EXCLUSIVE | Daniel De Silva is still pinching himself after a recent trip to Italy which has the gun Perth Glory teenager close to signing with AS Roma.
EXCLUSIVE | Daniel De Silva is still pinching himself after a recent trip to Italy which has the gun Perth Glory teenager close to signing with AS Roma.
The much sought-after teen spent eight days in the Italian capital to work through a potential deal with the Serie A giants.
While nothing has been finalised yet, it appears a formality De Silva will sign with Roma in a lucrative deal that will see him become team-mates with the likes of Italian internationals Francesco Totti and Danielle De Rossi.
As De Silva is only 17, he will have to remain in the Hyundai A-League next season with Perth Glory for before moving to Italy once he turns 18.
“I went over to discuss a few things with them. It worked out well,” De Silva told www.footballaustralia.com.au on Tuesday.
“It’s such a prestigious and big club and it was great to see the players and how they train and play, the facilities and the set up and coaches. It was a really enjoyable trip.
“I got to see the Colosseum and a bit of Rome while I was over there as well which was nice.
“Rome is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen. It’s very ancient, there’s a lot of history and culture there which was great to see.”
While De Silva didn’t get too meet any of the Roma squad, he did watch a few of their training sessions and was at the ground when they beat Torino 2-1 in Serie A.
He said the highlight was seeing one of his favourite players in action, Italian football God Francesco Totti.
“He’s such a great player, it’s a shame he knocked the Socceroos out of the (2006) World Cup,” De Silva said with a smile.
“He’s a great player and had a really great career in the game. It will be a shame when he retires.
“Just to be able to be there and train with those players would be something special and great for my development.”
It would be easy for a kid of De Silva’s tender years to have his head in the clouds with the amount of interest he has received from big European clubs.
But as he continues preparations with the Young Socceroos in Sydney this week ahead of October’s AFC Under-19 Championships in Myanmar, it’s clear that won’t be the case.
“My parents raised me pretty well and I know it’s very important to stay humble and not get a big head about it because then people view you in a different way,” De Silva said.
“Whenever I come to these camps I don’t put myself above anyone and I don’t expect anyone to do that for me as well.
“I’m just a regular kid trying to make it into the team. I really respect that. They treat me the same as any other player and it’s the same for them as well.”
The Young Socceroos are in camp this week and will play a match against NPL club Sydney United tomorrow (Wed) as they continue to build towards the Asian Championships, which double as World Cup qualifiers.
“Things are going well. We’ve got some great players here but obviously it takes time for players to get familiar with each other and we need to keep working,” De Silva said.
“But from the first training session it’s been going well. We’re starting to get the idea of what the coach wants us to do so in a few more weeks and months we’ll be really solid.
“I was really looking forward to come to this camp because I like the way we play, its good football and a good bunch of lads.”