Associazione Sportiva Roma was founded on 7 June 1927 through the merger of three Roman clubs — Roman, Alba-Audace and Fortitudo — at the urging of fascist sports official Italo Foschi, who sought a unified club to challenge Italy's northern powerhouses. From its inception, Roma adopted the giallorosso (yellow-red) colours of the city of Rome, and the symbol of the Capitoline Wolf — the legendary she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus — became inseparable from the club's identity.
Roma claimed their first Serie A title in 1941-42, becoming the first club from central or southern Italy to win the Italian championship. The club's defining modern era came in 1982-83 under Nils Liedholm, when a side led by Brazilian midfielder Falcão, captain Agostino Di Bartolomei and forward Roberto Pruzzo lifted the Scudetto and reached the European Cup final the following year, losing to Liverpool on penalties at their own Stadio Olimpico. A third league title arrived in 2000-01 under Fabio Capello, with Francesco Totti, Gabriel Batistuta and Vincenzo Montella leading a star-studded attack.
Francesco Totti — the club's record goalscorer (307) and appearance-maker (786) — embodies Roma's identity as a one-city, one-club institution. Daniele De Rossi continued that tradition. The Friedkin Group, owners since 2020, brought José Mourinho in for a celebrated tenure that delivered the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League in 2021-22 — Roma's first European trophy. The Derby della Capitale against Lazio remains one of European football's most intense urban rivalries.