For a player who has experienced 15 pre-season campaigns with AS Roma, it may come as a surprise to learn that this is actually Daniel De Rossi’s first ever visit to Australia.

The midfielder, who will come up against Manchester City on Tuesday night in Melbourne, knew the club had some fans here but admits he certainly wasn’t expecting the amazing reception that has greeted the team’s every move.

“Being here and experiencing the enthusiasm there is for Roma here is incredible,” De Rossi told the media at a press conference to preview the game against City. “They know all of our players and really love the team. Personally I’d never been to Australia before, so it’s nice to be here.

Photo asroma.it

“This is my 15th pre-season, I think. Obviously I’m closer to the end of my career than I am to the beginning of it and no footballer likes that – we have the best job in the world and we’d like to do it forever. For me, it’s always a pleasure to return to work for the new season. When you’re on holiday, you miss football so I’ve always enjoyed it when pre-season comes around.

Asked about targets for the new season, the 31-year-old admitted that making the step up from second to first is the biggest challenge in club football but one he and his team-mates relish.

“Speaking about targets now would only lead to headlines in the newspapers and I don’t think that’s necessary,” he said. “We always want to play to win every game and that’s what we need to work towards. Last year we wanted to improve on what we achieved the previous season but we couldn’t manage it – though our final standing was excellent. We work now to improve and make another step up but obviously it’s harder to go from second to first than it is for any other position. That’s what we’re working for and we do so with the same mentality we’ve always had.”