Giuseppe Rossi (; born 1 February 1987) is a former professional
footballer who played as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
.
Born in the United States, Rossi spent most of his career in Europe with
Villarreal and
Fiorentina, in addition to spells with other clubs in England, Italy and Spain, before returning to his country of birth to join
Real Salt Lake for a single season in 2020.
At international level, Rossi represented
Italy at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
, and at the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Joh ...
, collecting thirty appearances and scoring seven goals at senior level between 2008 and 2014. Along with
Mario Balotelli and
Daniele De Rossi, he is
Italy's all-time top scorer in the FIFA Confederations Cup, with two goals.
Due to his prolific performances in the Spanish
La Liga, Rossi earned the nickname ''Pepito'' Rossi, a reference to his namesake
Paolo Rossi, who was nicknamed ''Pablito'' following his goalscoring performances in Italy's victorious
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...
campaign in Spain.
Early life
Rossi is
Italian American
Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...
, born to Italian immigrant parents in
Teaneck,
New Jersey. His father, Fernando Rossi from
Fraine,
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
, coached soccer and taught Italian and Spanish at
Clifton High School. His mother, Cleonilde Rossi from
Acquaviva d'Isernia,
Molise, was also a language teacher at Clifton, and his sister, Tina, currently lives in the United States. Rossi played prep soccer at Clifton High School.
After his father died in 2010, Rossi began to wear the number 49, which was the year of his father's birth. In 2014, he switched back to the number 22 jersey.
On 1 December 2020, his daughter was born.
Club career
Early career
When offered a spot on the youth team of Parma, Rossi (then 12) and his father moved to Italy until
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
bought his contract when he was 17. His first-team debut came on 20 November 2004, at home to
Crystal Palace in the fifth round of the
League Cup, as an 84th-minute substitute for
David Bellion.
For his Premier League debut on 15 October 2005, he came on in the 78th minute for
Ruud van Nistelrooy and nine minutes later scored the last goal in a 3–1 win over
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
at the
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England, and the eighth and current home to Sunderland A.F.C. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light is the ninth largest football stadium in England. ...
. On 18 January 2006, in an
FA Cup third-round replay, he started and scored twice as United beat non-league
Burton Albion 5–0. Although Rossi did not play in the
League Cup final
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...
against
Wigan Athletic,
Nemanja Vidić (who made a seven-minute cameo at the end of the game) gave Rossi his medal in recognition of Rossi's contribution to the team's success in the earlier rounds.
At the start of the
2006–07 season, Rossi moved to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
on loan until 1 January 2007, where he was expected to gain some first team experience. He made his home debut on 24 September 2006. Rossi scored his only Newcastle goal in his first start on 25 October 2006, against
Portsmouth in a League Cup third round tie at
St James' Park.
For the second half of the season, he was again loaned out, this time to his former club Parma, scoring nine goals in 19 league appearances.
Villarreal
On 31 July 2007, Manchester United confirmed that Rossi had been sold to Spanish club
Villarreal for an undisclosed fee, reportedly around
£6.6 million (
€10 million). He scored his first goal for Villarreal on his debut against
Valencia on 26 August 2007.
In his second season with Villarreal, Rossi had scored 12 goals in 30 league appearances, along with three goals in eight
Champions League appearances. In January 2011, he signed a contract extension with Villarreal until 2016. The
2010–11 season proved to be his breakthrough season, as he scored 32 goals in 56 appearances in all competitions, helping the club to a fourth-place finish in La Liga, scoring 18 goals, which qualified them for the
2011–12 UEFA Champions League
The 2011–12 UEFA Champions League was the 57th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 20th season in its current Champions League format. As part of a trial that started in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa Lea ...
, also helping Villarreal to the semi-finals of the
2010–11 UEFA Europa League
The 2010–11 UEFA Europa League was the second season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 40th edition overall including its predecessor, the UEFA Cup. It began on 1 July 2010, with ...
that season, scoring 11 goals, and the quarter-finals of the
Copa del Rey. An anterior cruciate ligament injury on Rossi's right knee that he picked up in the 3–0 loss against Real Madrid on 26 October 2011 caused Rossi to be out for six months. Rossi re injured his anterior cruciate ligament of right knee in training on 13 April 2012, and was out for a further 10 months. At the end of his 6 year stay with Villarreal, he had scored 82 goals in 192 games in all competitions and became the club's all time top scorer. After 10 years of scoring his final goal for Villarreal in October 2011 in a match against
Real Zaragoza, his record was surpassed by
Gerard Moreno on 11 August 2021, after he scored a goal in the
2021 UEFA Super Cup
The 2021 UEFA Super Cup was the 46th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The match ...
match against
Chelsea.
Fiorentina
On 4 January 2013,
Fiorentina came to an agreement with
Villarreal for the transfer of Rossi for a fee of approximately €11.8 million. On 7 January, Fiorentina held a press conference unveiling Rossi, where it was revealed the player had signed a four-year contract containing a €35 million release clause.
On 21 May, the final day of the
2012–13 Serie A
The 2012–13 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 111th season of top-tier Italian football, the 81st in a round-robin tournament, and the 3rd since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B. ...
season, Rossi made his debut for Fiorentina as a substitute in a 5–1 win over
Pescara.
On 26 August, Rossi scored his first goal in 23 months in Fiorentina's opening match of the
2013–14 Serie A
The 2013–14 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 112th season of top-tier Italian football, the 82nd in a round-robin tournament, and the 4th since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie ...
season – a 2–1 defeat of
Catania
Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...
. On 20 October, Rossi inspired Fiorentina to a 4–2 come from behind win over rivals
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...
, netting a 14-minute hat-trick that condemned Juve to their first defeat in Florence for 15 years.
On 5 January 2014, Rossi was substituted in Fiorentina's match against
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
as he suffered a second-degree sprain of his medial collateral ligament in his right knee.
The blow was dealt by
Leandro Rinaudo
Leandro Rinaudo (born 9 May 1983) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defender, and a current sports director.
Early years
He comes from the Kalsa neighbourhood of Palermo.
Club career Palermo
A youth product of Palermo, Rinaudo wa ...
, who tackled Rossi from behind in a manner so dirty that he drew international condemnation.
Up to this point Rossi had been the leading goal scorer in
Serie A with 14 goals in 18 league appearances.
Rossi returned from injury as a 69th-minute substitute in Fiorentina's 3–1
Coppa Italia final loss to
Napoli on 3 May. On 6 May, he scored on his Serie A comeback – a 4–3 defeat to
Sassuolo.
On 14 August 2014, Rossi injured his medial meniscus of right knee in training. On 5 September 2014 Fiorentina confirmed Rossi would be out for 4–5 months.
Rossi returned to the pitch on 30 August 2015, in a 3–1 away defeat to
Torino; later that week he also agreed with his club to take a salary cut. On 1 October, he scored his first goal since coming back from his injury in Fiorentina's 4–0 away victory over
Belenenses
Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, commonly known as Os Belenenses (), is a Portuguese sports club best known for its football team. Founded in 1919, it is one of the oldest Portuguese sports clubs. It is based in the 25,000-seat Estádio do Reste ...
in the
Europa League.
Loan to Levante
On 22 January 2016, Rossi returned to
La Liga by signing a loan deal until end of the season with
Levante, in order to gain playing time, and a place in the Italy national side at Euro 2016. He made his club debut on 31 January, scoring in a 3–1 away defeat to
Sevilla. On 13 March at the
Estadi Ciutat de València, he scored the only goal of a win over city rivals
Valencia CF, managed by his former United teammate
Gary Neville. On 8 May, he scored a late winner in a 2–1 home win over title contenders
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
, although the result was not sufficient to prevent the team from being relegated.
Loan to Celta Vigo
On 29 August 2016, Rossi signed a one-year contract with
Celta de Vigo, with an option for another year. He scored his first goal for the club on his debut, which came in a 1–1 away draw against
Standard Liège in Celta's opening group match of the
Europa League. He made his league debut with the club on 18 September, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 away draw against
Osasuna. On 3 April 2017, Rossi scored a hat-trick in a 3–1 home win over
Las Palmas in La Liga; this was his first goal since he scored against
Espanyol on 25 September 2016, and his first hat-trick since 20 October 2013, when he scored three goals for Fiorentina in a 4–2 home win against Juventus. On 9 April 2017, Rossi suffered the fifth serious injury of his career when he ruptured the ACL in his left knee in a game against
SD Eibar, and was consequently ruled out of action for at least 6 months. Rossi became a free agent in July after Fiorentina allowed his contract to expire and he subsequently rejected an offer by Celta to remain with the Spanish side until January 2018.
Genoa
On 4 December 2017, Rossi was signed by
Genoa on a free transfer. He made his debut for the club on 20 December, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 away defeat against Juventus in the round of 16 of the
Coppa Italia.
He left Genoa at the end of the 2017–18 season.
On 12 May 2018 Rossi failed a drug test following a Serie A match against
Benevento
Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...
, testing positive for the banned substance
dorzolamide. Although the country's anti-doping prosecutor wanted Rossi to face a one-year ban for this offence, following a hearing with that took place on 1 October, Rossi was ultimately given a warning; afterward, Rossi's lawyer Sergio Puglisi claimed: "We don't understand how this substance ended up among Rossi's foods, there was no intentionality – the line of good faith and consistency prevailed." Rossi later
tweeted: "A nightmare of four months is over. I only want to think about football."
2018–19 free agency
In January 2019, Rossi started training with his former club, Manchester United. In February of that year, Rossi was reported to have been invited to train with
MLS side
Los Angeles FC
Los Angeles Football Club, commonly referred to as LAFC, is an American professional Association football team based in Los Angeles. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The club ...
. On 14 October, his former club Villarreal announced that Rossi would start training with their first team. In an interview with Italian daily newspaper ''
Corriere della Sera
The ''Corriere della Sera'' (; en, "Evening Courier") is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average daily circulation of 410,242 copies in December 2015.
First published on 5 March 1876, ''Corriere della Sera'' is one of It ...
'' in December 2019, he stated that he was "ready to help out any
Serie A team".
Real Salt Lake
Following a trial with the
MLS club, Rossi was announced as a
Real Salt Lake player on 27 February 2020. He made his club debut on 29 February, coming on as a late second–half substitute in a 0–0 away draw against
Orlando City in the MLS. His contract option was declined by Salt Lake following their 2020 season.
SPAL
On 19 November 2021, after a few weeks of training with the club squad, Rossi was formally announced as a new signing for Italian
Serie B club
SPAL, on a deal until the end of the season.
On 17 February 2023, after being without a club for half a year, Rossi returned to SPAL on a deal until the end of the season. He retired at the end of the 2022–23 season on 22 July 2023.
International career
Rossi represented Italy at almost every youth level from
under-16 to
under-21 levels.
In 2006, he was invited to a pre-World Cup training camp with the
United States national team
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
by coach
Bruce Arena but declined, stating his desire to play for
Italy. He was called up for the
2007 Under-21 European Championship by Italy under-21 head coach
Pierluigi Casiraghi. The following year, he scored four goals at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
, making him the top scorer of the tournament, despite only reaching the quarter-finals with Italy, following a 3–2 loss to
Belgium on 16 August, in which he scored twice from the penalty spot; his other two goals came in the opening match of the competition – a 3–0 win against
Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
on 7 August, in which he scored the second goal of the game from a penalty – and in Italy's second group match on 10 August – a 3–0 win over
Korea Republic – in which he scored the opening goal.
Italy national football team manager
Marcello Lippi
Marcello Romeo Lippi (; born 12 April 1948) is an Italian former professional football player and manager, who led the Italian national team to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
He was appointed as Italy head coach in the summer of 2004 and 2 ...
stated that had Rossi been fit, he would have received a call-up for the
2010 World Cup qualifiers in September 2008. Rossi was called up to the Italy squad in October 2008, making his senior debut for the national team as a second-half substitute in a 0–0 away draw against
Bulgaria on 11 October, in a 2010 World Cup qualifier. Rossi scored his first goal for the Italy national team on 6 June 2009, in a
friendly
Friendly may refer to:
Places
* Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England
* Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States
* ...
against
Northern Ireland, at
Pisa
Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...
's
Arena Garibaldi
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectator ...
. He also scored two goals in a 3–1 win against his country of birth, the United States, in Italy's opening match of the
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Joh ...
in
South Africa on 15 June 2009, although Italy subsequently lost their next two matches and suffered a first-round elimination.
Rossi was included in Lippi's provisional 28-man
2010 FIFA World Cup
, image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg
, size = 200px
, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
squad, which had been announced in May, but failed to make the cut for the final 23-man squad.
On 17 November 2010, for his 18th cap for Italy, Rossi was picked by Italian manager
Cesare Prandelli
Claudio Cesare Prandelli (; born 19 August 1957) is an Italian football coach and former player. He was most recently head coach of Fiorentina.
Career Player
Prandelli was a midfielder who moved from Atalanta to Juventus in 1979. His first game ...
to wear the
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
's armband for the first time ahead of the team's friendly against
Romania.
After a two-year absence from the national team due to injury, which saw him miss out on a place at
Euro 2012, Rossi appeared in a
2014 World Cup qualifying
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
match on 15 October 2013, as Italy drew 2–2 against
Armenia at home. On 13 May 2014, Rossi was named in Italy's provisional 30-man squad for the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
, however on 1 June, it was announced that Rossi had not made the final 23-man World Cup squad.
On 24 May 2016, Prandelli's successor as Italy's manager,
Antonio Conte, released his 30-man shortlist for
UEFA Euro 2016 roster; Rossi was not selected.
Style of play
A quick and mobile left-footed
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
, Rossi was known for his overall attacking and creative style of play, as well as his work-rate, movement off the ball, his powerful and accurate striking ability, and instincts in the box. Regarded as one of the most promising Italian players of his generation in his youth, his playing style has often been compared to that of compatriot
Alessandro Del Piero, due to his acceleration, strong technical skills, range of passing,
dribbling talents, and his ability to either score goals or pick out a pass and create chances for teammates;
he was also compared to his namesake, 1982 World Cup-winning
striker
Striker or The Strikers may refer to:
People
*A participant in a strike action
*A participant in a hunger strike
*Blacksmith's striker, a type of blacksmith's assistant
*Striker's Independent Society, the oldest mystic krewe in America
People wi ...
Paolo Rossi, due to his opportunism, pace, agility, and eye for goal.
In 2013, former Fiorentina
playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
Giancarlo Antognoni likened Rossi to fellow former Fiorentina number ten
Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio (; born 18 February 1967) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. He is the former pre ...
, "In terms of his touch and creativity." Giuseppe Rossi was known for his ability to both finish off chances and link-up well with midfielders; due to his abilities, he often dropped deep between the lines and was involved in the buildup of plays. Because of this, Rossi was able to play in a variety of attacking positions, including on the
wings, as a
supporting striker
Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...
, as a
lone-striker, and in an
attacking midfield
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
role. He was also an accurate
penalty taker. Despite his talent, skill, and goalscoring ability, Rossi's playing time was limited in later seasons due to several recurring injury problems.
Post-retirement
In September 2021, Rossi began his career as
sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...
for ''Calcio e Cappuccino'', an American television program dedicated to the
Serie A and broadcast on
CBS Sports Network and can be found via streaming on
Paramount+.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Individual
*
Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year:
2004–05
*
Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year:
2005–06
*
Olympic Golden Boot:
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
*
Pallone d'Argento: 2013–14
Notes
References
External links
*
Fiorentina Official Profile*
FIGC Official Profile
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossi, Giuseppe
1987 births
Living people
Clifton High School (New Jersey) alumni
Sportspeople from Teaneck, New Jersey
Soccer players from Bergen County, New Jersey
Italian men's footballers
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Men's association football forwards
Premier League players
Manchester United F.C. players
Newcastle United F.C. players
Serie A players
Parma Calcio 1913 players
ACF Fiorentina players
La Liga players
Genoa CFC players
Villarreal CF players
Levante UD footballers
RC Celta de Vigo players
Real Salt Lake players
Italy men's youth international footballers
Italy men's under-21 international footballers
Italy men's international footballers
Olympic footballers for Italy
Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players
American expatriate men's soccer players
Italian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Spain
Sportspeople from Clifton, New Jersey
American people of Italian descent
People of Molisan descent
American men's soccer players
Major League Soccer players