Daniele De Rossi vs David James: Stats Compared
Central Midfielder, Italy (born 1983, retired 2019) · Goalkeeper, England (born 1970, retired 2014)
The Daniele De Rossi–David James comparison is one of those fixtures of footballing folklore. Comparing across positions is never straightforward, and these two asked different questions of opponents. Career output puts Daniele De Rossi at 65 goals in 700 games, with David James at 0 in 850. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Daniele De Rossi is credited with 60 and David James with 0. Trophy counts give Daniele De Rossi 3 and David James 1, with 1× FIFA World Cup (2006) and 1× FA Cup (2008) the standout honours respectively. The central midfielder duties of Daniele De Rossi leaned orchestrating; the goalkeeper responsibilities of David James leaned commanding. Club journeys add another layer, with Daniele De Rossi reaching his representative peak around 2013 across Roma and David James doing so around 2005 with Watford, Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Bristol City, Bournemouth. Arguments will run and run, which is exactly why the matchup endures.
174 words · comparison angle: role
Player profiles
A one-club legend and 2006 World Cup winner, De Rossi embodied Roma's midfield for nearly two decades, combining ferocious tackling with a superb range of passing.
“A commanding, technically excellent deep-lying midfielder who mixed hard tackling with elegant long-range distribution.”
The Premier League's most-capped goalkeeper at the time of his retirement, James was renowned for his shot-stopping and occasional highlight-reel errors across a two-decade top-flight career.
“An athletic, agile shot-stopper whose reflexes and command of his box made him a mainstay of English goalkeeping for two decades.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× FIFA World Cup (2006)
- 2× Coppa Italia (2007, 2008)
- 1× FA Cup (2008)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 2001 Professional debut for Roma
- 2006 Won FIFA World Cup with Roma
- 2007 Won Coppa Italia with Roma
- 2013 Reached the peak of his powers at Roma
- 2019 Retired after a final spell at Roma
- Finished his career with 65 goals in 700 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 65 goals in 700 appearances and 3 major honours.
- 1988 Professional debut for Watford
- 2008 Won FA Cup with Portsmouth
- 2005 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester City
- 2014 Retired after a final spell at Bournemouth
- Finished his career with 0 goals in 850 appearances and 1 major honours. Finished his career with 0 goals in 850 appearances and 1 major honours.
The verdict
If forced to pick, Daniele De Rossi is the choice: a decisive margin, with a sharper goalscoring record the deciding factor.
Daniele De Rossi edges it (a decisive margin)
