It started out innocently enough. It was merely a response to being asked about the goal he conceded against Inter in Roma's 2-1 win: "I don't think the goal was scored because I was late in moving towards the ball, the defenders should have anticipated [Inter goalscorer Rodrigo] Palacio."
From there, it suddenly went south, the first time a player under the new management has been so outspoken against the side's coach.
"The last game I played was on December 11th against Atalanta [in the Coppa Italia]. Six weeks are too many. I suffered a knee injury and [Mauro] Goicoechea took my spot. I don't know why I lost Zeman's faith, you'd have to ask him. We've never talked about it, I can't do anything to change this situation. Among other things I found it completely useless to buy Goicoechea, seeing as we already had [Bogdan] Lobont. Was there a need for a third goalie? I want to play, not sit on the bench."
A frustrated player speaking out against unjust marginalisation? A goalkeeper who failed to realise his deputy proved a useful enough contributor to keep him off the pitch for this long? A man who's gone simply too far in his frustration and anger?
Maarten Stekelenburg will be called all of those, and then some, as the fallout from this utter bombshell begins to settle (Roma, for the part, issued a "no comment" on Thursday, which has been the side's only response). On one hand, it isn't difficult to see where the Dutch number one is coming from: in the summer of 2011 he was brought in as a veritable coup, a missing piece of the puzzle that Roma so badly needed. An established, reliable goalkeeper. Years of watching mistakes from Alexander Doni and Julio Sergio that led to goals conceded and points dropped cumulated in both keepers being cast off from the club as the hunt for a new deputy went on. Stekelenburg was supposed to be the safe purchase in a summer of gambles - many of which didn't pay off - the man who had reached the World Cup final a year before with a far from legendary defence in front of him and with a fantastic reputation and the appearances to back it up coming from his club in Ajax.
And yet, somehow, that Maarten Stekelenburg was never really to be found in his stay at the capital, which now more than ever looks to be under threat. His play has been more memorable for his red cards than his clean sheets; he was sent off nine minutes into the second Roman Derby last season and less than two months later in the 26th minute against Juventus. Both games were massive fixtures that nearly demanded a solid presence in the net. Instead, Stekelenburg found himself off the pitch, a hindrance more than a help, with less than a third of either match gone.
Admittedly, Roma last season were good for about a red card every match (who could forget the three expulsions against Fiorentina?), but with the Dutchman, there has always been a sense that he never quite lived up to his reputation. Sure, in both years at the club, he's had coaches so offensively minded that "defence" seems a word never used in the training ground. But where were the crucial saves? The one-man heroics that such offensive teams always need, the confidence, the fire, the drive to command the backline? Adequate he's been, but adequate is far from what this Roma side truly need.
His latest words will do little to change that perception of him. Unfairly or not, his spot was lost due to injury - as does happen to all players from time to time – and the onus was on the goalie to prove his worth to the team. Ironically, he had just done so with a very good performance against Inter. But before the team sheets could even be drawn up for the Bologna match, this rant was issued. A rant that may have proven to be a moot point if Zeman had started him this weekend. That looks quite slim, now, though still certainly possible.
Frustration is more than understandable. At thirty years of age, Maarten may not be old for a goalkeeper but he certainly isn't young either. Admitting that he hasn't even talked to Zeman about his feelings and the starting spot makes the outburst appear all the more foolish, like a child losing his head and whining instead of taking it up internally. There were plenty of transfer rumours before the quotes emerged and there certainly will be many now before the month is out – and it's very difficult to envision that Roma won't sell the player after publicly questioning the role of another squad mate, nevertheless calling them a "useless" purchase.
Ultimately, a departure may be best for all parties involved. Stekelenburg never quite fit Roma and Roma never quite fit him. The money could be well reinvested with the side indubitably in need of a new goalie as Goicoechea hasn't quite set the league alight either. He has, however, shown a resilience and forward passing ability that his predecessor seemed to lack at times, and despite losing his starting spot in the Coppa, he does not look at risk to lose it in the league. Plenty of teams need a solid keeper, and much like Edwin Van Der Sar at Juventus, it simply may have been the wrong club at the wrong time for Maarten.
For Roma, no one player can ever be bigger than the team. Francesco Totti is debatably an exception to this, but Maarten Stekelenburg certainly isn't. And his outburst may have just cost him any chance of proving himself once and for all at the capital.