WHEN WE TALK about one-club players, Daniele de Rossi should be high on the list.
It was October 2001 when he made his first-team debut for Roma in a Champions League clash against Anderlecht and this evening, the combative midfielder made his 500th appearance for the Italian side.
Roma faced Empoli at the city’s Olympic Stadium and unsurprisingly, the club’s fans went to great lengths to show their admiration and offer their congratulations to the 32-year-old.
Photos began to circulate earlier today of a huge banner in the shadow of the Colosseum, praising de Rossi’s dedication.
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Inevitably, Roma won the game 3-1 and de Rossi grabbed the second goal of the game, either side of strikes from Miralem Pjanic and Mohamed Salah.
This is de Rossi’s fifteenth season with the senior team and he’s never won a Scudetto. During his time with the side, Roma have finished as runners-up on seven separate occasions, including the last two seasons.
The last time Roma won an Italian league title was 2001 – de Rossi graduated to the squad just a few months later.
They’re currently in second place, one point behind early leaders Fiorentina.
