This week should be decisive in the ongoing negotiations: Borriello will probably sign for Genoa and therefor end a rather turbulent period in Rome. Marco’s heavy salaray being the main provocateur. Even if the transfer should be called off (Genoa seem to be pondering about Osvaldo as well), it will only be a matter of time until Marco leaves us. If not now, then in June when his contract expires. A contract given by the Sensi’s. Yes, Borri has been a part of Roma for a long time.
Against Palermo (and at a 1-1 scoreline with plenty of time ahead), Rudi opted for 18-year-old Primavera product Daniele Verde instead of Borriello to score the winner. It was Verde’s debut in Serie A while Borriello has more than 70 goals in 260 Serie A appearances. Enough said. Marco’s time is up. Unless a major injury happens to Destro or Totti (pray it doesn’t), he won’t don the Roma jersey anymore.
Why Garcia never was a fan of Borriello remains a mystery. Last season he made 11 appearances and only scored one goal in the process: 1-0 at home against Chievo, which handed Roma the record of most consecutive wins from the start of Serie A (10). In January 2014 he got shipped to West Ham, his first ever club outside of Italy. He featured only 2 games in the Premier League. Since July Marco was back at Roma but he hasn’t played a single minute in 2014-2015, although Rudi used him quite a lot during pre-season. Palermo was a bitter pil for Marco: on the bench, fit, Totti not in good shape while Destro was clearly having problems on the pitch (albeit scoring) and far more experienced than Verde.
The ideal moment for a Borriello introduction one might think and maybe, just maybe he could even a repeat of the Chievo trick: 1-2 and tied at first place with Juve. Alas, Rudi thought otherwise. And so Borriello edges closer to a definitive Roma exit. Be it Genoa or somewhere else. But how on earth are we going to describe the player Borriello, a man better known for his sex appeal than overwhelming stats? We all remember his sexy pics from training but can anyone here on top of his head sum up three goals of Marco? Ok, you got the Chievo one on a silver platter from me. And his two spectacular goals in the Champions League against Bayern and Cluj in 2010 should get a mention too. And apparently he scored a beauty in a Liverpool friendly last Summer. But honestly: I had to search it up online.
Like I said before: Borriello was already a member of AS Roma since the Sensi era, back in 2010. His first season in Rome was quite succesful: he was omnipresent and bagged 11 goals in 34 games. He was also on fire in season 2012-2013, with 12 goals in 28 games. Minor detail: he was loaned out to Genoa. Borriello has seen a fair share of clubs during his career: he played for seven teams in Serie A: Roma, Milan, Juventus being the most notable. Genoa, Sampdoria, Treviso, Reggina are the others. With of course one city trip of six months to London, West Ham. One could say the Genoa jersey brings out the best out of him but he showed his undeniable killer instinct during his Roma and Milan days as well. Consistency was his biggest problem though. Ups and downs…
It’s a shame most of the younger fans here have a grudgde against Borriello for 1) his looks gifted from God (which man doesn’t?) and 2) his salaray. They never witnessed the best Borriello, the one of 2008-2009-2010. Marco could have been so much more, a superstar in the making. He also had to deal with some injuries recently and doesn’t deserve this kind of ending to his career. Rotting on the bench, just earning his fat pay check doing nothing, having the image of being a money-grubber. It was Sensi who gave him the contract, he didn’t ask for it but who would ignore such a salary for such a long period? What would you do in his place? Exactly.
Money isn’t his first concern anymore. At the age of 32, Marco Borriello needs to go out with a bang, prove himself one more time. Therefore, he needs to leave Rome ASAP. As sad as it may be for the female population of the city…