Daniele De Rossi, AS Roma legend has revealed two ex-Manchester United players who made him not to join the Red Devils during his playing time.
The ex-Italy international and current AS Roma icon Daniele De Rossi has claimed he has always wished to play for Manchester United.
After a brief stint with Boca Juniors, De Rossi announced his retirement from professional football in the year 2020.
However, his legacy will be forever related to Roma. The tough-tackling midfielder made 616 appearances for the Italian giants over 17 seasons, earning him a place in the club’s annals as a legend for his service and dedication.
If he had joined Manchester United as he had hoped, the story would be completely different.
Quality players ahead of him in the pecking order at Old Trafford are the sole reason De Rossi did not end up doing his trade at the club.
De Rossi confessed in an interview with Sky Sports how much he loves the Red Devils while also setting out the reasons a transfer never happened.
Speaking on his Man United transfer, De Rossi said; “Since I was a child I have loved United. It was the right choice that I didn’t go to Manchester because there were Keane and Scholes, incredible players. It was really my desire to go to Boca Juniors”.
He added; “I went on a football path that is not unique, but rare, Playing 20 years on a team does not happen every day. I can’t dream of the same thing if I become a coach, there are no coaches that last so long”.
De Rossi was a phenomenal player in his days, and he helped the Azzurri win the 2006 World Cup.
However, in typical De Rossi form, he was suspended for the first half of the tournament after receiving a red card.
His superior quality is more evidence of the high bar established by Keane and Scholes.
The fact that De Rossi decided against joining Man United because of the threat posed by the United combination says it all.
De Rossi clearly has no regrets about not joining Man United and is quite pleased with his legacy while wearing the Roma jersey.
Although De Rossi has had a less-than-stellar managerial career thus far, he still has hopes of one day sitting in the Old Trafford dugout and fulfilling his United ambition as a coach, unlike how he passed up the opportunity to play for Man United.
He has held only one managerial post, as manager of Serie B club SPAL, but he was fired after only five months with the club in the relegation zone.
Who is Daniele De Rossi?
Daniele De Rossi was born on the 24th of July, 1983.
He is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
De Rossi is famously known for his time playing for his hometown club Roma in the Serie A, as well as a former FIFA World Cup-winning Italian international.
De Rossi’s Club Career
Regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world during his era, De Rossi has been referred to as a “complete midfielder” while playing for Roma.
The former Italian icon is famous for his tackling, vision, awareness, passing range, strength, energy, and goal-scoring ability during his prime.
The tough-tackling midfielder made 616 appearances for the Italian giants over 17 seasons.
And during his lengthy stint at Roma, he won the Coppa Italia twice in 2007 and 2008, and the 2007 Supercoppa Italiana.
He subsequently joined Argentine club Boca Juniors in the summer of 2019.
The Italian legendary midfielder left Roma for Boca Junior because he wants to experience a new atmosphere outside Roma, according to ESPN.
De Rossi retired from professional football in January 2020.
International Career
De Rossi is the highest-scoring midfielder for the Italian national team post-World War II, with 21 goals in 117 international appearances.
He is also the all-time second-highest-scoring midfielder for Italy, behind only Adolfo Baloncieri.
He is the joint fourth-most capped player for the Italian national team.
De Rossi represented his country in 140 appearances across all competitions and bagged 26 goals.
His managerial career
Immediately after retirement, De Rossi revealed his ambition to become a football coach.
Following that revelation, he was quickly linked to several Serie A managerial vacancies between 2020 and 2021, including Fiorentina, Crotone, and Cagliari, despite not possessing the UEFA Pro Licence required to serve as head coach in the Italian top flight.
In December 2020, De Rossi started the UEFA A license course.
And on the 18th of March 2021, De Rossi was unveiled as Roberto Mancini’s new assistant in charge of the Italian national team.
He successively left the Italian team to complete his UEFA A coaching course and was appointed as the new manager of Serie B side SPAL on 11 October 2022.
However, he was dismissed on Valentine’s Day in 2023, leaving SPAL in eighteenth place in the Serie B league table.
What is De Rossi doing now?
The ex-Italian football star and manager is yet to secure another job after he lost his coaching job at SPAL.
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