In the winter of 2024, Roma decided to appoint Daniele De Rossi as manager after the dismissal of José Mourinho. And after an encouraging start from the former number 16, fans were growing hopeful that the man who had made the club famous as a player would have an equally impressive career on the bench.
The following season, despite his contract extension, the Ostia native only made a handful of appearances as manager, and was then sacked by the Friedkins.
From then on, a series of ups and downs began for the club, which first brought in Ivan Juric and then Claudio Ranieri, but the season still ended with the club securing a Europa League spot.
Fans, however, remained discontented at seeing a club legend treated so poorly. Even more disappointed than the fans was De Rossi himself, who gave an interview to Cronache di Spogliatoio.
In a brief excerpt, the former midfielder commented on his dismissal: “I was furious. I had my ‘enemies’ and I felt defeated in a battle I didn’t have time to fight. But I never wanted to show that I was getting jealous. I only did it once in a press conference at Spal, and I regretted it. I’ve worked hard on these things.”
“DDR” then spoke about the derbies: “I didn’t suffer in any match except the derbies. Before facing Lazio, I spent three days vomiting with Dacourt holding my head. My experience with Roma wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t deserve a finale with such a bleak outcome.”
