Exactly 25 years ago, on 30 October 2001, Daniele De Rossi made his first appearance for Roma, in a 1-1 draw with Anderlecht. The club has marked the anniversary with a retrospective on that night.
Roma had already secured qualification to the next stage of the Champions League before kicking off, but a final group slot was still to be filled. Fabio Capello's side wore the Champions League kit of that season, half yellow and half red, with blue shorts and socks. Capello fielded an experimental side in a 3-5-2 system, with Pelizzoli in goal, a back three of Siviglia, Samuel and Aldair, and a midfield of Cafu, Assunção, Emerson, Tomic and Guigou, with Cassano and Delvecchio up front. Anderlecht took the lead through Mornar, and Delvecchio equalised to make it 1-1 at full time.
The defining moment came in the 26th minute of the second half, when an 18-year-old with a blond bob haircut and the number 27 shirt replaced the Serbian midfielder Ivan Tomic. It was his first appearance for Roma, and he had yet to play a league match. He went on to make three further appearances in the Coppa Italia that season. His first Serie A match came on 25 January 2003, at the neutral venue of Piacenza against Como.
The club describes that 1-1 draw with Anderlecht as the first piece in the story of De Rossi's time at Roma. He has worn the shirt 616 times, beginning with that night against Anderlecht. The figure 616 is, in the club's words, evocative of what De Rossi would become at Roma. The number 16, which he has worn since 2005, is made up of 6 and 16, and the club notes the 6 for De Rossi himself.
Story Coverage2 sources on this story
On 30 October 2001, 25 years ago, Daniele De Rossi made his first appearance for Roma, in a 1-1 Champions League draw with Anderlecht. Both outlets report that the club has marked the anniversary, and Forza Roma places the match at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma had already qualified for the next stage before kick-off, so the game was about filling the last group slot. Fabio Capello fielded an experimental 3-5-2 side in the club's half yellow, half red kit with blue shorts and socks. Anderlecht took the lead through Mornar, and Delvecchio equalised.
The turning point came in the 26th minute of the second half, when an 18-year-old with a blond bob haircut and the number 27 shirt replaced Ivan Tomic. It was his first Roma appearance, and he had yet to play a league match. The club describes that night as the first chapter of De Rossi's time at Roma. He has since worn the shirt 616 times, and the club says the figure is evocative of what he became at the club. He has worn number 16 since 2005, which the club links to the 6 for De Rossi himself. Retesport adds that he made three Coppa Italia appearances that season and that his first Serie A match came on 25 January 2003, at the neutral venue of Piacenza against Como.
Forza Roma adds profiles of the players who featured that night. Ivan Pelizzoli joined from Atalanta and holds the club record of 774 clean-sheet minutes, set in 2003-2004. Walter Samuel made 173 appearances, Aldair 436, and Marco Delvecchio 300, scoring 83 goals. Antonio Cassano played from 2001 until January 2006, making 161 appearances and scoring 52 goals. Neither outlet's coverage conflicts with the other on the facts given.
AI synthesis of all sources below — always check the originals.
Testo Originale / Source Text
“Ben 25 anni fa, Daniele De Rossi fece l’esordio in Serie A con la maglia della Roma: 30 ottobre 2001 contro l’Anderlecht.
Di seguito il ricordo del club giallorosso: “La squadra di Capello è già sicura della qualificazione alla fase successiva della competizione prima di scendere in campo, ma c’è…”
Read the full article in Italian at Retesport.
