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For 298 days – the entire time Florenzi was missing from the first team - the 26-year-old Giallorosssi fan from Toronto took it upon himself to post a new tweet about Florenzi, counting down the days until he returned.
Without fail, each day Theoren – who goes by the username Florenzi’s Hair on Twitter – posted a tweet about his hero – trying to keep the Italian international’s spirits up while he made the long and arduous return from not one but two cruciate ligament injuries.
His dedication to the cause was rewarded not just by Florenzi scoring the opening goal for Roma on his return – but by the player actually recording a video message to say thanks for the support.
Immediately after the game, Florenzi sent a video thanking Theoren personally for his 298-day Twitter thread and all the fans who’ve supported him while he was out.
In the video, Florenzi says: “Hi Theo, thank you for your amazing support. The supporters have been truly vital for me during my recovery, and for this I’m very grateful. A hug.”
Although the video was just 12 seconds long, it immediately caught the attention of not just Theoren, but also Roma fans everywhere – being liked almost 900 times in the space of an hour and retweeted by Florenzi himself.
For the player, it was a simple thank-you – but for the fan, it meant the world.
“It was absolutely incredible and beyond anything I could have imagined,” Theoren told asroma.com about the message. “Gestures like this make fans like me feel connected in a way we never could before. This is truly something that is once in a lifetime thing and I'll never forget it.
“I'm not sure exactly why I started the Twitter thread, but I think it was a way for me to explain my emotions and take my followers along for the ride. This is going to sound incredibly dramatic but when Ale relapsed [and suffered a second cruciate ligament injury] it was a difficult time and I almost gave up the Twitter thread. He was so close to coming back. I just figured I'd have to keep it going.
“It was a good way to archive the emotions and show support in the tiny way I could - just to let him know we're still thinking of him and to keep other fans feeling optimistic. There wasn't an end goal but I think the goal, if anything, was just to be as vocal as I could be in supporting Ale in his recovery although I was pretty confident he hadn't seen it as I don’t think he spends a lot of time on social media.
“Watching his comeback was nerve-wracking. I was worried he'd be rusty or a step off but he was phenomenal, like he hadn't missed a day. When the starting XI was announced, I was out and I spent 20 minutes yelling out to window of my car to complete strangers: ‘He’s back!’
“When he scored, I'm pretty sure I celebrated more than Alessandro did. When he won the penalty,I was screaming and when he stepped up I was so nervous I could barely watch. When he scored I ran through the house screaming. Like most Romanisti, I'm sure, I just felt proud and relieved and incredibly happy for him."
With the game over, Florenzi’s video message – posted on the club’s English Twitter account – came as a total surprise.
“I was just watching TV and my notifications were going wild and I saw I was mentioned in a tweet from Roma. I was somewhat confused then I opened the tweet and I was floored. I dropped my phone and I'm pretty sure I watched the video 12 times before I could process or react. A few people mentioned me in Twieets but I didn't read their tweets until after I saw the video. Some were excited, some were concerned for my health. It was difficult to keep up with it all as I was still blown away by the initial tweet and video.
“At first I just thought it was a tweet that tagged me and the video took a moment to load so I was just excited and happy that the club had taken notice of me for something I had done. At first I was curious. I think the nerves took over when I first saw Alessandro's face. Like I said, I was so taken aback I dropped my phone.
“I watched the video 10-15 times just to process what it was. I don't know if I can properly put into words how I felt. Overwhelmed would be a start - in a good way. I was astonished that Ale had taken note and he was thanking me. For what? I get to watch him play for my club and he was thanking me. I couldn't stop laughing. It was such an amazing feeling to see that my tweets had made it somewhere. I felt proud more than anything.
“It's remarkable that a player who has been through an injury like this takes note of an obsessed fan and credits them. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I cried like a baby. Rewatching the video over and over didn't make it better either.
“I was blown away by the reaction of the other fans. There were so many positive comments. I know my friends and followers have had to put up with my #ForzaAle tweets for 300 days and they'd seen me go through it daily but even strangers were excited for me. I got so many messages and replies - I couldn't possibly thank everyone for their kind remarks. I've always loved how Roma fans have been able to come together - through nothing more than a mutual love of Roma – and form a community of fans who become friends.
“I always knew Ale was a down-to-earth person. I've met him a couple times but I was astonished at how humble he was. It's amazing to see a player reach out to a fan anytime and this just take it to new heights. As for the club, it's a new level of respect. To see that they do notice and recognise the fans on Twitter is amazing. The humbleness shown by the club and by Alessandro was remarkable and it's left me with a memory that I'll never forget and I'll always be grateful for.”
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