Juventus fans applaud De Rossi in rare tribute to Roma icon
Juventus supporters staged a remarkable tribute to former Roma captain Daniele De Rossi during a recent match at the Allianz Stadium, acknowledging the midfielder's longstanding respect for the Bianconeri despite a career defined by rivalry. The gesture, which included a banner reading 'Ciao De Rossi, prima uomo, poi calciatore' (Goodbye De Rossi, first a man, then a footballer), highlighted a mutual admiration that often defied the entrenched hostility between the clubs.
De Rossi, a one-club man for 18 years at Roma where he served as captain and later as manager, was known for his fierce competitiveness on the pitch, including a notorious straight red card for a foul on Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini. Off the field, however, he consistently demonstrated a nuanced perspective. Following a match where he insulted Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic, De Rossi publicly apologized, stating the intensity of the 90 minutes was no excuse for his behavior.
His most significant break from the prevailing narrative in Italian football came in 2008. After his Roma side, managed by Luciano Spalletti, lost a tight title race to Inter Milan amid a season of controversial refereeing, De Rossi made a statement that stunned the calcio world. He claimed that '7-8 of Inter's matches, when they were in decline, were falsified,' and added that had similar incidents benefited Juventus, the media reaction would have been far more severe. According to reports, this direct criticism of a rival other than Juventus was a rare deviation from a decades-old storyline in Italian sports media.
During Juventus's run of nine consecutive Serie A titles, De Rossi repeatedly offered praise for the Bianconeri's dominance. In 2017, he reflected that his Roma side would have been remembered as a great team were it not for the 'monsters' of Juventus ahead of them, whom he called a 'legendary team making football history.' This respect was reportedly rooted in personal relationships with Juventus figures like Gianluigi Buffon and Chiellini, and a special regard for former Juve coach Marcello Lippi.
The article from which this account is drawn notes that Juventus had attempted to sign a young De Rossi from Roma in a swap involving Edgar Davids, a move that never materialized. In recent years, De Rossi has also been critical of general regulatory and refereeing confusion in Serie A, even finding a silver lining in a high-profile error during an Inter-Juventus match, suggesting the global spotlight might force positive change.
The tribute from Juventus fans is seen as a recognition of this consistent integrity and his refusal to engage in facile, conformist criticism. For a player whose identity was so deeply intertwined with Roma, earning such applause in Turin represents a significant and uncommon honor in the often tribal landscape of Italian football.
