Stephan El Shaarawy: from a young star to a controversial return to Roma

Stephan El Shaarawy, once considered among the most promising talents in world football, has lived two opposite destinies: the brilliant rise in Italy and the emotional return to the Olimpico after an adventure in Asia. His journey is marked by controversial choices and indelible memories.

The transfer to Shanghai

Sixteen million reasons, for three years, drove El Shaarawy to leave Roma in 2019. He signed a two‑season contract with Shanghai Shenhua, taking advantage of the period when Chinese football was booming, ready to capture a slice of the European market, as Saudi Arabia has done in recent years.

Genoa hosted his beginnings, while in Padua he experienced the breakthrough that attracted attention. The seasons at Milan were the most important, but frequent injuries hampered his development, despite the potential to become one of the best in the world.

El Shaarawy left the Rossoneri at twenty‑three, but the numbers show his worth: ten years in the Capital, 348 appearances and 66 goals, with the nineteen goals of the 2012‑13 season that have never been surpassed.

On October 17 he returned to the Olimpico in different colours, as an opponent, but with the same affection. “There are emotions that football gives you and that no word will ever be able to describe fully… Thank you Roma, thank you Romanisti, for making me feel, once again, one of you,” said Stephan El Shaarawy, emphasizing the bitterness of defeat and the gratitude for the past.

Today, on the day of his thirty‑second birthday, El Shaarawy reflects on the contrast between his youthful promise and the choices that took him from Italy to China and back to Italy, leaving open the question of what the next chapter of his career will be.