De Rossi on Zaniolo: ‘Sometimes, we had to beat him up’ at Roma | OneFootball

Genoa coach Daniele De Rossi praises his former Roma teammate Nicolò Zaniolo: ‘He’s a good guy and an excellent player; sometimes we had to beat him up in training because he was too strong.’

De Rossi’s Genoa will visit Zaniolo’s Udinese on Monday, and the Grifone’s boss previewed the game at a press conference on Saturday.

GENOA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 29: Daniele De Rossi, head coach of Genoa, looks on prior to kick-off in the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and Hellas Verona FC at Luigi Ferraris Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Zaniolo and De Rossi played together at Roma, and the Udinese striker has had a convincing start to the season in 2025-26 with four goals in 11 Serie A games.

“I think he made the right choice. He’s gone to a sort of happy island, where you work with serious people and there’s space for nothing else than football,” De Rossi said, via TMW.

De Rossi: Zaniolo ‘an excellent player’

PARMA, ITALY – NOVEMBER 29: Nicolò Zaniolo of Udinese Calcio looks on during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on November 29, 2025 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

“I’m glad he’s back at his physical levels. Physically, he’s a beast, an animal like Norton-Cuffy. I met him when he was a kid, then we kind of lost track of each other, even if we are still in touch. He has incredible potential, he’s such a nice and humble guy, sometimes we had to beat him up in training because he was too strong.

“I have a great memory of Nicolò, careers take endless pathways and segments, and sometimes you lose pace a bit,” continued the Genoa boss.

“Perhaps it happened to him, too; he was expected to have a different career. He was unlucky with his knees, but he started running again. I wish him to achieve what he was expected to when he arrived at Roma, because he’s a good guy and an excellent player.”