Full Name :Daniele De Rossi Date Of Birth:July 24, 1983 (age 26) Place of Birth:Rome, Italy Height:1.84 m (6 ft +1⁄2 in) Position:Midfielder Current Club:A.S. Roma National Debut:2004 Caps:52 (8)
Daniele De Rossi, (July 24, 1983) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer, who plays for AS Roma. Among his titles also the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, and the bronze medal gained at 2004 Athens Olympic Games, all with the Italy national football team, are the most prestigious. De Rossi is a combative central midfielder. He is an accurate passer and has top vision. He is also a strong tackler and has an eye for goal.
Club career
De Rossi, born in Rome and a product of the A.S. Roma youth system (where his father, former Roma player Alberto De Rossi, is a coach), he gradually become a key midfield player for the club. Strong, with good vision on the ball and a combative mentality, he made his first-team debut on October 10 2001 against Belgian side RSC Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League. He made his Serie A debut on 3 May 2003; his first Serie A start, and his first goal, came one week later against Torino Calcio.
De Rossi was praised by referee Mauro Bergonzi after he had scored a goal with his hand in a match against Messina. Bergonzi allowed the goal until De Rossi showed a great piece of fair play when admitting to the referee that he had pushed the ball in with his hand, the goal was disallowed and Roma went on
to win 2-1.
In the 2006-2007 season, De Rossi went on to score a wonderful 40 yard screamer against Fiorentina with Sébastien Frey on goal. From the central left side of the pitch he went on to accommodate the ball on his stronger right foot, and then took a shot which curved away from a shocked Frey, who got a slight touch on the ball, but couldn't help it from going in. This was the first of three goals of the night for Roma, which set the game alight and inspired a 3-1 second half win over Fiorentina.
International career
De Rossi played many matches in the Italy national under-21 football team, winning as a regular the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. In the same year he collected a bronze medal with the Italy national football team at the Athens Olympics. A few weeks after returning from Greece, De Rossi earned his first cap in the senior squad, scoring on his debut in the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying game against Norway (2-1), at the age of 21.
De Rossi was named to the Italian national team in 2006. During a 2006 FIFA World Cup group play match against the United States, De Rossi received a straight red card after he elbowed Brian McBride in the face. McBride left the pitch bloodied, but returned after treatment and later required three stitches. De Rossi later apologized to McBride (who subsequently praised De Rossi as "classy" for approaching him after the match). De Rossi was banned for four matches and fined CHF 10,000.
After having been disqualified for 4 matches, De Rossi returned for Italy in the final, coming on as a substitute on the 61st minute for Roma team mate Francesco Totti. In the penalty shoot-out at the end of the match (which finished 1-1) De Rossi scored Italy's third penalty to help his country win their fourth FIFA World Cup.
De Rossi played in all of Italy's Euro 2008 qualifying games, scoring a goal against Georgia, he has also been given the honour of wearing the number 10 shirt Totti decided to retire World Cup final. He made his mark in this competition, as he was a dominant figure in Italy's failed quest for Euro glory.
In total he was capped 39 times for the Azzurri, scoring seven goals, He captained the team on three occasions: two friendly matches against South Africa on 17 October 2007 and Portugal on 6 February 2008, respectively, and in the Euro 2008 qualifier against the Faroe Islands. On June 17, during Euro 2008, De Rossi scored from a deflected freekick off Thierry Henry's left boot in a 2-0 win over France. This was his 5th international goal and guaranteed Italy's progress to the quarter finals. In the quarterfinal penalty shoot-out against Spain, his shot was saved by Iker Casillas and Italy lost 4-2. He scored his second double in the national team against Georgia on September 10, 2008.
Honours Club A.S. Roma
Serie A:
Runner-up: 2004, 2006, 2007
Coppa Italia: 2007
Runner-up: 2005, 2006
Italian Super Cup: 2007
Runner-up: 2006 Italy National Team
FIFA World Cup: 2006
UEFA Under-21 European Championship: 2004
Football at the Summer Olympics: 2004 Athens - Bronze medal Personal
Serie A Young Footballer of the Year: 2006
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