Centre-backs: Mehdi Benatia (Juventus), Marquinhos (PSG) and Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
Roma have sold a lot of top central defenders in recent years which is why the likes of Mexico’s Hector Moreno and Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli do not feature in this XI.
Mehdi Benatia joined Roma from Udinese in 2013 and spent just one season at the club before joining Bayern Munich. During his only season with Roma, he was named the club’s player of the season and in the Serie A Team of the Year.
He has since played for Bayern Munich and Juventus and won the league title in all four seasons with the two giants of Europe.
Marquinhos joined Roma when he was 18-years-old from Corinthians for a mere €1.5 million and was sold to PSG a year later for €31.4 million! It was one of the highest fees paid for a teenager and a defender at that time but over the years, the Brazilian has lived up to the price tag.
He played as a centre-back and right-back for Roma in his only season and helped the club reach the final of the Coppa Italia in 2013 which they ultimately lost to arch-rivals Lazio.
Antonio Rudiger spent the 2015/16 season on loan at Roma from Stuttgart for €4 million and at the end of an impressive first season, Roma made his move permanent for €9 million + €0.5m bonuses.
In his two seasons at the club, he played 72 games while playing a key role in their good form in the league in both seasons. In 2017, he moved to Chelsea £29 million and won the FA Cup in his debut season in England.
Roma, meanwhile, made a huge profit on another player.