Roma Review of 2016 Part 15: 1,000 Serie A games for Totti and De Rossi

Roma’s review of 2016 continues with a celebration of yet another milestone for the Giallorossi’s favourite sons – Francesco Totti and Daniel De Rossi...

Kevin Strootman, Roma midfielder: “Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi are Roma – Roma wouldn't exist without them.”

David Rossi, Roma Radio: “It's hard to add anything about Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi because the whole world has already had their say about them.”

Tommaso Guccione, Roma fan: "Francesco and Daniele are two symbols of Roma for me and for all Giallorossi fans, two idols of a kind of football that's becoming harder and harder to find. In other words, two superstars who have decided to dedicate their entire careers to one club, despite knowing that if they’d done elsewhere they might well have won more.”

Kevin Strootman: “They've done everything and given everything for the club. Both of them could have gone elsewhere to the best teams in the world.”

Antonio Rudiger, Roma defender: “This is something amazing. I’m very happy for both of them because they are born and raised here. If you hear ‘Roma’, you think about De Rossi and Francesco Totti. For me it is a big honour and a pleasure just to sit with them in the locker room, especially Daniele because he sits directly next to me.”

David Rossi: “A few years ago I gave De Rossi Roy Keane's autobiography because I knew how much he admired him – that's actually why Daniele wears No.16.”

Wayne Girard, Roma fan: “They are a source of pride. When you’re a fan of Rome, it’s not like other teams in Italy where players come and go. Where their marquee players are here, then Milan, then Juventus and then maybe they had a stint in Madrid. These are our pillars, our staples. To see them, honestly, it kind of helped us feel superior to all of the other Italian teams. This is what the club means and it’s bigger than just a city: this is Roma.”

Antonio Rudiger: Sometimes when I just look at them both, I get goosebumps, because for me these are real legends of football. Of course we have legends like these in Germany, but for me those two… it’s a different sort of level.”

David Rossi : “I was lucky enough to meet Francesco in 1998 and I wrote his diary at Euro 2000. I remember he would complain because he couldn't chip the ball on the PlayStation! I was there in Amsterdam and I witnessed something I'll never forget. Totti set off from the centre circle [to take his penalty] and said something to [Paolo] Maldini, who turned and made this gesture as if to say, 'This guy's nuts.'

"That's when he said that line that became famous, 'mo je faccio er cucchaio' [in Roman dialect, literally, 'Now I'm gonna spoon it.']. We used that for the title of a book we wrote together for charity in 2006.”

Tommaso Guccione: “Ever since I was little, whenever someone asked me which shirt I wanted or which player I'd like to become, I always said the same thing - either Totti or De Rossi. They are role models for all Roma fans because they stuck by their beloved club.

"As they've both played so many games for the Giallorossi, they're two characters I'll forever associate with my childhood. I'll never forget them even when I'm much older. I count myself lucky to have seen them at the peak of their powers. I believe we should laud Totti and De Rossi over other fan bases.”

Kevin Strootman: “Even in the Netherlands, when you say Roma everyone thinks about Totti and De Rossi.”

Antonio Rudiger: “When I was young, people would always speak about them. We would play as them on the PlayStation. Everyone admired them. They have this charisma and aura about them.”

Wayne Girard: “There is something about this club, about the fans, even the food, the culture, the lifestyle and the families that keep these players here. That’s all symbolised and monumentalised in these two players. For me, especially having southern Italian roots, it makes me extremely grateful of who my role models are or were as a kid, and what they’ve shown the rest of the world about what it means to be true.”

David Rossi: “They're both very down-to-earth Romans who represent our city perfectly. Few players can rival them in their respective positions. Totti is the best Italian player in the post-war period while Daniele is an astonishing midfielder who's been given much less credit than he deserves in the second half of his career - his reading of the game and positioning are second to none.”

Tommaso Guccione: "The only downside is that during the match against Palermo, when they hit the milestone of 1,000 Serie A games for Roma, the Curva Sud weren't there to celebrate.“

Kevin Strootman: “It's always an honour to stand next to them on the pitch. They give a hand to everyone, youngsters and team-mates alike. It's important for us to have them with us, both in training and in matches. They're phenomenal and role models for footballers everywhere."

Antonio Rudiger: “I will tell my kids, if I have them in the future, that I played with these great, great players and human beings.”