Roma have turned to a familiar figure on the eve of Real Madrid’s visit, with Marten de Roon arriving at the right moment to give Gian Piero Gasperini the midfield control and leadership he wanted for a defining Champions League night.
The 35-year-old Dutchman had featured for only 35 minutes across his first five Roma appearances after joining late in the transfer window. But his first start came on Sunday against Como, when he completed the 0-0 draw despite Roma playing the final 40 minutes with a man down.
De Roon covered 11.657 kilometres, more than any player on the pitch, as Roma protected the point by Lake Como. Aldair, the former Roma defender and 1994 World Cup winner with Brazil, praised his defensive solidity, his control of the game’s rhythm and the reassurance he gave those around him.
Quick facts
- De Roon is 35 and joined Roma after more than nine years alongside Gasperini at Atalanta.
- He made 445 appearances in 10 seasons for Atalanta, the highest total in the club’s history.
- Gasperini and De Roon worked together in 273 matches, a partnership surpassed in length only by Giovanni Trapattoni and Gaetano Scirea on 292.
- De Roon has played 44 Champions League matches; among Roma’s current squad, only Paulo Dybala has more, with 54.
- Roma are unbeaten in Italy and sit two points behind leaders Inter.
For Gasperini, De Roon’s readiness is about far more than a single league display. The Roma coach sees him as an extension of his own thinking on the pitch, having once described their understanding in simple terms: “Marten thinks as I do, and I think as he does.”
The coach moved quickly when a deal became possible. De Roon had not initially been part of Atalanta’s plans under the new Bergamo structure, with Maurizio Sarri in charge and Cristiano Giuntoli overseeing sporting matters, despite his standing as captain and one of the central figures of the club’s rise.
His departure stirred criticism from sections of the Atalanta support, but Gasperini publicly defended his former captain. He argued that De Roon had not chosen to be left out of the plans and should not have been treated like “an old shoe shut away in a cupboard”.
That protection reflects a relationship built over a decade. De Roon was at the centre of Gasperini’s Atalanta, helping the club establish itself among Europe’s elite, reach the Champions League quarter-finals and win the Europa League.
That Europa League triumph took Atalanta into the UEFA Super Cup, where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid on Kylian Mbappé’s debut. Now De Roon meets Madrid again, this time in Roma colours and with Gasperini preparing to use him as the stabilising presence in a midfield built for European pressure.
His experience matters as much as his running. Although he grew up admiring former Arsenal and Barcelona winger Marc Overmars, De Roon developed into a dependable holding midfielder and a natural dressing-room leader.
Without a full pre-season, his integration in Rome has been gradual. The Como match suggested the process is complete enough for Madrid, with Gasperini ready to place his trusted lieutenant at the heart of a side seeking to carry its domestic momentum onto the continental stage.
