"Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity" (line from the film Gladiator) Gladiators, ready? From the ancient ruins of Rome, a new empire rises. But with a nod to the past, the city's newest gladiator James Pallotta's eyes light up when his thoughts turn to historic sites like the Colosseum. For if all roads lead to Rome, the AS Roma president is leaving no stone unturned in his intention to marry the Eternal City's historic past with Italian football's new emerging force. "I have one big goal," Pallotta tells CNN, with an infectious smile. "I want to get the city to let us play somebody like Barcelona or Bayern Munich or someone like that at the Colosseum."
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AS Roma President James Pallotta outlines new strategy for Italian club
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Pallotta wants to see his team play at Rome's Colosseum or Circus Maximus
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Club's new stadium set to open in time for 2016-17 season
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Roma faces Bayern Munich in Champions League on Tuesday
Colosseum
Colosseum
Colosseum
"We could get 300 million people wanting to watch that around the world -- a game in the @placeholder which they'll never see again.
Barcelona
Neither @placeholder nor Bayern responded to CNN's request to see if they would consider playing against Roma in one of these venues in a friendly.
AS Roma
Roma
Roma
Given that Rome was not built in a day, Pallotta has big plans for @placeholder's youth academy and the city's youngsters.