Daniele De Rossi is one of the few players left in the game to have dedicated their entire career to one club.
In this often materialistic and money-driven sport, players like De Rossi contradict the selfish stereotype of professional footballers.
He gives us hope that loyalty is still very much a thing in modern-day football, and for that we thank him.
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De Rossi, who has spent almost 20 years at AS Roma after making his debut under Fabio Capello on the 10th of October, 2001, has since gone on to make over 600 appearances for I Giallorossi.
The Italian is still going strong at the tender age of 35, with his influence on the pitch proving invaluable for his club.
De Rossi's leadership qualities make him a perfect role model on the pitch and in last night's 2-1 win over Bologna, the midfielder reminded us of his influence.
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After being subbed on for striker Justin Kluivert in the 68th minute, teammate Alessandro Florenzi threw the captain's armband at the Italian.
De Rossi then offloaded the armband back to Florenzi, who started the game as captain, and in the meantime, it sent a strong message.
A true leader doesn't need a armband to show that he's the leader. He just is.
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Get on with it.
The 35-year-old clearly sees something in Florenzi, who has a long way to go if he wants to emulate the likes of Francesco Totti and De Rossi.
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He, at least, admits that fact:
"I am proud to have worn the captain's armband, and I always will be." Florenzi said back in October.
"I still have a long way to go to get close to emulating Totti and De Rossi. Daniele is our captain and I hope he plays as many games as possible, because he's key for us."
Respect.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, Win, Football, Serie A, AS Roma, Italy
