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After adding another goal to his international tall in the week, we take a look at Daniele De Rossi's remarkable Azzurri goalscoring record...
Nineteen goals for Italy. More than Gianni Rivera, to name but one. More than Luca Toni and Gianluca Vialli, to list another two natural-born goalscorers.
As many the likes of Roberto Bettega and Alberto Gilardino, two strikers who consistently found the net throughout their careers.
Daniele De Rossi is now the Azzurri’s top goalscorer still playing for his country (along with Gilardino, who’s at Empoli).
He first found the net for his country 12 years ago in Palermo on his Azzurri debut. He was 20 years old and an exciting prospect. Since then he’s become a stalwart for Italy, making 108 appearances in all competitions (sixth on the all-time list, four behind fifth-placed Dino Zoff).
He’s also captained the side on occasions.
Below is a list of his goals for the national team.
Italy 2-1 Norway, 4 September 2004, Palermo. A debut goal. Made for this level. De Rossi, wearing No. 8, makes his mark immediately, scoring from his first chance to give Italy the best possible start to their qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Italy 4-3 Belarus, 13 October 2004, Parma. Around a month on from the Norway game, once again in qualifying, De Rossi strikes his second for his country from a Francesco Totti assist.
Italy 4-1 Germany, 1 March 2006, Florence. In a friendly against the future World Cup hosts, Marcello Lippi’s side hit four at the Artemio Franchi. Besides Gilardino, Toni and Alessandro Del Piero, De Rossi also finds the net following a sweeping move.
Georgia 1-3 Italy, 11 October 2006, Tbilisi. De Rossi scores the first of the Azzurri’s three goals in a Euro 2008 qualifier.
France 0-2 Italy, 17 June 2008. De Rossi’s first goal in a major tournament. It comes on 17 June, a date on which Roma had won the Scudetto, with the midfielder wearing 10. He scores directly from a free-kick albeit with a big helping hand via a deflection off Thierry Henry.
Italy 2-0 Georgia, 10 September 2008, Udine. One-man show at the Friuli. Daniele bags a brace, his first for his country, to almost single-handedly secure the three points.
United States 1-3 Italy, 15 June 2009, Pretoria. Another strike from outside the box, this time in the Confederations Cup with DDR once again wearing the number 10 shirt.
Italy 1-1 Paraguay, 14 June 2010, Cape Town. De Rossi’s first goal in a World Cup. The Azzurri number six is on hand to bundle home from close-range from Simone Pepe’s corner to equalise for Lippi’s side.
Italy 5-0 Faroe Islands, 7 September 2010, Florence. A stroll in the park for Cesare Prandelli’s Azzurri in qualifying for Euro 2012. De Rossi hits Italy’s second.
Italy 1-2 England, 15 August 2012, Bern. A friendly in Switzerland on an Italian national holiday. Not a thriller by any means but there you go. Daniele gives Italy the lead from an Alessandro Diamanti corner before they go on to lose.
Armenia 1-3 Italy, 12 October 2012, Jerevan. De Rossi brings up a dozen for the national team in another win, this time in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. The Roma man’s goal makes it 2-1.
Italy 3-1 Denmark, 16 October 2012, Milan. Two goals in a row, four days on from his previous strike, this time with a header from an Andrea Pirlo cross.
Italy 2-2 Brazil, 21 March 2013, Geneva. A top-class friendly against Brazil in Switzerland. Anything but dull despite there being nothing on the line. It ends in a thrilling draw, with four goals and plenty of good football on both sides.
Italy 4-3 Japan, 19 June 2013, Recife. Italy’s opening match in the Confederations Cup. After falling behind to two quick goals, Italy gradually get a foothold on the game. De Rossi wakes them up to halve the deficit.
Italy 2-0 Netherlands, 14 September 2014, Bari. De Rossi captains his country in Antonio Conte’s first match in charge. Although only a friendly, it is important to get the new era off to the best possible start. Italy play well, scoring twice in the first half, the second a penalty from De Rossi.
Italy 1-0 Bulgaria, 6 September 2015, Palermo. A narrow important win in a Euro 2016 qualifier. Once again Daniele hits the winner with another spot-kick.
Italy 2-0 Finland, 6 June 2016, Verona. A friendly to prepare for the Euros in France. Finland travel to the Stadio Bentegodi. Italy win with a goal in each half. Antonio Candreva scores from 12 yards in the first period, before finding De Rossi to double the lead after the break.
Italy 1-1 Spain, 6 October 2016, Turin. De Rossi scores a penalty to equalise Vitolo’s opener for the Spanish. Eder earns the spot-kick with a run into the box before Daniele unerringly sends De Gea the wrong way. The announcer at Juventus Stadium has the crowd roar De Rossi’s name. A Roma player acclaimed in the Bianconeri stronghold. Not something that happens every day.
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