Loyalty Personified: The Journey of Daniele De Rossi

Loyalty is a currency in football that has been devalued throughout time, with a lot of players and clubs not showing the same degree of commitment to each other. This is a shame as it reduces the bond between the fans and the institution, which is why a lot of people tend to appreciate someone like the Italian midfielder, Daniele De Rossi.

De Rossi was a staple of AS Roma during almost twenty years in Serie A and is the second most capped player in the history of the institution, only behind Francesco Totti, another legend of the club. Therefore, his career and quality are a testament to the commitment he had for Roma, eventually becoming a legend and a symbol of what it means to stay loyal to a club.

This is the life and career of Daniele De Rossi.

The 2000s

De Rossi started to make his name at AS Roma's Primavera team in the 90s because his father, Alberto De Rossi, was the head coach at youth level. However, that didn't stop Danielle from proving his worth and showcasing a lot of talent, which is something that allowed him to make his professional debut with AS Roma during the 2001/02 season, under the guidance of manager Fabio Capello.

A fan of Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, De Rossi has also stated his admiration for Italian football legend, Roberto Baggio, when talking to the official AS Roma website back in 2016.

"For us Italians he's a real legend. When I was little, I was fascinated by his style. Italia '90 and USA '94 were my first big football memories. He was amazing at both and inspired us. He was a wonderful player and is a delightful man. I also like the fact that he's not that involved in football and that he's focusing on living his life. That makes him an even more interesting person."

By the time of the 2003/04 season, De Rossi had become a regular starter at Roma and one of the biggest talents at midfield at the time. His capacity to score goals, defend, and overall being so complete would something that would earn him a call to the 2006 World Cup with the Italy national team.

However, when playing the United States during the second match of the group stage, De Rossi elbowed the American player Brian McBride and was sent off, getting a five-match ban. The Roma player actually sent a letter to FIFA to apologize for his foul, which actually reduced his ban to four matches.

"Fifa told us they gave him a four-match ban rather than a five-match ban because they appreciated the letter De Rossi wrote them apologising for his actions," said the Italian Football Federation's media spokesman Antonello Valentini said at the time, as per The Guardian.

He returned to the World Cup final against France where he entered for his teammate Francesco Totti at the 61st minute of the match. Italy would go on to win the final in penalties, which resulted in De Rossi becoming a World Cup champion.

The following seasons during the 2000s would see the player going from strength to strength, becoming even more important for Roma and also establishing himself as one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, winning the odd Coppa Italia here and there with the Italian side as well.

The 2010s

The 2010s would be an odd period for De Rossi. While still being a consistent presence throughout the years in this era of AS Roma, the club's constant upheaval would result in him not having a lot of chances to compete for the highest honors, which was a period of frustration for a lot of fans and himself included.

"If I had the magic wand, then I'd put a few more trophies in my bag but no one has that power," De Rossi said in 2019. "I'm calm with my choice to be here. Throughout the years I've certainly made some mistakes and it would be impossible to say otherwise."

There were some periods of brilliance, such as the 2016/17 season where the side challenge for the Scudetto against Juventus and the historical comeback against FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League the following year. Now a grizzled veteran, De Rossi became the club's captain after Totti's retirement in 2017 and proved his leadership was up to the task until he decided to leave in the summer of 2019.

Painted wall with historical figures from Boca Juniors

Boca Juniors and Conclusion

De Rossi would go on to sign for Argentinian giants Boca Juniors in August of 2019, much to the surprise of a lot of people. However, he always had interest in playing for the club because of its supporters, which is something he stated after his retirement.

"The most beautiful thing is what you see in the stands," he said in 2020 when looking back at his time with Boca. "It's a warmth we don't have in Italy anymore; it's pure and selfless passion. La Bombonera is the most sensational stadium in the world. I wish the biggest fans would visit it at least once during a Boca Juniors match. I feel privileged to have played there, even if it doesn't hold up well."

Unfortunately, injuries would take a massive toll on De Rossi and wouldn't play all that much in Boca, which also led to him announcing his retirement a few months after.

"I played against the best in the world and I was able to get the career I wanted," De Rossi said when announcing his retirement. "I am happy with my life, I played on two teams that I really love. One meant everything and the other got me inside as I expected".