Lorenzo Pellegrini dispels transfer rumors: “Roma is my home.”

Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini clarified the difficult situation he finds himself in.

Having barely played since Claudio Ranieri’s arrival, Pellegrini had been consistently linked with an exit from the Italian capital.

Teams such as Napoli were said to have set their sights on him.

However, in a candid interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pellegrini dispelled all rumors regarding his future.

“The derby? There was too much talk about my mood in the weeks leading up to it,” he said.

“It was normal that I was angry, things weren’t going well for all of us. and I spoke about this with the coach, even if there’s no need to talk to him. Ranieri knows me well, in some ways we are similar and this allows him to understand me.”

“He was exceptional,” he added. “He gave me, the team and the city back that serenity we needed.”

“Ranieri and I, we’ve always had a good relationship, the kind of relationship where you don’t say too many things but… For example, the famous chat before Lazio lasted all of two minutes. Then we hugged. It was something I felt: I love him, I respect him as a person even before as a coach.”

“Here he has put everything back in place. Then it’s normal that you can encounter difficulties, but with him now everything seems more right.”

“With Ranieri in charge everything seems to be brighter than it was,” he continued.

“Sometimes it seems to me that my reserved nature, my silence, is a bit distorted, as if having a personality equals making a mess of everything. For me it is not like that, personality is being yourself.”

“After scoring the goal in the derby I beat my chest to say that for me this is a special club, it is my home. There will never be a day in which Pellegrini will give less than everything for Roma. It was just that.”

“Beyond what is said, those who know us know that we come to Trigoria to do good for Roma: whether it is playing, going to the bench, we go to work. The commitment is always at its highest, because for me this is a very special shirt.”

“I went through a difficult time. If a fan whistles at me because I play badly, that’s fine, but if it happens at the start of a match because someone thinks I’ve done things I haven’t done, that makes me a little sad. But it’s okay anyway, I’ll keep going.”

“When Ranieri arrived I wasn’t sad but angry, because things weren’t going well. And since I care about Roma, that situation hurt me. It’s like when you go back to your family and you realize that something’s wrong.”

“If things don’t go right I feel bad. I’m very self-critical and always ready to ask myself what more I can do for others. Sometimes though I should separate the man from the footballer. The footballer should always play lightly, the man can’t do it. And having a different character would have helped me.”

“For me, the armband has always been a source of pride, a source of pride, a responsibility that lasts all week, not just on Sundays. Well, sometimes I am perhaps better at helping others than myself. I always try to be important to my teammates, to help them in difficult times.”

“After the match in Brussels I spoke with Hummels. I was sorry to see him down, I just told him: “Mats, I’m here for whatever happens”. He’s an exceptional guy and he’s always behaved like the champ he is. It was right to be close to him at that moment.”

“I’m not someone who can externalize who he is with everyone, how much he cares about something. But I’m a loyal person. And if I say that I care about Roma, it’s like that. Otherwise I wouldn’t say it.”

“I would find it harder to look at myself in the mirror and not be happy with who I am as a person. I have always thought that the person comes before the footballer. I like being with my family, which is my balance. There you really understand what the priorities in life are.”

“Overcoming De Rossi’s goal tally for Roma? Given the relationship we have, Daniele wouldn’t get angry if I got over him. When he came here on the first day he asked me to talk to him about the situation and he said: ‘Whatever happens, know that I love you with all my heart. But I love myself, my family and Roma more.’ I appreciated it, he is transparent, he always tells you the truth.”

“I have been lucky enough to be trained by great coaches, but I didn’t expect him to be so ready. Instead he was fantastic, for me he will have a wonderful career: he is a top man, an ambitious person, he has the ability to not look anyone in the face and he has ideas about football. For me he is already a great coach.”

“Have I ever thought about leaving Roma? No, never. I have lived through many hard times, but also wonderful ones. But I am not one to run away. I believe that in the face of difficulties one must take responsibility. And that is what the coach saw in my eyes before the derby. Here a normal moment becomes beautiful, a beautiful one becomes wonderful and a negative one becomes a disaster. This is Rome, it lives on passion. And I live this passion here one hundred percent.”