Diego Perotti recalls Roma years: “Nainggolan was the best.” | OneFootball

Former Roma attacker Diego Perotti was recently asked about his 4 years in the Italian capital.

In an interview with Chiamarsi Bomber, Perotti named Nainggolan as the best player of his Roma years as well as his impressions from playing alongside Francesco Totti.

“Totti? I played 3-4 games with Messi, but it’s different to experience a champion on a daily basis.”

“On the one hand it was beautiful, on the other I knew I would never reach his level. I met Francesco in the last part of his career but he was still a decisive player.”

“He had something different, that you will never reach. Even if you train to the maximum of your strength, you know that you will never have his foot. Watching him kick on goal was fantastic: he shot 10 times and 10 times he put it in the top corner.”

“He had an incredible vision of the game, he saw the attacker in the area from behind and you didn’t understand how he did it. You either have talent or you don’t, you can’t train it.”

“I’ll tell you this: I came from Sevilla where I was the penalty taker while in Rome I hadn’t kicked one yet. We played against Torino, I earned the penalty, he took it and scored. Then in the locker room I go up to him and say ‘look, it’s the last time I’ll let you kick a penalty’, he gives me a dirty look, but I immediately tell him I was joking. He was a leader who made himself heard with the ball at his feet. You knew he could change the game at any moment.”

“The comeback against Barcelona? We had nothing left to lose and we played with an open mind. If we had lost 1-0 in Barcelona, ​​it would have been different. Playing without worries made the difference that night. Did we think we could win that Champions League? No, because there were great teams like Liverpool and Real Madrid.”

“The best Roma player of that period? Many will say Salah or Dzeko, but I say Radja Nainggolan. He was a jack of all trades, he knew how to play all roles. A devastating player who could have played 20 years in a big club if he had led a different lifestyle. But this is my opinion, maybe if he had been different, he would have had a worse career. Who can say?”

“Pellegrini? I knew he would become a top-level player. I’m happy with the goal in the derby after the period he went through. Beyond the beautiful goal, he played a great game, in terms of mentality and personality. I’m happy for him because he’s a great guy and a great player.”

“De Rossi? He had to be managed differently because we are not talking about any coach, but a legend who spent his entire career at Roma. He was also doing well as a coach, it was not easy to replace Mourinho.”