Ex-Roma defender Juan: “I spent 5 magical years in Rome.” | OneFootball

Former Roma defender Juan recounted his experience with the Giallorossi.

Earlier today, Juan gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The former Brazilian centre-back, who arrived in Giallorossi from Bayer Leverkusen in 2007 and stayed until 2011, had the opportunity to talk about his experience in the capital.

“I remember it as a wonderful time. In the locker room I integrated immediately because there were so many Brazilians: so many jokes and so much laughter! And then what a team we were…it was a magical spell.”

“On the bench we had a genius like Spalletti. Then we also did well with Ranieri. I’m happy that today there is still a gentleman like him leading the team. Those years we had a super group, made up of many excellent players. And then there was Francesco. A Brazilian born in Rome.”

“Totti was special, he could play in any club in the world. I don’t like rankings, but he had that magic that Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and that type of player had. Out of the ordinary, I would say.”

“Do I miss Rome? Very much. I come back as soon as I can, although not as often as I would like. My family is also very attached to the city, we still have many friends here. I would come back even just to eat a carbonara made to perfection.”

“Ranieri is fantastic, I had him as a coach and I assure you. However, in the first half of the season they lost a lot of points, so they found themselves forced to chase. It would be a great feat, they will certainly be there to play until the end.”

“However, I would like to say something about my friend and former teammate De Rossi. I want to say that he will become a great coach, regardless of how things went with Roma. I am sure of it. Daniele is someone who loves to get involved, the challenge galvanizes him and does not scare him. Even when we played he had the attitude of a coach. A unique grit and charisma. He would have died for the team and us with him.”