De Rossi: 'World Cup my last for Italy'

By Football Italia staff

Daniele De Rossi looked back over “bad memories” of Uruguay ahead of tomorrow’s friendly and admitted he’ll probably quit the Italy squad next year.

The international friendly kicks off in Nice on Wednesday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

“I have bad memories of Uruguay, specifically a negative day in an atmosphere that must’ve seemed inexplicable to those who weren’t there,” said De Rossi in his Press conference.

The last encounter was at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when the Azzurri were eliminated in a 1-0 defeat and Luis Suarez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini went unpunished.

“We were coming out of a journey that lasted two years, we did badly and failed to get through the group stage. Now tomorrow’s game is useful for the FIFA ranking, as we’ve drawn a few too many friendlies. It’s our duty to get a result.”

After that Cesare Prandelli era, Italy went to Euro 2016 with Antonio Conte and are now preparing for the 2018 World Cup under Giampiero Ventura.

“There has been a consistency in their ideas of football, in my view. Conte and Ventura have similar concepts of the game and that made the transition easier for the squad too.”

Tomorrow will be De Rossi’s 113th senior Italy cap, surpassing the tally of goalkeeper Dino Zoff, but isn’t planning on playing Euro 2020 in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

“It is a real honour for me to go beyond Zoff, soon it’ll be Andrea Pirlo, so we are talking about legends of Italian football.

“I will be 34 in a couple of months and I’m absolutely certain that I could be an important player for the World Cup. But if I think of 2020, I’d be 37 years old, one has to be realistic…

“Rome and Italy are my home, so if I am needed, then I’ll always be there. If I talk to my friends over a pizza, admittedly, I consider the World Cup to be my final experience with the Nazionale.”

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