De Roon ‘proud and honoured’ at historic 436th Atalanta game
Marten de Roon is ‘so happy and proud’ to have made history as the player with the most Atalanta appearances, as the fans put on a show for his 436th game.
La Dea were without a victory in a month over all competition, held 2-2 by Lazio in the Coppa Italia semi-final, then eliminated 10-2 on aggregate from the Champions League by Bayern Munich.
It was a tough slog against rock bottom Verona too, as Davide Zappacosta’s finish squirmed through a sea of legs to nestle into the far bottom corner, while Marco Carnesecchi made some important saves.
De Roon becomes an Atalanta legend
“This was an emotional day from the very first minute, though I tried to focus on the game as much as I could,” confessed De Roon in his press conference.
This was a special day for De Roon, who made his 436th appearance in the Atalanta jersey, beating Gianpaolo Bellini to become the club’s all-time record man.
A Bergamo pic.twitter.com/c38dNnod7p
— Marten de Roon (@Dirono) March 22, 2026
“I feel so close to Bergamo and to Atalanta, I felt at home from the first day. I still feel good and want to keep playing as long as I can.
“Bellini was a real gentleman about this record, and of course he was my captain when I arrived too.”
The fans put on a tifo in the stands before kick-off with an image of his celebrating face, then after the match a huge banner sent this message.
‘Adopted son of our city, a true symbol of Atalanta, 436 times thank you Marten!’
He toured the pitch with his family to salute them, holding up a banner depicting the chant in his honour that goes to the tune of the theme for Anime Goldrake.
There was also a banner from a young child declaring he wanted to ‘become a club icon just like you.’
“I am so happy and proud to be an example for younger people. This affection from the Atalanta fans is wonderful,” he replied.
“We are a very united group, I remember being welcomed by the old guard like Migliaccio, Bellini, Raimondi and Cigarini. The atmosphere within Atalanta is fundamental to our success.”
The victory pushes Atalanta up to seventh place, within four points of Juventus in fifth, and putting more pressure on Roma ahead of their game with Lecce this evening.