Daniele De Rossi has made up his mind and, following the victorious Euro 2020 tournament with Roberto Mancini’s staff, has decided to leave the Italian national team behind. The former Giallorossi captain has expressed his desire to become a full-time manager.
He released the following statement to Sportweek:
“It was a difficult choice to make because I had a wonderful time with everybody. I gave them maybe one percent of what I had to give, but they paid me back by making me live through an unforgettable experience. I will always be indebted to the national team.”
On his new objective in mind:
“I know what I want to do: I want to coach. And even though it may seem odd since I’m only 38 years old and I’ve never coached before, I feel I’m ready.”
“To hang around the national team, waiting for the right coaching opportunity to come along wouldn’t be fair to the federation and to Mancini who’s been so great with me.”
Finally he touched upon coaching Roma in the future:
“It will happen when I’ll deserve it. But it’s not an obsession that haunts me.”