10 Football Players Who Were Nearly One Club Men

10. Daniele De Rossi

When AS Roma snapped up a plucky 17-year-old striker named Daniele De Rossi from Ostia Mare, no one could have predicted the future he would have at the club.

They quickly converted De Rossi to a holding midfielder and he established himself in the squad early on, making his debut in the Serie A in the 2002/03 season before earning his first cap for Italy just a couple of years later in a 2-1 win over Norway in a World Cup qualifier.

He even scored in the aforementioned game.

At club level, he would have an illustrious career in the Italian capital. Following Francesco Totti's transition to a super-sub role, Daniele De Rossi naturally inherited the captaincy.

The 117 capped man currently has the second-highest total appearances in Roma's history with 616 appearances in all competitions over his 17-year association with the club, during which he won 2 Italian Cups, 1 Italian Super Cup and 1 World Cup.

However, despite being a Roma icon, De Rossi never hid his love for Boca Juniors, electing to play for them before retirement. During a six-month stay with the Argentinian outfit, he made just 7 appearances, announcing his retirement in January 2020.