eyewitness
Rossi himself said, from afar Argentina
looks a dangerous place.
Yet few clubs boast the mystique,
tradition and lure of Boca; from the
intoxicating matchday atmosphere at
the world-famous Bombonera, to the
illustrious roll call of past players such
as Diego Maradona. Shortly after arriving
in Argentina, De Rossi ticked off another
fan’s dream when meeting with his idol
Maradona. But as some questioned his
fitness and what he could bring to the
team, the Italian stressed that he is at
Boca to play and compete.
“I can’t promise we can win a cup but I
do promise to give 100 per cent because
I only play one way,” De Rossi told fans
of a club founded by Italian immigrants- their nickname, Xeneize, means
Genovese – and where the ethos and
demand is that of commitment over style.
De Rossi joining Boca is an
extraordinary and unique case of a
European star moving to Argentina.
French World Cup-winning striker
David Trezeguet joined River
Plate in 2012, he too fulfilling a life-long
ambition to play for a club he supported
as a youngster. Trezeguet arrived at El
Monumental with the club at its lowest
ebb, in the second tier after relegation,
and his goals aided a return to the top
flight. But Trezeguet grew up in Argentina
and had friends and family in the country.
So too did Mauro Camoranesi, De Rossi’s
team-mate from Italy’s 2006 World Cup-
winning side who ended his career back
home with Racing and Lanus.
Argentinian clubs and their supporters
long for “their” players to return home- Newell’s Old Boys hold out for Lionel
Messi, Independiente for Sergio Aguero - but De Rossi’s move to Boca is as
eccentric as it is bold.
Behind the transfer was Nicolas
Burdisso, former team-mate of De Rossi
at Roma and now Boca’s sporting
director, who engineered a year-long
contract that includes escape clauses
should De Rossi choose to return to Italy
to start a coaching course.
“I’m not going to be here for 10 years,
my career is coming to an end, but it is a
challenge that I wanted to take on,” De
Rossi told TyC Sports.
The Italian’s debut for Boca in the
Argentinian Cup offered several clues as
to what can be expected from his time
at the club. Even at the age of 36 he was
still way ahead of the pack in quality,
bringing much more to the heart of
midfield than just industry. He scored
Boca’s only goal of the game and
also picked up a yellow card.
Yet while the cameras focused onDe Rossi, Boca failed to dispatch second
division side Almagro and crashed out of
the competition on penalties.
The pressure at the club is intense and
Boca are in desperate need of turning
the page after last year’s traumatic defeat
in the Libertadores Cup Final to arch-
rivals River Plate.
Boca supporters will be hoping that
De Rossi can influence results on the
pitch immediately, as September sees the
league superclasico at the Monumental.
However, far more crucially, the
following month offers up a mouth-
watering clash between River and Boca,
over two legs, in the semi-finals of the
Libertadores Cup.Welcome...Boca fans show their appreciation of De Rossi’s decision to join the clubDream...De Rossi
(far left) runs out
at the BomboneraCompetitive...in the
thick of the action“I’m not going to be here for 10 years, my career is coming
to an end, but it is a challenge that I wanted to take on”
Daniele De Rossi