Jonathan "Johnny" Rossini (born 5 April 1989) is a Swiss former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. He is also a former

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

international.

Club career

Youth career

Rossini began his playing career at

AC Bellinzona AC Bellinzona is a Swiss football club based in Bellinzona. It was founded in 1904, and won the Swiss Super League in 1948. After being folded in 2013 declaring bankruptcy, the team played the Ticino Group of 2.Liga, the sixth tier of the Swi ...

, near his birthplace.

Sampdoria

In summer 2005, aged 16, the minimum age for an international transfer within the

European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...

(Switzerland signed a special agreement with EU), Rossini moved to Italian side

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...

. He moved on loan to Italy

Lega Pro Prima Divisione Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1. Before the 1978� ...

team

Legnano Legnano (; or ''Lignàn'') is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the north-westernmost part of the Metropolitan City of Milan, Province of Milan, about from central Milan. With 60,259, it is the thirteenth-most populous township in Lombardy. Le ...

. In January 2009, he was transferred on loan to

Cittadella Cittadella ( vec, Sitadeła) is a medieval walled city in the province of Padua, northern Italy, founded in the 13th century as a military outpost of Padua. The surrounding wall has been restored and is in circumference with a diameter of around ...

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...

Between Sampdoria and Udinese

In summer 2009, Rossini was acquired by

Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...

in a co-ownership deal from Sampdoria for €500,000 as part of

Fernando Tissone Fernando Damián Tissone Rodrigues (born 24 July 1986) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Eccellenza club Sangiustese. Career Early career Tissone was born in Quilmes, Buenos Aires Province. He start ...

's deal (€3 million) and subsequently loaned to

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; egl, label=Modenese dialect, Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town ...

for the 2009–10 season, alongside Sampdoria teammate Gianluigi Bianco. In June 2010, along with Tissone, Rossini's co-ownership deal with Udinese was extended and he was loaned back to Sampdoria, however he did not make an immediate first-team appearance for them. On 3 January 2011, Rossini was again loaned to Sassuolo for the remainder of the 2010–11 season, where he appeared in 18 league matches Serie B. Rossini returned to Sampdoria for the 2011–12 season under manager

Giuseppe Iachini Giuseppe Iachini (; born 7 May 1964) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who most recently managed Serie B club Parma. He played as a midfielder. Club career Iachini was born in Ascoli Piceno. He started his playing car ...

. He made his Sampdoria debut on 19 November 2011 against

Reggina Reggina 1914 S.r.l., commonly referred to as Reggina, is an Italian football club based in Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo. They are nic ...

, where he helped earn Sampdoria promotion to

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

after they won the Serie B play-offs. After promotion to Serie A, under new manager

Ciro Ferrara Ciro Ferrara (; born 11 February 1967) is an Italian former footballer and manager. His most recent position was as manager of Wuhan Zall. He had also previously coached Juventus and the Italy national under-21 team. As an assistant coach to ...

, Rossini was first-choice centre-back alongside captain

Daniele Gastaldello Daniele Gastaldello (; born 25 June 1983) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Gastaldello was bought by Juventus in 2002 from Serie C2 side Calcio Padova; in that season he played in the Primavera ...

at the heart of the defence. Rossini's first Serie A match was against

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

on 26 August 2012. After the arrival of new manager

Delio Rossi Delio Rossi (born 26 January 1960) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. He was most recently in charge as head coach of Serie B club Ascoli. Playing career Rossi was born in Rimini. His playing career ...

, Rossini lost his place in the team after Angelo Palombo returned from

Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...

and was played regularly at centre-back, at Rossini's expense. In total, Rossini made 25 Serie A appearances in the 2012–13 season. On 20 June – 1 July 2013, Sassuolo, newly promoted to Serie A, purchased the 50% ownership rights to Rossini held by Udinese for €1.5 million, via Sampdoria. Sampdoria retained the remaining 50% of Rossini's rights.

Sassuolo

On 1 July 2013, Rossini joined Sassuolo on another co-ownership deal and appeared in six league matches for the first part of the 2013–14 season. However, Sassuolo later signed centre-backs Lorenzo Ariaudo and

Paolo Cannavaro Paolo Cannavaro (; born 26 June 1981) is an Italian former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. After beginning his career with S.S.C. Napoli, Napoli, he moved to Parma A.C., Parma in 1999, where he played a ...

during the 2014 January transfer window, limiting Rossini's first-team appearances.

Parma (loan)

On 21 January 2014, Rossini was loaned out the fellow Serie A club

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

for the remainder of the season, with

Aleandro Rosi Aleandro Rosi (born 17 May 1987) is an Italian footballer. Known for his versatility, he plays as a full-back, a winger along the right flank, offensively and defensively, and for his pace. Club career Youth career Rosi was originally in the ...

moving in the opposite direction to Sassuolo, also on loan. Rossini mainly found himself used as the backup at centre-back to Italian international

Gabriel Paletta Gabriel Alejandro Paletta (; born 15 February 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. Born in Argentina to parents of Italian descent, Paletta represented his birth nation at the under-20 level, participating in the 200 ...

and club captain

Alessandro Lucarelli Alessandro Lucarelli ( born 22 July 1977) is an Italian former professional footballer who last played for Parma as a defender. Playing career Alessandro Lucarelli started his professional career at Piacenza, whose youth sides he also represent ...

. Parma finished the season in sixth position and qualified for Europe. However, because Parma was ineligible to qualify for European competitions,

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

was given their place in the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

. On 20 June 2014, Sampdoria relinquished the Rossini's remaining 50% rights to Sassuolo for free.

Bari (loan)

On 11 July 2014, after Rossini began training with English

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

, Leeds owner

Massimo Cellino Massimo Cellino (; born 28 July 1956) is an Italian entrepreneur and football club owner. Through his family trust Eleonora Sport Ltd he is the owner of Italian club Brescia Calcio, and is the former owner of italian club Cagliari, and English cl ...

revealed the club was looking to sign Rossini on a year-long loan with the option to make the move permanent. However, on 13 July, Leeds opted to abandon the deal due to concerns of Rossini's lack of fitness, and the player returned to Sassuolo. Cellino said, "We want special players at Leeds United. Rossini didn't show enough during the three days he trained with the rest of the team. After speaking to him, it is clear that he didn't have the right attitude to join Leeds, so we have allowed him to leave." On 17 July 2014, Rossini joined Serie B club

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

on loan from Sassuolo.

Savona (loan)

On 17 July 2015, Rossini was signed by Lega Pro club

Savona Savona (; lij, Sann-a ) is a seaport and ''comune'' in the west part of the northern Italy, Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea. Savona used to be one of the chie ...

on a temporary deal from Sassuolo.

Livorno (loan)

On 27 August 2016, Rossini was signed by Lega Pro club

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 ...

in another loan deal from Sassuolo.

Pistoiese & Pontedera (loan)

On 19 July 2017 Rossini joined

Pistoiese Unione Sportiva Pistoiese 1921 is an Italian association football club, based in Pistoia, Tuscany. Currently, Pistoiese plays in Serie D. Originally founded on 21 April 1921 and later restored after bankruptcy, the team plays their home games ...

on another loan deal. On 30 January 2018 Rossini moved to

Pontedera Pontedera (; la, Pons Herae) is an italian comune with a population of 29.270 inhabitants, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy. The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florenc ...

on another loan.

Serie D

For the 2019–20 season, he returned to

, now in the

Serie D The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...

. He left the club on 12 December 2019 to join fellow league club

U.S.D. Lavagnese 1919 Unione Sportiva Dilettante Lavagnese 1919 is an Football in Italy, Italian association football club located in Lavagna, Liguria. It currently plays in Serie D. History Regional Serie C Unione Sportiva Dilettanti Lavagnese was founded in 191 ...

International career

Rossini debuted for the Switzerland under-21 national team on 19 November 2008 against Greece U21. The match ended in a 1–1 draw. He made his competitive U21 debut in a winning match against

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

on 5 June 2009, the opening match of

2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification The 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship started with a qualifying competition which began on 27 March 2009 and finished on 13 October 2010. The final tournament was held in Denmark between 11–25 June 2011. The first stage of the qualifyin ...

. He scored a goal in the return leg. On 3 March 2010, Rossini made his senior Switzerland debut – as a starter – in a friendly match against

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. He was replaced by

Steve von Bergen Steve von Bergen (born 10 June 1983) is a retired Swiss professional footballer who played as defender. He played for FC Zürich for two full seasons, winning the Swiss Super League in both campaigns and then moved to Hertha BSC, playing there ...

at half-time. The match finished 3–1 to Uruguay, with Uruguay goals from

Luis Suárez Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz (; born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Uruguayan Primera División club Nacional and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Pistolero'' ('The Gunman'), he is ...

Diego Forlán Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi T ...

and

Edinson Cavani Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez (; born 14 February 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Valencia and the Uruguay national team. Nicknamed ''El Matador'' ('The Bullfighter'), being known for his i ...

, and Switzerland's goal from

Gökhan Inler Gökhan İnler (born 27 June 1984) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Adana Demirspor. İnler began his professional career with FC Basel and later joined FC Aarau and FC Zürich, winning the Swiss Sup ...

Honours

Sampdoria *

play-offs: 2011–12 (Promoted) Individual * Voted in

2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

Team of the Tournament

References

External links

Profile at raisport.it

Profile at La Gazzetta dello Sport 2010-11
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rossini, Jonathan Swiss men's footballers Switzerland men's international footballers Switzerland men's under-21 international footballers Switzerland men's youth international footballers Swiss expatriate men's footballers Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players Serie D players AC Bellinzona players UC Sampdoria players AC Legnano players AS Cittadella players US Sassuolo Calcio players Parma Calcio 1913 players SSC Bari players US Pistoiese 1921 players US Città di Pontedera players ASD Albissole 1909 players Savona FBC players USD Lavagnese 1919 players Expatriate men's footballers in Italy Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Italy Men's association football defenders 1989 births Living people Footballers from Ticino