Club Career
De Rossi joined the youth system of Roma from Ostia Mare, where he had played as a striker in 2000. He made his first-team debut on 10 October 2001 against Belgian side Anderlecht in the Champions League. He made his Serie A debut on 25 January 2003 against Como. His first Serie A start, along with his first goal, came on 10 May 2003 against Torino.
In March 2006, De Rossi was praised by referee Mauro Bergonzi for fair play. Roma were trailing 1–0 in a Serie A match against Messina, when De Rossi scored a goal with his hand, Bergonzi did not see the incident and allowed the equaliser to stand. However, De Rossi immediately told the referee that he had pushed the ball in with his hand leading to the goal being disallowed. Roma went on to win 2–1.
In the 2006–07 season, De Rossi scored from 40 yards against Fiorentina with Sébastien Frey in goal. This was the first of three goals of the night for Roma. He also scored the lone Roma goal in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United in the 2006–07 season.
In February 2012, De Rossi signed a new five-year contract with Roma. He became the highest paid Italian footballer in the Serie A at €10 million (gross) per annum. Roma previous record for Italian players was Francesco Totti (€8.9 million in 2009–10 season).
Read more about this topic: Daniele De Rossi
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