- World champion Daniele De Rossi talks about The Best 2020
- Robert Lewandowski and Hansi Flick are his favourites
- “Messi is always the best player”
Italy’s Daniele De Rossi can look back on a remarkable career. He won the FIFA World Cup™ with Gli Azzurri in 2006, competed at two other World Cup finals in 2010 and 2014 and won a total of 117 international caps. At club level he was one of Roma’s greatest players before ending his career at Boca Juniors in Argentina.
As part of the UEFA preliminary draw for the FIFA World Cup 2022™, the FIFA legend also spoke about the upcoming The Best FIFA Football Awards™.
FIFA.com: Who will win the title of The Best Men’s Player 2020?
Daniele De Rossi: Messi is always the best player, but if you look at the past year, then Robert Lewandowski deserves it. He won the Champions League, scored a huge number of goals and he was the best when you look at the way he plays.
And what about the coaches?
That’s not an easy one, as the nominees have achieved some great things. Usually the person who has won the most titles also receives the award, so Bayern Munich’s Hansi Flick is definitely the favourite. He has earned it. Any coach who arrives at a club six months before the end of the season and has to deal with a pandemic that changes everything but then wins everything more than deserves the award.
For you personally, who was the best player you ever played with?
I played with some exceptional players – great champions – but Francesco Totti was the greatest of them all. He had something that others didn’t have. He could find his team-mates anywhere on the field, even if they were far away. I’ve never seen anyone else do what he did on a football pitch.
And what was the best match of your career?
It might not be the best, but 9 July 2006 was obviously the most beautiful match of my career as it’s when we won the World Cup. There is nothing better than becoming a world champion.
Finally, what was the best goal you scored in your career?
I didn’t score many goals in my career, to be honest, but my best goal was against Japan at the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece [De Rossi put Italy ahead after just three minutes; they eventually won the match 3-2]. It was a left-footed bicycle kick, which was unusual in itself for me, and it was absolutely wonderful.
The winners in all categories, including the FIFA Fan Award and the FIFA Fair Play Award, will be announced in a live broadcast show on 17 December 2020 from 7pm CET.
For all the news on The Best FIFA Football Awards™ visit FIFA.com, the official Facebook page for The Best FIFA Football Awards™ and the FIFA YouTube channel.
Who do you think should win this year? Join the discussion using the hashtag #TheBest.