ICON AXED
Roma brutally sack club legend Daniele De Rossi just FOUR games into new Serie A season
De Rossi was also involved in major incident in Roma's last match
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DANIELE DE ROSSI has been sacked by Roma just four games into the new Serie A season.
The club legend returned as interim boss in January following Jose Mourinho's exit.
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De Rossi ended up leading Roma to a sixth-place finish, as well as the semis of the Europa League.
And he was only handed a contract to become head coach on a full-time basis in June.
But a dismal start to the new season saw Roma pick up just three points from their opening four Serie A matches.
Indeed, the capital club are yet to win a single game so far after three draws and one defeat.
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De Rossi, who won two Italian Cups as a Roma player, was also sent off for dissent in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Genoa and given a one-game touchline ban.
But he won't get the chance to serve it after being brutally axed by Roma's owner Dan Friedkin.
The American businessman took over in 2020 and has now seen three managers during his time in the chair.
After now-AC Milan boss Paulo Fonseca quit in 2021, Friedkin turned to Jose Mourinho to revive Roma's fortunes.
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The Special One led them to their first-ever European trophy with victory in the 2022 Conference League final.
Mourinho also reached the Europa League final a year later, where Roma lost on penalties to Sevilla.
Italy legend Danielli De Rossi slides over beer-soaked table in wild dressing-room celebrations after beating England
But six months later he was sacked after a bust-up with the hierarchy.
Club legend and fan favourite De Rossi was then hired as interim boss at the start of the year in a bid to lift spirits.
The 41-year-old spent almost his entire career at Roma, playing 616 times in 18 seasons before a brief spell with Boca Juniors in 2019.
De Rossi, who also won 117 caps for Italy and played a key role in their 2006 World Cup win, had previously been his national team’s assistant.
And his only managerial spell had come in a sixth-month stint at Serie B side SPAL.
But a few tweaks to Roma’s system saw De Rossi get the best out of misfiring stars like Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
The capital club then climbed the table to finish sixth in Serie A.
Daniele De Rossi's career stats
Playing career:
- Roma, 2001-2019: 616 games, 63 goals
- Boca Juniors, 2019-2020: 7 games 1 goal
- Italy, 2004-2017: 117 games, 21 goals
Trophies
- Coppa Italia x2, Supercoppa Italia (Roma)
- World Cup, U21s Euros, Olympic Bronze (Italy)
Managerial career
- SPAL, 2022-2023: P17 W3 D6 L8
- Roma, Jan 2024-Sept 2024: P30 W14 D9 L7
And they also reached the semis of the Europa League, where they lost 1-0 to eventual German champions Bayer Leverkusen.
But Roma’s new season got off to a poor start as they drew 0-0 at Cagliari.
They were then defeated 2-1 at home to Empoli before another stalemate at Juventus.
Sunday saw them held to a 1-1 draw at Genoa, who netted an equaliser in the 96th minute.
And with Roma’s Europa League campaign kicking off next week, as well as a home Serie match against Udinese, De Rossi was given his marching orders on Wednesday morning.
It now remains to be seen who Roma move for as a replacement.
Former Inter Milan and AC Milan title winner Stefano Pioli was linked with De Rossi’s job earlier this month.
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But he has reportedly agreed a deal to take charge at Cristiano Ronaldo’s Saudi side Al-Nassr.
Other Italian managers looking for work include ex-Chelsea and Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri, as well as former Juventus gaffer Max Allegri.
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