"Roma" legend Daniele De Rossi says that he could never force himself to leave the capital club of Italy, but the defender still regrets that he did not have the opportunity to experience life abroad.
Celebrating his 34th birthday in July, the "giallorossi" veteran has been wearing the club's jersey since 2001.
His current contract with "Roma" expires after this season, and according to reports, London's "Chelsea" is interested in him. The Italian promised to reveal his future plans in the near future.
"(My contract is - ed.) something that I will have to discuss with the club sooner or later, but right now I'm not thinking about it and I also decided not to talk about it", - De Rossi, born in Rome, told Undici magazine.
"I decided that for some time I want to continue playing. There are no doubts about that, 100 percent. Maybe I would have considered (ending my career - ed.) if I had experienced injuries like last year. Then I would spend time traveling around the world with my family."
"The only thing I regret about staying in Rome is that I never had the opportunity to experience the atmosphere outside the stadium in other countries like England or Spain. I want to know how life is elsewhere."
However, despite various opportunities to leave, De Rossi's love for the "Roma" club is too strong.
"I always knew perfectly well that my career choices were wrong from a professional point of view", - added the defender. "They were seen as demonstrating great altruism for the love of these jerseys and fans, but that is only part of the answer."
"The other side is that my choice was very selfish, because I needed to play with "Roma". Playing with these jerseys gives me physical and emotional satisfaction. In those years when it seemed that I would leave, I stepped onto the field with tears in my eyes. I would look around and think that it could be my last match at the "Olimpico"... These moments made me realize that I could not live without "Roma".
"It would be more painful for me than the experience of losing to "Real Madrid" and "Barcelona" or playing in the most beautiful stadiums in England. At least that's how I see everything. At the age of 33, I reached a peaceful realization that I did not win many titles and did not travel much."
Throughout his career, De Rossi has won only two Italian cups and one national super cup. In the "Serie A" championships, his club finished second seven times, but did not win the "Scudetto".
