Watch Daniele De Rossi's brilliant tackles as he brings an end to his career

Former AS Roma midfielder and captain Daniele De Rossi has bid adieu to professional football. The player had a magnificent career both for his nation as well as for the clubs that he has played for. He is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of contemporary time.

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Daniele De Rossi made his debut for AS Roma in 2001

Daniele De Rossi made his first-team debut for Roma in 2001 against Belgian side Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League. However, he could debut in Serie A only in 2003 against Como. He soon cemented his spot in the starting line-up as a holding midfielder during the next few seasons. He helped Roma to a second-place finish in Serie A during the 2003–04 season.

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Daniele De Rossi is regarded as one of the best tacklers in football

Daniele De Rossi is considered as a ‘complete midfielder’ because of his tackling, vision, awareness, passing range, strength, energy and goal-scoring ability. He had the ability to initiate counter-attacks or make attacking runs to advance into offensive positions after winning back possession. He was widely praised as a quick, physical, hard-working and tenacious player. He had a good technique and an excellent ability to read the game.

His skills were on display when Roma overturned a 3-goal deficit against Barcelona in the quarterfinal of the Champions League in 2018. The player was not only instrumental in limiting Lionel Messi's role in the game through his brilliant and clean tackles, he also scored a penalty for his side.

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Daniele De Rossi made over 600 appearances for AS Roma

Following Francesco Totti's retirement, De Rossi was named as the captain ahead of the 2017–18 season. In 2018, De Rossi made his 600th appearance for Roma in a 4–0 home win over Frosinone. He became only the second player after Totti to reach this landmark. He is the second-highest goal-scoring midfielder for the Italian national team. He scored 21 goals in 117 appearances. The player also holds the record of being the fourth most capped player for the country. De Rossi was also a prominent member of the Italian squad that won the FIFA World Cup in 2006. He was the youngest player (22) in the national team.

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Daniele De Rossi ended his career at Boca Juniors

Daniele De Rossi spent 18 seasons of his senior career playing for AS Roma before he moved to Argentine side Boca Juniors in July 2019. The player had signed a year’s contract with the club. However, he has now brought an end to his professional football career six months before his contract ends, citing family reasons.