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Daniele De Rossi Put His World Cup Winner’s Medal In Kit Man’s Coffin

Daniele De Rossi Put His World Cup Winner’s Medal In Kit Man’s Coffin

An unbelievable gesture from the Roma and Italy legend...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

After 18 seasons of service, Daniele De Rossi is leaving his beloved AS Roma for a new challenge.

A key figure for club and country down the years,the 35-year old will now embark on a new chapter outside of the Italian capital.

One of football's genuine hardmen and a natural born leader, De Rossi epitomised selfnesses and loyalty - with one gesture in particular highlighting this.

De Rossi was of course part of the Italy team that triumphed in the 2006 tournament in Germany, beating France on penalties in Berlin to secure the Azzurri's fourth World Cup.

That World Cup winners' medal is easily the most prized possession of his career but what you might not know is that man nicknamed 'Captain Futuro' gave away his most prized possession in the most amazing way imaginable.

Pietro Lombardi, the kitman when Italy won the tournament, passed away in 2016 at the age of 92.

Nicknamed 'The Toothbrush' because of how handy he was at leaning the players' boots, Lombardi was a huge hit with the Italy squad, including De Rossi.

And so when it came to his funeral - De Rossi took his medal along and placed it in the late Lombardi coffin to show just how much he meant to him.

A passage from the story in Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport at the time reads:

"On Wednesday morning, De Rossi finished his training rather hurriedly and went off as if he had another important engagement. He went to Florence to attend the funeral of Pietro Lombardi, the former Italy kitman, who had passed away aged 92.

"He left training in the morning and put his World Cup winner's medal in his pocket before driving to Florence. There, he greeted his friend for the final time and put his most valuable possession into the coffin."

Just the most wonderful gesture from De Rossi.

In November 2017, De Rossi showed his class again when he went out of his way to see the victorious Swedish players on their bus after Italy failed to qualify the 2018 World Cup.

He congratulated them on their achievement and apologised for his own fans booing their national anthem, as per Swedish outlet Expressen, who say his gesture was wholly appreciated by the Swedes.

What a player and what a bloke. Forza De Rossi.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Football News, Football, Serie A, AS Roma, Italian Football, Italy