Damiano Tommasi

Damiano Tommasi (Italian pronunciation: [daˈmjaːno tomˈmaːzi]; born 17 May 1974) is an Italian politician and former professional footballer who is the mayor of Verona.

A defensive midfielder during his footballing years, after a decade at Roma – winning the 2001 Serie A title – he continued his career abroad, going on to play for teams in three countries until his retirement from professional football at the age of 37. He amassed Serie A totals of 262 games and 14 goals.

Tommasi earned 25 caps for Italy, and was a member of the team that took part in the 2002 World Cup.

He successively served as the president of the Italian Footballers' Association between 2011 and 2020, before starting a political career the following year and being elected Mayor of Verona in the 2022 local elections.

Club career

Born in Negrar, Province of Verona, Tommasi started his professional career with local club Hellas Verona, in Serie B. He made his Serie A debut on 7 September 1996 with AS Roma in a 3–1 win over Piacenza Calcio, and would be an instrumental figure in the side's 2001 conquest of the scudetto, with manager Fabio Capello even labelling him as the team's most important player.

During a summer friendly match against Stoke City in 2004, Tommasi suffered a serious knee injury in a collision with Gerry Taggart, and was out of action long-term. In the summer of 2005 he accepted a one-year contract extension, with youth player wages (€1,500 a month) – a contract which he instigated himself in the name of fairness. He finally returned to play on 30 October 2005, coming on as a second-half substitute for Olivier Dacourt during a league match against Ascoli Calcio 1898 and being hailed with a long standing ovation by the Roma supporters.