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It wasn’t an evening to celebrate for Daniele De Rossi, but the former Roma captain was given a hero’s welcome and a fitting send-off on Monday night after returning to the Stadio Olimpico for the first time since being dismissed as Giallorossi head coach last September.
Genoa were soundly beaten 3-1, and were 3-0 down at the interval after goals from Matias Soule, Manu Kone and man of the match Evan Ferguson. Jeff Ekhator pulled back a late consolation goal in the 87th minute.
You can see how the action unfolded on the Football Italia Liveblog.
It was a particularly sentimental fixture for both coaches, given that Gasperini had also spent eight years in charge of Genoa across two separate spells.
De Rossi’s relationship with Roma, however, needs little introduction. His 616 competitive Giallorossi appearances are the second-highest of all time, second only to Francesco Totti on 785.
De Rossi replaced Totti as captain for the final two years of his career and also returned to the club as head coach during the 2023-24 season as a replacement for Jose Mourinho, only to lose his job in harsh circumstances four games into the 2024-25 campaign and just a few months after signing a contract extension.
It was clear on Monday night that De Rossi still has a great relationship with most of the Roma players he worked with during his spell as head coach. Both Paulo Dybala and Gianluca Mancini gave him big hugs on the touchline just a few moments before kick-off, and Manu Kone also embraced him in the tunnel just before coming back out for the second half.
Dybala e Mancini con Daniele De Rossi 🥹#RomaGenoa pic.twitter.com/kM7AwhkUhf
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) December 29, 2025
Despite being comfortably beaten on the night, De Rossi still took a lap of honour around the Stadio Olimpico after the full-time whistle. He applauded all four stands while a particularly emotional rendition of Grazie Roma played out in the background.
De Rossi then made his way over to the Curva Sud, where fans waved club flags, some bearing his name and shirt number. The former Giallorossi skipper shook hands with a handful of Ultras as the Roma squad watched on from the pitch, allowing him to have his moment despite their victory.
🫶 | Le superbe hommage rendu par les supporters de la Roma à Daniele De Rossi ! 🗣👑 pic.twitter.com/Z49SHSJOmm
— DAZN France (@DAZN_FR) December 29, 2025
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