Roma have confirmed that Daniele De Rossi will wear the Roma shirt for the last time ever against Parma on Sunday.
The Serie A outfit broke the news on Tuesday morning, revealing the long-serving midfielder will emotionally leave the club at the end of the season.
35-year-old De Rossi has made an incredible 615 appearances during 18 years at Roma, putting him second on the club’s list of all-time leading appearance-makers.
But he won’t be hanging up his boots - instead he plans to pursue an adventure away from Rome.
“For 18 years, Daniele has been the beating heart of AS Roma’s team,” club president James Pallotta said. “From his debut in 2001 to taking on the responsibility of the captain’s armband, he always represented the Roma fans on the pitch with pride as he established himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe.”
“We will all shed tears when he pulls on the Giallorossi shirt for the last time against Parma but we respect his desire to prolong his playing career - even if, at almost 36, it will be away from Rome. On behalf of everyone at Roma, I’d like to thank Daniele for his incredible dedication to this club and ensure him that our doors will remain open for him to return to the club in a new role whenever he wants.”
De Rossi joined boyhood club Roma as a teenager back in 2000, going on to make his first-team debut a year later before becoming one of the most dominant midfielders in the world. In 2017, the former Italy international then inherited the captaincy from fellow club legend Francesco Totti, who is the only player above him in Roma’s all-time appearance list. During his remarkable 18-year career at Stadio Olimpico, De Rossi has scored 63 goals, as well as winning two Coppa Italia titles and a Supercoppa.
