Evergreen De Rossi finds renewed recognition and responsibility with national team

Perhaps it was no surprise that, amid the numerous tributes on his 40th birthday, it was the video message from Daniele De Rossi that resonated most with Francesco Totti.

The video showed De Rossi - who recently became a father for the third time – sitting at home watching children's show Peppa Pig, before reminiscing about how things had progressed for two Romans who have known each other almost 20 years.

Signing off “I love you, my old mate”, De Rossi’s birthday wishes certainly struck a chord with the captain.

“That touched me,” Totti said. “We’ve grown up together - we were young and single, and now we have families, kids.

“We’ve achieved what we wanted, which is to wear one shirt our career and do the best we can.”

The two men are an integral part of each other’s life and careers, to such an extent that they would never write their own story without heavily referencing the other, their brother in arms. Public perception is not always like that, however; by necessity it has to be a simplification, a summary of what are always complex relationships and nuanced hierarchies.

And so, rightly or wrongly, De Rossi has slowly come to sit in the shadow of Totti in the minds of the wider football world – Rome’s second son, both literally and figuratively.

Few Roma fans would think that way, of course – De Rossi has long since proven, both on and off the pitch, that he has a character and tenacity all of his own – but that is the sort of knowledge and understanding that comes with extensive observation and support. For casual football fans, especially at a club already graced with someone as totemic as Totti, there is not that much room for a second, fully-realised star.

For those, in some ways Il Capitano Futuro will always remain exactly that: the heir apparent to Totti who, as the great striker continued to defy history and time to keep breaking records, eventually became Robin to the No. 10's Batman.

Yet there is one team for whom Totti's story has already finished. Totti may have retired from international duty but De Rossi continues to play on, and has continued to grow ever more important and influential in the heart of that midfield.

That rise was capped off on Thursday, when Italy hosted Spain in a World Cup qualifier in Turin.

Totti retired from international football in 2007, having helped his side win the World Cup in 2006 and done more than any other player to guide them to the European Championship final in 2000.

It was undoubtedly an illustrious Azzurri career – around the world, his fame among casual football fans is perhaps built as much on his performances in those summer tournaments as the many great things he has achieved in red and yellow – but the statistics do not necessarily underline that, with a relatively modest 58 caps and nine goals to his name.

Then there is De Rossi, who seems to have found in the Italian team another outlet for his famous passion. On Thursday in Turin he was belatedly recognised for reaching 100 caps with the national team – only the sixth player ever to do that - with a pre-match award that was warmly applauded.

At the end of the game with Spain, with the score 1-0 in favour of the visitors, Italy were awarded a last-gasp penalty – a final chance, under the most extreme of pressure, to secure something from the game. For Roma this is Totti’s area of expertise, the big player for the biggest occasion.

Who was asked to step up for Italy? De Rossi – who planted the ball on the spot with purpose before sending David De Gea, one the best goalkeepers in the world, the wrong way and finding the back of the net.

1-1, a valuable point gained, De Rossi the hero.

"Many teams in our position would've lost, but we drew and at the end even could have won,” De Rossi said afterwards. “We got that intensity back.

“We put our hearts out there, it’s a part of our DNA.”

The 33-year-old now has 108 appearances for his country, with that penalty finish his 19th international goal. He is the most capped Roma player in Azzurri history, and highest Giallorossi scorer for the national team too.

His 19 goals put him 13th on the all-time Azzurri goalscoring list, with only one midfielder (Adolfo Baloncieri) ahead of him.

That is a remarkable body of work, befitting of a remarkable player. A World Cup winner himself – De Rossi came on when Totti went off in that 2006 final – perception may have him as best supporting actor at club level for much of his career, but once his playing days are over his international legacy will only serve to underline his immense quality as a player.

Not that such a day seems to be particularly close. International football seems to have had something of a rejuvenating effect on De Rossi, extending and propelling a career that has had some ups and downs since turning 30. Last season, with the incentive of last summer's European Championship driving him on, he seemed to rediscover his best form in the final months of the campaign, one that had previously been ravaged by injury.

Still pivotal for club and country, those twin responsibilities seem to continue to bring out the best in De Rossi. Some clubs would be desperate for just one player of the character and conviction to be relied upon to take that decisive penalty kick in the last minute, to step up and put his side's hopes squarely on his shoulders.

On Thursday, even if he was doing it in the blue of his country, De Rossi reminded everyone that Roma have the fortune to have at least two.