Marten De Roon has spoken on repeat occasions about how he just couldn’t settle at Middlesbrough, because he was yearning for a more Italian lifestyle.
The Dutchman, now 34-years-of-age, is from Zwijndrecht, which is much closer in appearance and culture to Middlesbrough than pretty much anywhere in Italy. However, De Roon had arrived at Boro having spent a season with Atalanta.
That time living around Bergamo, one of the wealthiest areas in Italy, clearly left a mark on the footballer. It meant he was never entirely happy at Middlesbrough and therefore when the chance of a Serie A return came up he jumped at it.
In September, De Roon explained: “It was a dream to play in the Premier League, and I wanted to test myself there. I have no regrets, but I didn’t enjoy it. The quality of life, the food, the climate. After Italy, it’s difficult. And I had grown too accustomed to Bergamo.
“I remember struggling with the language and struggling at first. Then, after my experience in England, I returned and a special relationship was born here, which I feel every day. Two of my three daughters were born here, and Bergamo is our home today.”
De Roon was able to leave Middlesbrough and return to Atalanta in 2017, and he’s been in Bergamo since then. In all, the midfielder has made over 300 appearances for the club.
Despite his age, he’s still a regular starter for Le Dea. His contract expires at the end of the season and it’ll be hard to get him away from Italy, for professional or personal reasons.
Not all was bad at Middlesbrough, though.
Middlesbrough taught De Roon something
Marten de Roon of Atalanta looks on
during the Serie A ATALANTA BC v SS LAZIO at New Balance Arena.
Speaking to Spanish newspaper AS ahead of the match against Athletic Club Bilbao, was asked about Aitor Karanka. The former Middlesbrough manager played for Athletic during his days as a defender.
“For me, he was a very respectful coach,” De Roon said. “But also almost shy in some ways. He was very, very calm, reserved, and didn’t shout. He always spoke very calmly, with respect for all the players. Later, he worked with Mourinho, from whom he had learned a great deal, as he told me.”
AS also wanted to know about De Roon’s Middlesbrough relationship with Victor Valves and Alvaro Negredo: “First of all, they’re two really fun guys. We laughed a lot with them, partly because they were so experienced. Victor was about 35 or 36 and had spent many years at Barcelona, and Alvaro had played for many top teams in Europe. They told us lots of stories about what Barcelona was like; there was a lot of curiosity, we asked about Messi.
“In any case, they’re two very humble people. When you meet players who have achieved great things in European football, you don’t know what they’ll be like. But they were always humble, always giving their all, demanding the best from their teammates in every training session. But we’ve also had dinner together off the pitch a few times, and shared a few glasses of wine now and then. Life outside of football is important too. That’s what they taught me. You have to enjoy life outside of football as well.”
