In Focus: Key moments from De Rossi's last appearance

After 616 appearances and 18 years with his beloved AS Roma, Daniele De Rossi bowed out in style in front of the adoring Stadio Olimpico faithful.

Playing his role in the Giallorossi's 2-1 ousting of Parma - a result that was secured with a late winner from Diego Perotti, just as it was in Francesco Totti's farewell two years earlier - the inspirational leader showed elements of what made him such a special player he was in his prime.

Operating in his defensive midfield station alongside fellow Roman Lorenzo Pellegrini, the legendary veteran produced an accomplished display on both sides of the ball.

Still flying into tackles, oozing aggression and undertaking his defensive duties with the utmost dedication, he set the tone wonderfully for his teammates to follow.

While his physicality was persistently on show and he regularly made life as difficult as possible for his foes with his ferocity in the challenge, he also broke up many an attack courtesy of his strong positional intelligence and capacity to read the play.

Doing a sterling job of protecting his backline and supporting his colleagues, the way he combined power and smarts gave Rome stability in their stopping efforts.

Meanwhile, in the side's possession phases, the 35-year-old was equally influential, with his distribution, vision and awareness ensuring he drove his team forward effectively on countless occasions.

Passing the ball with authority and conviction, De Rossi was key in bypassing the lines of the opposition's pressure to find colleagues in advantageous locations. Whether it be through incisive vertical deliveries, wicked switches of play, neat lofted passes or lovely one and two touch play, the two footed midfielder's aptitude in this regard was a joy to watch.

Breathing life into many of Roma's most dangerous upfield adventures with his passing, he certainly treated his loyal supporters to one last masterclass that they've been accustomed to witnessing over the years.

By performing constant head scans of his surroundings, this allowed him to gain an updated mental imagery of his surroundings so he knew where the space, his teammates and the opposition were located, so he could execute his actions cleanly.

As a result, Roma's captain remained calm and composed with the ball at his feet to quickly identify how he planned to use possession.

De Rossi's clever movement played an important role in Roma's attacking forays too, as he occupied strategically beneficial areas of the pitch to give his team numerical and positional superiorities to progress through the thirds.

Both in build up, central midfield or when supporting wide attacks, his knowledge of where best to situate himself to be an outlet or pin markers away from usable space was vital towards connecting offensive passages.

By the numbers, his six interceptions, two tackles, four ball recoveries, two key passes and one shot assist, in tandem with his elite passing statistics that saw him hit 5/7 accurate long passes, complete 11 of 14 attempted passes into the final third and enjoy a 92% overall pass completion (54/59) served as a further testament to his undoubted artistry and quality.

Given a memorable standing ovation when Claudio Ranieri substituted him 10 minutes from time, the revered Roman gladiator, who's given so much to the club throughout his illustrious career, rightfully received an emotional, unforgettable send off to say thank you for everything he's done for the club.

Such an inspirational figure both on and off the field, the Eternal City's hugely respected, loyal champion leaves the club as a legend who will be remembered forever.

His touching swansong emphatically showed why.