If it's up to Marten de Roon, he will finish his career at Atalanta. The 32-year-old midfielder played his 250th match in Serie A on Monday evening, and after the away game against Empoli (0-3), he discussed the goals he still has.
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De Roon started on Monday for the tenth time this season in the starting lineup for Atalanta, and as captain, he celebrated a splendid milestone. The forty-time international recently played his 300th official match for La Dea and has now also reached the impressive milestone of 250 league matches, making him the foreign player with the most matches in the club's history.
These are impressive statistics, but if it’s up to De Roon, it doesn’t stop there. "I'm getting old," he reacted after the match on DAZN. "I am proud to reach this number. Physically I feel good, fortunately I have not been injured much. I hope to continue like this and reach 300," said De Roon, who feels good at Atalanta. "I would like to end my career here."
De Roon is best known for his defensive work, but on Monday he also provided the assist for Gianluca Scamacca's second goal. The former player of Sparta Rotterdam and SC Heerenveen intercepted a throw-in from Empoli and laid the ball off to the Italian striker, who unleashed a devastating shot. Before halftime, Scamacca had already opened the scoring with a beautiful backheel.
In Italian media, there is plenty of praise for Scamacca, who did not make an impact at a young age with PSV and PEC Zwolle. Now 24, the striker has become an international player after a strong season with Sassuolo. At West Ham United, the 1.95-meter-tall forward did not live up to his transfer fee of approximately 28.5 million euros, but he is shining again in the Atalanta shirt.
Coach Gian Piero Gasperini was full of praise for Scamacca after the match, who also provided the assist for Teun Koopmeiners' second goal. "He started the season well, but then injuries set him back a bit. Scamacca can definitely improve further, but today he showed his potential. He can become the main striker for Italy. We are helping him to set the bar even higher."
