Zbigniew Boniek applauds Daniele De Rossi’s leadership in Evan Ndicka incident | OneFootball

Former Roma player and UEFA director Zbignie Boniek had high praise for Giallorossi manager Daniele De Rossi and his handling of the situation involving Evan Ndicka’s sudden collapse on the pitch.

In an interview with Rai Radio 1, Boniek discussed the dramatic incident and singled out De Rossi’s reaction as a first-time coach.

“It didn’t surprise me at all. Before he became a coach, in an interview I spoke about how De Rossi had all the prerequisites to become a good coach. He was already one on the pitch, because of the way he speaks, the way he expresses himself.”

“Yesterday he showed not only that he is a good coach, but also a great group manager, a leader, he knows how to do things and knows how to manage stress well in such a difficult situation,” said Boniek.

“Football usually divides, but faced with these problems I saw a true, sincere, extraordinary union without speculation from both fanbases. I was happy that football isn’t just about who is better than the other, but it’s also about solidarity. When I was watching the match and I saw Ndicka on a stretcher, with his thumb raised – that’s what was special.”

“I had a flash in the first half when he suffered an elbow to the chest and there too he collapsed, touching the left side of his chest between his ribs. I hoped it was this trauma that had created breathing problems, I hoped it wasn’t a heart attack. Today we have reassuring news. In the end everything went well.”