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Daniele De Rossi Justifies Decision To Stay At Roma For Life

Daniele De Rossi Justifies Decision To Stay At Roma For Life

Good on you Daniele!

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

There's not many of us who wouldn't have loved to see Daniele de Rossi at the club we support at some point during his career but to his credit the AS Roma midfielder has always stayed in the Italian capital and he explained why.

Rossi and teammate, and football legend, Francesco Totti have both stuck by their team through thick and thin despite constantly being linked with bigger teams with bigger budgets. Totti remains the only member of Roma's Serie A title winning side of 2001 and De Rossi is just as dedicated to the cause of capturing another title.

Totti is likely to retire at the end of the season having secured a new one year deal last term but the 33 year old midfielder explained that he's not planning on leaving yet, having been linked to Chelsea this summer, and that his decision to remain at Roma for his whole career doesn't show a lack of ambition:

"It wouldn't be right toward the fans for me to leave as well, in the same year.

"It's all about ambitions. Money is not something that can move me from Rome to Chelsea because I will get money in Chelsea.

"I get money in Rome, so that's not a difference - at another team I can get more money but this [extra] amount doesn't matter.

"What's more ambitious, a player who wants to go to win the Champions League in Real Madrid, or one who wants to win the league in Rome?

"Roma never won a lot of titles. In 90 years, we won three. It's been hard. I think a great ambition could be also to try to win something nobody ever won. It's more difficult."

And the combative midfielder also explained his connection to the city, club and fans, poetically adding:

"For me, a good player, it could be easier for sure. But the other side of the coin is that I love to stay here. I love to make my people happy.

"You can find crowds also in Chelsea, Madrid, Manchester United. But here I have my friends: my friends in the stands and people that I never knew. But they are just like my friends because they have the same passion, the same faith.

"We have the same story. We cried for the same matches. We've been sad for the same reason. We share our feelings even if we never knew each other. They recognise themselves in us, me and Francesco.

"The one feeling bigger than the pride you feel when you play for Rome is the sadness you feel without Rome."

In a world where we complain about the loyalty of certain players Totti and De Rossi are very much yesterday's men, and that's bloody brilliant!

(Via Goal)

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