In 1998, Paolo Peroso and other Laziali from various corners of the world created the Lazio fan site Lazio Mania.
This later became Lazio World, Lazio Fever and is now known as LazioLand. Today, the fan site consists mainly of a forum that connects Laziali from all over the world, and on Saturday evening, they held an event in Rome in order to gather Lazio fans for the much anticipated rivalry between Lazio and Roma that was due to take place on the following day.
A Laziale who travelled from Singapore to watch the event live. Source: LaLazioSiamoNoi.it
Many met from all corners of the world including Singapore, Sweden, England and Canada, to share their passion for Lazio, with stories – good and bad – relevant to the Biancocelesti, ahead of the Derby della Capitale. The sky blue and white region of Italy, take on the yellow and red Capital city in a thrilling, yet dangerous and passionate competition. This is something an individual can talk hours about – especially with Lazio and Roma having phenomenal seasons, tied at 60 points each in 3rd and 4th spot respectively. It is something more than a derby for a lot of fans, as this match-day goes way back to the year 1900 when Lazio was established. Fans fight on the streets, there are songs about each one of the cub’s are created – it is a truly phenomenal thing.
Among the guests on Saturday were special guests and club legends Pino Wilson, Giancarlo Oddi and Giuseppe Signori:
- Wilson was born in Northern England, however he played in Italy for most of his life. With Lazio he made just under 300 appearances throughout his tenure from 1969–1979.
- Oddi was born in Rome and played as a defender for i biancocelesti. He made 100 appearances for the club winning a Scudetto with them in the 1973/74 season.
- Giuseppe Signori played with Lazio from 1992–1997 scoring 107 goals in 152 appearances. A true leader and prolific goalscorer, many fans consider him to be a legend for the club.
This is the Swedish Lazio fan Anel Gadzo’s video of Signori’s entrance at the event:
Editor: @S_K_MOORE
