AS Roma will wear a special kit with the club's old ASR crest in the Derby della Capitale against Lazio. Many fans now want the club to fully return to that old logo. Let's take a look at the different incarnations they’ve used over the years.
AS Roma 21-22 Derby Kit Released - Return of the 'ASR' Logo
Throughout their history, the crest of AS Roma has changed and evolved, with the club occasionally reverting to older versions of the badge.
AS Roma Badge History
The graphic above shows each badge used by the club since they were founded in 1927, with the original version having a traditional shield shape and depicting the Lupa Capitolina, a bronze statue which portrays Romulus and Remus, the brothers who founded Rome according to legend, feeding on the she-wolf who raised them. The bottom half of the crest features the stylised ASR (Associazione Sportiva Roma) lettering. This version went on to be slightly updated several times, always keeping it’s two core elements, with the biggest change being the addition of the golden yellow and dark red background, the club’s famous colors.
Some updates to the badge dropped the mythical imagery and kept just the ASR lettering, while shades of yellow and red changed from time to time, with some form of this design being the most frequently used in the club's history.
Lupetto
1979 saw the introduction of the famous Lupetto logo, the work of much-respected designer Piero Gratton. Although it was officially replaced in 1997 by a colourised take on the original, it has been on the Giallorossi shirts from time to time in recent years.
An Unpopular Change
2013 saw a change that did not go down well with fans, the replacement of the almost ever-present ASR lettering with the name of the city in capitals, ROMA, accompanied by the founding year, 1927. This change came under the ownership of American billionaire James Pallotta, who like all billionaire owners, prioritised the creation of a global recognizable brand over the club’s history. He of course did not consult the fans before doing this. He claimed that few people outside of Italy knew what ASR stood for, and preferred to lean on the club’s association with the city itself to increase its reach.
This is a trend we’ve seen a lot of recently, with PSG making the “Paris” lettering much more prominent on their badge when it underwent its most recent change, as did Bordeaux, before reverting back.
The Right Choice?
The mock-ups by @magliofili show various badges on the current New Balance Roma kit.
The club have released a special kit for the upcoming Derby della Capitale featuring the pre-2013 badge, which will no doubt be popular with the tifosi, although there are no plans to get rid of the current logo completely.
AS Roma 21-22 Derby Kit Released - Return of the 'ASR' Logo
Which incarnation of the AS Roma badge do you think looks best? Have your say in the comments.