Nicolo Zaniolo Is Tipped as Roma's New Francesco Totti—So What Happens Next?

It was late in the summer of 2016 that Nicolo Zaniolo was left in tears. After more than seven years in the Fiorentina youth system, he was told he was going to be released.

"I cried about it for a whole week," he later revealed. It was a testing moment for the 17-year-old, who claims he was told new players were arriving and a deal had been agreed for him to join Virtus Entella. 

Yet his rise since that day has been nothing short of inspirational.

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Zaniolo has become the new Prince of Rome—the future of one of Serie A's most famous clubs. He's even being touted by some as being the next Francesco Totti.

Two goals against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League last 16 first-leg tie have put AS Roma on the brink of progressing to the next stage, and he has been fast-tracked to hero status by the club's supporters.

Now he must try to live up to the hype.

No Room to Grow at Fiorentina

With hindsight, the decision to let Zaniolo leave Fiorentina seems terrible, yet at the time those close to the situation are adamant it did not seem so strange.

Tito Kohout keeps a close eye on the youth prospects as part of his managing editor role at Viola Nation, and told Bleacher Report how the current situation could never have been imagined so soon. 

"He was a part of some very talented youth teams in Florence and got stuck behind Marco Meli, who's an excellent prospect still working for the Fiorentina Primavera side and is expected to make some waves on loan in Serie A or Serie B next year," Kohout explained.

"Sometimes, the talent evaluators just miss. The bigger problem, though, is that Zaniolo came along at the exact wrong moment, as the evaluation process at Fiorentina was undergoing a major change.

"Former sporting director Daniele Prade left his post in May 2016 and his replacement Pantaleo Corvino pretty well cleaned house of all his predecessor's players.

"A lot of really talented young players got swept aside. Zaniolo made his first appearance for Fiorentina's U17 side when he was just 14, so it wasn't really a matter of things not working out in a footballing sense. Rather, he just got stuck in what looked like a rather sloppy transfer of power that forced him out. It's funny, too, as he certainly looks like the kind of player Corvino has prized during his second tenure at Fiorentina: tall, lanky, technical and energetic in the press.

"It can be so hard to tell if a 16-year-old is going to become a star; think of how many hyped prospects have crashed and burned as they mature.

"Zaniolo always looked like a talent—but he seemed like the kind of player whose ceiling wasn't sky-high. It's a real bummer that the club missed on him, but at least it's not as embarrassing as Inter Milan, who gave up him and a pile of money for Radja Nainggolan."

The Inter Milan-Nainggolan Transfer

Zaniolo earned a move to Inter Milan in July 2017 on the back of a breakthrough at Virtus Entella that had seen him overcome his shock at being released by Fiorentina and find his feet as the exciting midfielder he had always had the potential to become.

He did not play a single game for Inter before being moved on to Roma in one of the biggest deals of 2018.

Nainggolan was signed from Roma in a transaction that also saw two Inter players included in the deal. Davide Santon was one, Zaniolo was the other. In truth, neither player earned much of a mention at the time as so much was made of Nainggolan's Rome departure.

Zaniolo's move has proved an absolute masterstroke. 

David Amoyal is an Italian transfer and football expert working for the site of Gianluca Di Marzio and hosting the CalcioLand podcast.

"Nainggolan's transfer to Inter was one of the most significant transactions in Serie A because it involved a big-name player moving between two clubs who qualified for the Champions League," Amoyal told B/R.

"On the day the transfer became official, most considered it a great deal for Inter since they lacked a midfielder with his characteristics and because he would be reunited with Luciano Spalletti, the manager that got the most out of him on the pitch. Many also assumed this trade would weaken Roma significantly.

"In addition to around €20 million in cash, Roma also received veteran wing back Santon and top prospect Zaniolo.

"While overall the consensus was that Inter got the better end of the deal, some—including me—considered Nainggolan a player on the decline and an old 30 because of his penchant for drinking and smoking. Roma was eager to get rid of him as they thought he would be a very poor role model for the many young players they wanted to build around.

"Now the deal is viewed very differently and is arguably the best transaction that Monchi made as Roma’s sporting director.

"Nainggolan suffered multiple injuries and Inter suspended him during the first half of the season because he showed up late multiple times at practices. The deal also looks considerably worse because of Zaniolo’s brilliant performances for Roma."

Zaniolo was a highly touted prospect, a key player on Inter's youth team, but an impact on Roma's first team so soon has been a surprise.

Compared to Totti but More Similar to Pogba

There is no time to make your club debut quite like a Champions League fixture with Real Madrid. 

It was September and Zaniolo played 54 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to the current holders. It was not a result that will be remembered fondly, but it did spark Zaniolo's elite career into life.

He has since made two more Champions League starts and an additional 13 in Serie A, playing across midfield as well as on the wing. The fans see him as a player who makes things happen, and believe he is the type of figure the club should be building around for the future.

Last month, after a bad run of results, the team were jeered by their own support—yet Daniele De Rossi and Zaniolo were spared. A star in their eyes, just what should we expect of him?

"He has been compared to Totti mainly because he plays for Roma," explains Amoyal. "But a much better comparison in my opinion is the version of Paul Pogba we saw when he broke out at Juventus under Antonio Conte.

"They have similar body types and technical ability, despite their height they just glide on the pitch and they play with a lot of confidence."

Italian national team boss Roberto Mancini agrees, telling Gazzetta Dello Sport that he also sees Zaniolo to be more like Pogba.

Whichever comparison you wish to make, the potential is high.

John Solano, editor of Roma Press, is buying into the hype surrounding Zaniolo despite urging caution about comparisons with club legends. 

"Many supporters have been calling to give him the number 10 shirt after Totti," he said. "I think that is unfair, but I don't think it's entirely wrong to call him one of best attacking prospects the club have had since Totti.

"I do think he will become one of Italy's best players because he has everything you could ask for: physically he's very imposing, his technical ability for a 19-year-old is off the charts, and the level of maturity he exudes on the pitch is something I haven't seen before from someone so young. I do think he will live up to all the praise he's currently receiving."

His Future at AS Roma

With so much praise and clearly so much potential, it is no wonder other clubs are beginning to be linked—with Arsenal scouts believed to have been recently impressed.

There have also been reports that he could sign up with super agent Mino Raiola, a move that would have struck fear into the hearts of those Roma fans who want him to stay and become their poster boy.

Solano is adamant their dreams will not be crushed any time soon as Zaniolo establishes himself on the world stage.

"He recently switched agents and is now represented by Claudio Vigorelli, who's also the agent of Roma's Davide Santon and someone they have a strong relationship with," Solano told B/R. "He will undoubtedly sign a new contract once the season is over—his father, Igor, was interviewed about a week ago by Corriere dello Sport and he said that the parties will meet at the end of the season and there will be no problems in regards to a renewal.

"Given that Roma are more than likely to have a pretty massive restructuring of their wage bill this summer, I do expect them to triple what Zaniolo currently earns, which is about 700,000 euros net."

Alasdair Mackenzie is a football journalist in Rome with a firsthand view of the impact Zaniolo is having on the Italian city.

"He's only 19 but already seems to have maturity beyond his years," Mackenzie explained. "Quite a few Roma fans—and people outside the capital too—think they've got the better end of the deal that took him to the club with Nainggolan going the other way. He's already a regular for Roma and it'll be interesting to see if Mancini hands him a start in this month's international break for Italy too.

"The sky appears to be the limit with Zaniolo."

Those Fiorentina tears have long dried, now only time will tell whether Zaniolo can embed himself further in the history books of AS Roma.