Roma fans and Daniele De Rossi honoured Kevin Strootman on his return to the Stadio Olimpico and in his penultimate match with Genoa.
The Dutch midfielder started for the Grifone on Sunday night in Genoa’s 1-0 loss to Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
A former Roma midfielder who played with De Rossi in the capital, Strootman was warmly hugged by the Giallorossi boss after the final whistle and received a standing ovation from the Curva Sud.
Semplicemente Grazie Grazie Grazie pic.twitter.com/S9s7CKLqnR
— Kevin Strootman (@Kevin_strootman) May 20, 2024
The 34-year-old was visibly moved and struggled to fight back the tears.
Genoa boss Alberto Gilardino has recently revealed that Genoa won’t extend Strootman’s contract beyond June, so next weekend’s match against Bologna will be his final appearance with the Rossoblu.
𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝑚𝑎 💛❤️#Strootman saluta la Curva giallorossa 👏#RomaGenoa #DAZN pic.twitter.com/LQPTUB6vcu
— DAZN Italia (@DAZN_IT) May 20, 2024
“Of course, Roma are still in my heart. I had 5 fantastic years here. I wasn’t able to give everything due to injuries, but the fans have always supported me and still send me messages.” Strootman said after the match, as quoted by Romapress.
“They love me here, I miss Roma so much. They were the most beautiful 5 years of my career.
“They called me ‘washing machine’, but in recent years, I was a bit of a broken washing machine, but I try to give everything, and today was special playing against a strong team like Roma. Playing here was exciting and emotional for me.
“De Rossi? He told me to go greet the Curva and so I did. The fans supported me today, too; it was exciting and beautiful. My brother came from Holland just to watch this match. It was a special evening. Daniele is Daniele… I don’t have to add anything else.”
Strootman scored 13 goals in 131 Roma games and the last one came from a De Rossi assist.