italy in 2020 before joining Atlético Madrid in 2022. On 12 August 2026, Molina signed for Roma for a reported fee of €13 million. He was handed the No. 20 shirt.
On 31 August 2026, he made his official competitive debut for Roma, coming on as a substitute in a Serie A match against U.S. Lecce.
Internationally, Molina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the Argentina senior national team. He was also part of the squads at the 2021 and 2024 Copa Américas, which Argentina both won.
Evan Ndicka Religion
Evan Ndicka is an Ivorian professional footballer who is a practicing Muslim.
Evan Ndicka was born on 20 August 1999 in Paris, France, to a Cameroonian father and an Ivorian mother. He is an academy graduate of Auxerre and made his senior debut for the club in January 2017, aged 17. Over the next season and a half, he made 14 appearances for Auxerre, helping the club avoid relegation before joining Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in July 2018. With Frankfurt, he won the 2021-22 UEFA Europa League.
In June 2023, Ndicka signed for Roma on a five-year contract. The deal includes an estimated annual gross salary of €5.13 million. During the 2024–25 season, he became the first Roma outfield player since 2004 to play every minute of all 38 league matches without being substituted. On 25 September 2025, he scored a headed goal in the UEFA Europa League, helping Roma defeat OGC Nice 2-1.
Wesley França Religion
Wesley França is a Brazilian professional footballer who is a follower of the Christian faith.
Wesley developed through the youth academies of Tubarão Futebol Clube, Figueirense Futebol Clube, and CR Flamengo. In January 2023, he was promoted to Flamengo’s first team. In July 2025, França completed a permanent transfer to Roma, signing a contract until June 2030 and becoming the 46th Brazilian player in the club’s history. He scored on his competitive debut for the club during matchday 1 of the Serie A, in a 1–0 win against Bologna.
