The Coloseum, The Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps, Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi. All of the above are current symbols of Rome, however Daniele De Rossi’s place on that list is currently in jeopardy.
The Roman born and bred midfielder is currently in the midst of a contract saga with his boyhood club, Roma. De Rossi’s contract expires next summer prompting fears from the Gialorossi faithful that their beloved “Capitano Futuro” could very well leave on a Bosman ruling.
What may also scare Roma fans is that just north of Rome in Florence a similar situation has unfolded for the worse. Talismanic Ricardo Montolivo has stated that he intends to leave Fiorentina on a Bosman next summer after refusing to sign a contract extension. Montolivo, who has become quite the cult hero for Fiorentina, has reiterated that he wants to join a club of more ambition.
Montolivo’s refusal to extend his contract has ultimately cost him his legend status in the city of Florence…a similar fate that De Rossi could share.
However, the De Rossi situation is a bit different to that of Montolivo’s. For one, De Rossi was born in Rome and has played for Roma his whole life. Secondly, Roma this summer (under new American owner Thomas Di Benedetto) have shown plenty ambition as they spent millions trying to revamp the squad for newly appointed manager Luis Enrique.
With Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini unsuccessful in trying to lure the Italian International to the Eastlands this past summer, a worse fate could be in store for the Roma faithful as they risk losing De Rossi for free…a thought that is almost unbearable.
Having made 254 Serie A appearances for Roma and being Roma’s All-Time appearance maker with the Italian national team (68 games), De Rossi risks throwing it all away in exchange for being just another player at Manchester City.
Should De Rossi leave on a free at the end of the season he would possibly never be accepted back into the hearts of Roma fans and would just be remembered as a good footballer instead of a Club Legend.
Perhaps the passion of the Rome Derby this evening is enough to sway De Rossi into extending his contract and preserving his status as a club icon.
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