/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69006162/484007580.0.jpg)
We didn't draw it up this way but after yesterday's bitterly disappointing defeat to Napoli, we're turning our attention to a decidedly lighter story: hairstyles! Late last week, we decided to jump on the March Madness bandwagon by putting a subtle twist on one of America's greatest sporting traditions. But instead of pitting college basketball teams against each other, we decided to whittle down the greatest hairstyles in AS Roma history.
There were a lot of close contests in the earliest hours of the vote but eventually, the favorites broke through. Now we're onto the quarterfinals; the highest remaining seeds in each region will face off against the lowest remaining seeds. Voting will remain open until Tuesday, after which we'll advance to the final four before crowning a champion on Friday.
You can see all the preliminary results right here, but on to the quarterfinals!
Romulus Region
Francesco Totti Scudetto Long Hair (#1) vs. Zaniolo Bleached (#5)
With 83% of the vote, Francesco Totti breezed past his opening round competition, Philippe Mexes’ during his long-hair phase, and now comes up against the only upsetter in this region: Nicolo Zaniolo's bleached look, which pulled off a minor upset over the fourth-seeded Agostino Di Bartolomei and his 1980s side-swept bangs.
This will be an interesting matchup between Roma's biggest icon and perhaps their next icon.
Poll
Scudetto winning long hair Totti vs. Zaniolo's bleached do
Gabriel Batistuta’s Biblical Locks (#2) vs. Pablo Daniel Osvaldo’s Aquaman (#3)
Batigol received a bit of a scare from Lindsey Thomas and her silver braids, with the Serie A Femminile forward keeping the vote close in the early hours of this bracket challenge, but the Roma Scudetto legend prevailed and will now square off against his fellow Argentine striker, Pablo Daniel Osvaldo.
Two iconic strikers (though for drastically different reasons) and two fantastic manes: who will win?
Poll
Batigol's Biblical Locks vs. PDO's Momoa Impersonation
Remus Region
Francesco Totti Swayze Mullet (#1) vs. Radja’s Bleached Mohawk (#5)
Oh man, this will undoubtedly be the toughest matchup of the quarterfinals. Radja Nainggolan can't compete with Totti on the pitch, but his willingness to let his freak flag fly produced some incredibly unique and memorable hairstyles. And none were more iconic than his bleached/black mohawk. But, if there’s one man who can withstand Radja's style, it's the 2010 version of Francesco Totti, who gave a subtle nod to 80s legend Patrick Swayze with this mini-mullet.
Poll
Totti from Roadhouse vs. Nainggolan from Mad Max
Young Claudio Ranieri (#2) vs. Stephan El Shaarawy's Spikes (#3)
The only old school Roman to make it out of the first round, Claudio Ranieri's classic look comes face-to-face with perhaps the most patented look in club history: Stephan El Shaarawy's well-coifed spikes. Retro vs. Modern. Classic vs. Contemporary.
Poll
Claudio's classic vs. SES Spikes
Get your votes in by Tuesday and look out for the semifinals the following day before we crown our champion on Friday. Thanks for voting!