Daniele De Rossi sent a moving message after making his debut on the bench of his beloved hometown club. ‘There is only one thing that unites so many of us: Roma.’
He has pictures of himself as a child wearing the Giallorossi jersey, long before he joined their youth academy, going through the ranks to become a star midfielder and their captain.
So taking over from sacked Jose Mourinho and making his debut as coach in the Stadio Olimpico was always going to be an emotional moment.
“I will never forget the voices, the gazes and the hugs from last night,” wrote De Rossi on Instagram.
“Above all I will never forget the players, fans and every single component of the club, people who accompanied me and did everything to ensure this evening was incredibly full of love for me.
“We talk often about points to be earned or qualification for this or that tournament, but the most important of objectives is simply to reunite the team, fans and club to become a single entity.
“Because for so many of us, there is only one thing that unites us: Roma.”
It was the perfect debut for De Rossi, as the Giallorossi were able to secure a 2-1 Serie A victory over Hellas Verona thanks to early Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini goals.
They were both on assists from De Rossi’s former Roma teammate, Stephan El Shaarawy.
As a player, DDR made 616 competitive appearances in the Giallorossi jersey, scoring 63 goals and providing 60 assists.
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