Roma Ditch De Rossi Again – The Inevitable Downfall of the Prince that Was Promised

In the less-than-perfect world we live in, not all love stories are meant to have a happy ending. And more often than not, a rekindled relationship will suffer the same unsavory fate of its predecessor. And yet, few can avoid the lure of their first love. This, in a nutshell, is the story of Roma and its beloved hero Daniele De Rossi, a story about passion, dedication, sacrifice and inevitable breakups.

Roman, Born and Bred

Born and raised in the Eternal City, our hero grew up with one childhood dream; that he would one day don the Giallorossi jersey and lead his beloved club’s charge against blood enemies Lazio in the famous Derby della Capitale.

DDR wasn’t the strongest, he wasn’t the fastest, and he certainly wasn’t the most technical. Yet, he had the biggest weapon an aspiring youngster could possess: An obsessive dream and the unwavering determination to achieve it.

In the end, he made it. At an early age, De Rossi had already cemented himself as a pillar for Roma in the middle of the park, a battling enforcer who became an instant hit with the fanbase who rightfully adopted him as one of their own.

Eternal Capitan Futuro

For more than a decade, the midfielder served under the guidance of his great friend, idol and mentor, Francesco Totti. If the iconic Number 10 was the King of Rome, De Rossi was the prince that was promised, or as the fanbase and the media labeled him, “Capitan Futuro”, a nickname that he seemingly despised that he once urged the press to ditch it, preferring to be simply be referred to as Roma’s “vice-captain”.

Perhaps De Rossi was right in his approach. It is one thing to address a young and aspiring player as “Capitan Futuro”, but the moniker was becoming less appealing and more inappropriate as the years gone by, The Roman had already established himself as one of the most reliable midfielders on the planet, and was a World Champion in his own right. So when he reached his thirties, the nickname sounded straight awkward.

In the end, the old prophecy came true, and De Rossi truly became Roma’s first captain in 2017. Nevertheless, that was hardly a joyful occasion for the midfielder. On the one hand, he had lost his best friend and ally at Trigoria, as his ascension only ensued when his mentor Totti was unceremoniously pushed towards the door and forced to hang up his boots. And on the other hand, DDR was already 34 years of age, a weary veteran of hundreds of battles.

Belated Coronation

Therefore, the Prince’s coronation somewhat felt both belated and anti-climactic. His role on the pitch was already diminishing, and only two years later, he was given the same treatment as his predecessor, with the management refusing to grant him a new contract, thus putting an end to a short reign that never reached its climax.

Although De Rossi’s brief spell as captain did witness some joyful moments – most notably the unforgettable comeback victory over Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals – his departure certainly left a sense of emptiness and unfulfillment in the souls of Romans everywhere.

The midfielder then went on to chase another dream of his by signing for Boca Juniors, but two decades of service at the Stadio Olimpico had taken their toll on his body, so he never truly stood a chance at the age of 36, so he rightfully called it a day before embarking on a new managerial career.

All Roads Lead Home

They say all roads lead to Rome, let alone for someone who considers the Eternal City his home. So even though De Rossi’s managerial career had yet to take off, Roma still decided to resort to his services when they decided to wield the axe on José Mourinho’s storied stint in the Italian capital.

Perhaps calling on the services of a club legend has become a fashionable idea in the current day and age, or maybe the management had very few options available in January. But regardless of the reasoning, De Rossi succeeded in steadying the ship; The atmosphere at Trigoria became serene, as the returning prince managed (at least temporarily) to reconcile the various entities within the club (the fanbase, the hierarchy and the squad).

The former Italy international may have fallen short in his quest to reach the Champions League, but few could have blamed him for it, as the club was already trailing in this regard when he took over in mid-season. At least he managed to guide the team towards a memorable Europa League campaign, before ultimately succumbing at the hands of the juggernaut that was Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.

The Inevitable Collapse

But as is often the case in the volatile Roman atmosphere, any project could be brought to ruins at the first sight of crisis. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but Roma, the club, can certainly collapse in less.

On the back of an impressive summer transfer campaign, the expectations at Trigoria were high at the start of the season. So when De Rossi’s men didn’t yield the desired results straight away, the Friedkins, once again, resorted to the “Panic Button”, deciding to sacrifice their Roman general who couldn’t lead the team to victory in the first four rounds of the campaign.

Hence, Koni De Winter’s last-minute equalizer in the contest between Genoa and Roma proved to be the final nail in the coffin of a managerial stint that never peaked – similar to De Rossi’s time as captain. Ironically, his last footage as Giallorossi manager saw him sprinting across the Marassi pitch after receiving his marching orders, perhaps as an omen to the swift ending that was about to befall on the manager’s tenure.

So maybe it was fate after all. Perhaps DDR was simply a great soldier who seemingly had the qualifications to lead, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

Totti the Seer?

Only a few days before Wednesday’s “shock” announcement, Totti had envisioned his good friend’s demise, warning he could become the sacrificial lamb that pays the price for the club’s false start.

Totti undoubtedly has great many talents in his arsenal, but prophesying isn’t one of them. The legendary captain has simply lived long enough to read the writing on the wall. After all, he himself was shown the door after more than 20 years of service on the pitch, and was reduced to a mere figurehead when he later joined the club’s management. And let’s not forget that Mourinho suffered an identical fate less than a year ago.

So perhaps De Rossi’s sacking wasn’t so shocking after all as illustrated in the press, even though many of us had expected him to last a bit longer.

What now for De Rossi?

Nevertheless, this certainly won’t be a dead blow to the 42-year-old young managerial career. As history tells us, club icons scarcely fare well at their beloved clubs where the pressure is always insurmountable, but they could find glory elsewhere at other clubs with fewer expectations on their shoulders.

Therefore, De Rossi wasn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last club icon to fall short in coaching, but he showcases the same grit and tenacity that marked his illustrious playing career, he will most certainly find glory away from Rome, even though his botched tenure at Trigoria will live on as an eternal wound in his soul.