Ten years in Giallorossi are never forgotten. And the Olimpico hasn’t forgotten Stephan El Shaarawy.

The night against Genoa wasn’t just Daniele De Rossi’s return, but also the Pharaoh’s first as an opponent, having sent Roma to a close with a goal against Verona in the match that sealed their return to the Champions League.

It was a special night, even if the result didn’t go De Rossi’s way. With the score at 0-0, El Shaarawy hit the crossbar before leaving the pitch in the second half to make way for Vitinha.

When he was substituted, the entire Olimpico gave him a long round of applause. The former Giallorossi number 92 responded to this gesture today with a message on social media.

This is El Shaarawy’s message on Instagram: “There are emotions that football gives you that no words can ever fully describe. Contrasting feelings: on the one hand, the bitterness of a painful defeat, on the other, the emotion of returning to a stadium that was my home for ten years.”

And again: “I returned wearing different colors, as an opponent, but with the same memories, the same affection, and above all, immense gratitude. Thank you, Roma, thank you, Romanisti, for making me feel, once again, like one of you. The past deserves gratitude, the present deserves all of me, respect, and belonging.”