Donyell Malen has made the loudest early statement in Serie A, at least in Football Italia’s Round 1 ratings. The outlet gave the Roma forward an 8.5 after his hat-trick in Sunday’s 4-0 victory over Fiorentina.
Paulo Dybala also starred in the same match. Football Italia rated him 8.0 after he set up three goals, putting Roma’s attacking pair clear at the top of its opening-week list.
Malen leads the ratings
Football Italia’s Lorenzo Bettoni published the Round 1 selection on 25 August 2026, one day after Roma faced Fiorentina. Malen’s three goals earned the highest mark named in the report: 8.5.
That makes him the clear leader in this particular set of ratings. It is a strong opening note for Roma, especially because the report places another Roma attacker directly behind him.
The numbers are Football Italia’s judgement of the round, not a confirmed Serie A player-of-the-week prize. Still, a hat-trick in a 4-0 win is not the kind of start that goes unnoticed.
Dybala’s three assists follow
Dybala received an 8.0 from Football Italia for his role against Fiorentina. The report credits him with three assists in Roma’s four-goal win.
Malen finished the moves. Dybala created three of them. Based on the rating list, Roma had the two biggest individual performances of the opening Serie A round.
That is the confirmed context from the report. It does not say whether either player will receive an official league honour, so that remains separate from Football Italia’s selection.
Three players at 7.5
Football Italia listed Pio Esposito, Adrien Rabiot and Antonio Vergara among the players rated 7.5. Kevin De Bruyne, Romano and Davide Frattesi also received 7.5 in the report.
Esposito’s rating came after a goal and an assist in Inter’s 4-1 win over Monza. That is a direct contribution at both ends of the attacking job: scoring once and creating once.
Vergara also scored and assisted, according to Football Italia. His display helped Napoli win 2-0 away at Genoa.
Frattesi decides Bologna trip
Frattesi is another player included on 7.5. Football Italia says he scored Lazio’s winning goal in their victory at Bologna.
The report names Rabiot, De Bruyne and Romano at the same rating level, but the supplied information does not detail their individual match contributions. So it would be a stretch to add more to their Round 1 stories.
What the list does and does not show
The ratings offer a quick snapshot of who caught Football Italia’s eye in the first round. Roma’s result dominates the top two positions, while Inter, Napoli and Lazio also have players represented among the 7.5 group.
But one round is only one round. The list does not establish a season-long pecking order, and it does not confirm any official Serie A award.
For now, the next verifiable step is the next round of league action. Malen and Dybala have set a high bar early; the question is whether Roma can keep that attacking level going.