Club captain Marten de Roon started in the Serie A game against Hellas Verona, which was his 436th game for the Bergamo outfit. It broke the record of former defender Gianpaolo Bellini, who played 436 games for Atalanta between 1997 and 2016, when he retired.
De Roon, 34, joined Atalanta from sc Heerenveen in 2015 and played 37 games in his first season in Italy. Following a year spent in the Premier League with Middlesbrough, Atalanta brought De Roon back for nearly €17 million in 2017, after which the former Netherlands international never lost his spot in the starting XI.
The Dutchman received the captain's armband for the first time in the 2023/24 season - becoming the first foreign captain in club history - and led his team to the UEFA Europa League final in 2024. A knee injury kept De Roon from playing the final, in which Atalanta won their first-ever European trophy by beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.
After posting a video on his social media about his record appearance, De Roon looked back on his record appearance with pride int he post-match conference.
“This was an emotional day from the very first minute, though I tried to focus on the game as much as I could,” De Roon said.
“I feel so close to Bergamo and to Atalanta, I felt at home from the first day. I still feel good and want to keep playing as long as I can. Bellini was a real gentleman about this record, and, of course he was my captain when I arrived too.”
De Roon's contract at Atalanta runs out in the summer.
