His national team is Atalanta. And Marten de Roon knows that very well. Because, despite having played just 42 games for the Dutch national team, the last of which was two years ago, the Zwijndrecht-born midfielder is now at one with the reality of Bergamo.
His 436th official appearance in the match against Hellas Verona made him the player with the most appearances all-time in the history of La Dea, surpassing Gianpaolo Bellini. But that's not all.
Because the Dutchman, who arrived in the summer of 2015 from Heerenveen and then returned two years later following a brief spell at Middlesbrough, has found a home in Bergamo. The 23 goals and 31 assists are just the tapestry decorating an extraordinary run, in which he played as a starter 92.2% of the time he was called up.
And it was precisely to Bellini that he dedicated part of his open letter to the fans: "On this journey and with this record that I am inheriting, I would like to dedicate a thought to the Atalanta flag. My first captain, Bergamo Doc, Gianpaolo Bellini. A man. A player who showed what it means to wear this jersey. Pride. Respect. Dedication. An example."
Captain and leader
To date, De Roon boasts an impressive 30 per cent of the matches played as captain of the Nerazzurri, as well as being the player with the most appearances in Serie A (332), the Champions League (43), and European competitions in Atalanta's history (75). Almost a one-man club, the Dutchman is a rare avis in modern football, where an elite player is unlikely to stick around for long, especially if the club is not a successful European outfit.
Since his debut on 16 August 2015 in Atalanta-Cittadella, with the exception of the English interlude, De Roon has been extremely loyal to La Dea, with whom he lifted the Europa League trophy in a memorable final. On that occasion, in fact, the Bergamo team defeated the hitherto unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen, the newly crowned German champions.
Ambition
The attendance record is a golden and emblematic plaque in his adventure with Atalanta. An adventure that he has made it clear he does not want to end in the summer, given the additional option year in the contract he has with the club headed by the Percassi family. In another part of his letter, in fact, he wrote, "The hunger is still there. The hunger to win. To continue to grow. To leave something behind."
After so many years of absolute love, Marten's true national team is Atalanta. With which he will want to continue writing pages of history. Strictly in black and blue.