18 December 2016
A flawless display – and not for the first time. Daniele Rugani is no longer surprising people but he's still mightily impressive. The maturity and class he showed against Roma - barely giving a sniff to Dzeko, the league’s top scorer – mean his performances can’t go unnoticed.
It was the ideal way to celebrate his new deal until 2021 which was announced at the start of the week.
“It’s been a fantastic week to be fair, starting with the derby, and I’m delighted with my performance tonight and these three massive points,” revealed the defender post-match.
“This was a real six-pointer. It’s a victory that gives us a lift ahead of the Super Cup in Doha, which we want to bring home with us.”
Week in, week out, Rugani is proving that he’s one of the league’s best defenders and he's getting more game time - no mean feet in the company of Juventus royalty Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
“I look up to them and they’re the best role models I could have. My belief is growing with every game because the more you play, the more you feel important.
"I think I’ve made most progress mentally because I came from a different club and another way of defending, so I needed time to adapt. I’ve got more character in my play now and my performances have improved as a result.”
