Pablo Daniel "Dani" Osvaldo (; born 12 January 1986) is a 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
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 and raised in Argentina, Osvaldo represented the
Italy national team internationally.
Osvaldo began his career at
Huracán in 2005 and the following year moved to Italy in a co-ownership deal between
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 ...
clubs
Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...
and
Lecce
Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...
, later playing in the top flight for
Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
and
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
. After a loan to
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
, he joined the Spanish club on a permanent basis before earning a return to Italy to
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
for an initial fee of €15 million in 2011. He spent two seasons at the club and was then signed by
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, where he spent most of his time out on loan, at
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 ...
,
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 t ...
and
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
, before joining
Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
. He returned to Boca in January 2016, but was later sacked by the club in May.
Osvaldo qualified to represent Italy through his ancestry, having played initially for
the nation's under-21 team before making his senior debut in 2011.
At times, Osvaldo has been disciplined for having participated in various ferocious incidents with opponents, teammates and managers.
[
]
Club career
Early career
Osvaldo made his debut with Club Atlético Huracán
Club Atlético Huracán () is an Argentine sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is notable for its football team, that currently plays in the Primera División, the top level of the Argentine football ...
in 2005. After less than a year, he was signed by Italian side Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...
, playing three matches in the 2005–06 Serie B season. In 2006, Atalanta agreed to a co-ownership deal which sent the player to Lecce
Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...
, another Serie B team, where Osvaldo had the opportunity to play regularly, scoring eight goals in 31 appearances with the ''Giallorossi''.
Atalanta subsequently regained the full player's property and sold him to Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
for €4.6 million.
On 2 March 2008, Osvaldo headed in a cross from teammate Papa Waigo
Papa Waigo N'Diaye (born 20 January 1984), often simplified as Papa Waigo, is a Senegalese international footballer who currently plays as a striker.
Club career
Early career
Born in Saint-Louis, Senegal, Waigo began his career at Verona ...
to give Fiorentina a 3–2 win in stoppage time over fierce 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 ...
. He was then sent off for his goal celebration
In sports, a goal celebration is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration is normally performed by the goalscorer, and may involve their teammates, the manager or coaching staff or the supporters of the team. Whilst r ...
with a second yellow card
Yellow card may refer to:
* Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas
* Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band
* Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative conce ...
, after having been booked earlier in the match, when he removed his team jersey and pretended to machine gun his own fans in a similar fashion to Fiorentina legend Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta (; born 1 February 1969) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer. During his playing career, Batistuta was nicknamed Batigol () as well as El Ángel Gabriel (; Spanish for ''Archangel Gabriel, ...
's goal celebration. His most important goal was a spectacular overhead kick
In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick, scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...
against 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 ...
on 18 May 2008.
Osvaldo left Fiorentina on 20 January 2009 and joined Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
on loan for €2 million.[ACF Fiorentina Report and Accounts on 31 December 2009 ] At the end of season, Bologna bought him for an additional €5 million, signing a four-year contract with the club.[ On 23 August 2009, Osvaldo scored the season-opening goal for Bologna against his former club Fiorentina and earned his team a point in the draw.
]
Espanyol
On 10 January 2010, Spanish club RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...
announced that they had signed the Italo-Argentine forward on loan until June 2010, pending a medical examination. He made his La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
debut when he came on as a 54th-minute substitute for Iván Alonso
Iván Daniel Alonso Vallejo (born 10 April 1979) is a Uruguayan former footballer who played as a striker.
Gifted with an excellent aerial ability, he was most noted for his Alavés stint, and spent the bulk of his professional career in Spai ...
in the 0–2 away defeat to CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna (, ''Osasuna Athletic Club''), or simply Osasuna, is a Spanish professional football club in Pamplona, Navarre. Founded on 24 October 1920, the club currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at the 23,576-capacity El Sa ...
.
On 3 June 2010, Osvaldo's loan was extended for another season, for €500,000, weeks after the player declared his interest of staying in Spain.
On 31 August, Osvaldo's loan deal with Espanyol was turned into a five-year-deal for a fee worth €4.6 million.
Roma
On 25 August 2011, Osvaldo was sold to Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
for a fee of €15 million plus bonuses, whereby the bonus for goals (€500,000) and appearances (€250,000 each for 25th and 50th appearances; up to 100th) had been fully and partially activated; Roma also has the obligation to pay an additional €1 million if the team had qualifies for one of the Champions League seasons from 2012–13 to 2016–17, regardless of whether or not Osvaldo was a player of Roma at that time. On 22 September 2011, Osvaldo scored his first goal for the ''Lupi'' against Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
in a home game that ended 1–1. On 16 October, Osvaldo opened the scoring against Rome rivals Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
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in the ''Derby della Capitale
The Derby della Capitale ( en, Derby of the capital city), also known as Derby Capitolino and Derby del Cupolone, as well as The Rome Derby in English and Derby di Roma in Italian, is the football local derby in Rome, Italy, between Lazio and Ro ...
''. He scored his fifth goal against Novara
Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...
on 5 November.
On 25 November, Osvaldo was apparently angry with teammate Erik Lamela
Erik Manuel Lamela Cordero (born 4 March 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for La Liga club Sevilla and the Argentina national team.
Lamela began his career at River Plate and in 201 ...
after not receiving a pass during the 0–2 defeat at 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 ...
and was fined and suspended by his club for "punching Lamela in the face."
On 19 March 2012, after three months, he scored again in a 1–0 victory over Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
. He scored in the 2–1 loss 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 ...
and a week later in a 5–2 victory over Novara. He also scored the opening goal in a 3–1 victory over Udinese.
Osvaldo opened the 2012–13 season with a goal against 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 ...
in a 2–2 draw. On 2 September 2012, he scored his second goal of the season against 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 t ...
in a match that saw Roma win 3–1 against the ''Nerazzurri'' at the San Siro
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...
. He scored his third league goal, a penalty, against 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 ...
in a 4–1 defeat at Juventus Stadium
Juventus Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz Stadium since July 2017, sometimes simply known in Italy as the Stadium ( it, Lo Stadium), is an all-seater football stadium in the Vallette borough of Turin, Italy, and the home o ...
. He scored a brace
Brace(s) or bracing may refer to:
Medical
* Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement
** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine
*** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cur ...
in a 4–2 win over Genoa and scored his sixth goal of the season in a 4–1 win against Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
on 4 November. He also scored a goal against former club Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...
for a 4–2 win for Roma.
On 28 April 2013, Osvaldo scored his first hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in Serie A against Siena
Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.
The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...
in a convincing 4–0 home victory. Osvaldo finished the domestic season with a team-leading 16 goals, one over teammate Erik Lamela's 15, as Roma finished in sixth place.
In the club's 2013 Coppa Italia Final loss to Lazio
it, Laziale
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demographics1_title2 ...
(1–0), Osvaldo allegedly shouted at and insulted caretaking manager Aurelio Andreazzoli
Aurelio Andreazzoli (born 5 November 1953) is an Italian football coach. He is currently the head coach of club Ternana.
Career
In 2005, Andreazzoli joined Roma to become head coach Luciano Spalletti's assistant coach, becoming a valuable p ...
after the match for only being given 15 minutes of playing time off the substitutes' bench. Osvaldo also refused to attend the Coppa Italia awards ceremony in protest to the manager's decision.
Southampton
Osvaldo signed for Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
on 18 August 2013 on a four-year deal for a €15.1 (£12.8) million fee plus bonuses up to €2 million. Upon joining Southampton, Osvaldo was reunited with manager Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Roberto Pochettino Trossero (; born 2 March 1972) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain.
Pochettino played as a central defender and be ...
, who had managed him at Espanyol. He made his debut on 24 August in a 1–1 draw with 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 ...
, coming on as a substitute at the start of the second half. His first goal came in a 2–0 win over Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
in September, his second in early December in a 3–2 home loss to Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
, and the next three days later in a 1–1 draw with Manchester City
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 Salford to the west. The tw ...
, when ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''s reporter described how he "bewildered Vincent Kompany
Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (; ; born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back and is the current manager of EFL Championship club Burnley. He most notably played for Manchester Ci ...
before scoring with an exquisite lob from the corner of the box".
On 3 January 2014, Osvaldo was fined £40,000 and banned for three matches after taking part in a touch-line
The touch-line is the line on either side of the playing area of a game of rugby league, rugby union and association football. In many other sports it is called a side-line.
The continuation of the touch-line beyond the goal line ending at the ...
fracas in the match against 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 14 December, for which an FA independent regulatory commission found him "guilty of violent conduct." Three weeks later, Southampton announced they had suspended Osvaldo for two weeks following an undisclosed training ground incident, later revealed to have been a fight with teammate José Fonte
José Miguel da Rocha Fonte (born 22 December 1983) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Ligue 1 club Lille and the Portugal national team.
Fonte started his professional career with Sporting CP B, moving to ...
, ostensibly "instigated by svaldo"
Following his departure, Osvaldo admitted that he had struggled to adapt to playing in England, describing English football as a "very physical type of game, with really tough tackling."
On 1 July 2015, Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
announced that they had terminated Osvaldo's contract.
Juventus (loan)
On 31 January 2014, Osvaldo returned to Italy by signing on a free loan to 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 ...
for the remainder of the 2013–14 season, with the club having until 31 May 2014 to buy the rights to the player at the price of €19 million. Manager Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
Playing as a midfielder, Conte began his career at local club Lecce and later b ...
revealed that Osvaldo willingly accepted a pay-cut to join the club.
Osvaldo made his Juventus debut on 9 February against Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85.
His ...
, coming on as a substitute for Fernando Llorente
Fernando Javier Llorente Torres (; born 26 February 1985), nicknamed ''El Rey León'' ("The Lion King" in Spanish), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker.
He started his career with Athletic Bilbao, working his way throu ...
in the 65th minute of a 2–2 draw. In the Round of 32 of the Europa League, Osvaldo scored in both legs as Juventus beat Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
4–0 on aggregate. In the final away game against Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
on 11 May, Osvaldo scored the only goal of the game in the fourth minute of added time, seconds away from the end of the match. This was the only goal of 11 league matches in his loan spell.
Internazionale (loan)
On 4 August 2014, Osvaldo returned again to Italy by signing on a free loan to 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 t ...
for the 2014–15 season, with Saphir Taïder
Saphir Sliti Taïder ( ar, سفير سليتي تايدر; born 29 February 1992) is a professional association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder, central midfielder. Born in France, he plays for the Algeria national football team, A ...
moving in the opposite direction to Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
. He scored his first goal on the 28th, the third of a 6–0 win over Stjarnan
Ungmennafélagið Stjarnan, commonly known as Stjarnan, is an Icelandic multi-sports club specialising in handball, football, basketball, volleyball and gymnastics located in Garðabær.and in the top 10 in the World and they have won the League ...
of Iceland which qualified Inter to the group stages of the Europa League. Three days later he featured in Serie A for the club for the first time, replacing fellow debutant Yann M'Vila
Yann Gérard M'Vila (born 29 June 1990) is a French professional footballer who plays for Super League Greece club Olympiacos. He operates primarily as a defensive midfielder, and is described by his former club as a player who possesses "excell ...
after 56 minutes of a goalless draw at 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 ...
. In his second league match on 14 September, he scored twice as Inter defeated 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 ...
7–0 at the San Siro
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...
. He scored the winner in a 2–1 victory over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
Football Club Dnipro ( uk, Футбо́льний Клуб «Дніпро́», ) was a Ukrainian football club based in Dnipro. The club was owned by the Privat Group that also owns BC Dnipro and Budivelnyk Kyiv.
In 2018 FC Dnipro was forced in ...
on 27 November, a result which confirmed that Inter would top their Europa League group with a game remaining. He was suspended by Inter on 21 January 2015 for not turning up to training for two days and not providing a reason for his absence, while previously being ostracised from the squad after falling out with strike partner Mauro Icardi
Mauro Emanuel Icardi Rivero (; born 19 February 1993) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for Süper Lig club Galatasaray S.K. (football), Galatasaray, on loan fro ...
.
Boca Juniors (loan)
On 13 February 2015, Osvaldo returned to Argentina by signing on loan to Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...
until the end of June. He said that playing for the club "was always a lifelong dream". Osvaldo scored in his debut for the side against Montevideo Wanderers
Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. Beside football, the cl ...
in a Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
match on 26 February. He scored his second and third goal against Zamora on 11 March, again in the Copa Libertadores.
Porto
On 5 August 2015, Osvaldo joined Portuguese side Porto
Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
on a free transfer, following his release by Southampton. He scored his first goal for the Primeira Liga
The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...
team on 4 October, as a substitute for Vincent Aboubakar
Vincent Aboubakar (born 22 January 1992) is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr and captains the Cameroon national team.
Aboubakar began his career at Coton Sport and moved ...
in a 4–0 home win over CF Os 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 Rest ...
.
Boca Juniors
Osvaldo returned to Boca Juniors in January 2016, but in May he had his contract terminated after arguing with coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (; born 4 May 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former forward who currently manages the Paraguay national team.
Barros Schelotto played 16 years of his professional career in the Argentine Primera Divis ...
after being caught smoking in the dressing room.
Retirement
On 31 August 2016, after Osvaldo had been a free agent for around three months, Italy's Rai Sport
Rai Sport is an Italian sports TV channel, launched in 1999 by the state-owned RAI television network. It broadcast Italian and international sports events in Italy on DTT channel 146 on ''Rai Mux B''. It is also available on Sky Italia.
On 18 ...
claimed that Serie A club Chievo
Chievo (4,500 inhabitants) is a frazione of Verona located to the west of the city, around from the historic city centre, on the shores of the river Adige.
It is best known for its football team, A.C. ChievoVerona, which competes in the second ...
tried to sign the former Southampton striker, but Osvaldo told the club that he had retired from football to focus on his music career.
Return to Argentine football
On 6 January 2020, Osvaldo came out of retirement after four years to play for Primera División club, Banfield for the first time since 1999, in his youth career. He signed a one year contract with the club. He departed in July 2020.
International career
Osvaldo qualified for Italian citizenship through a great-grandfather who was born in Filottrano
Filottrano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ancona in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona.
Filottrano borders the following municipalities: Appignano, Cingoli, Jesi, Montefano, Osimo, Santa Maria ...
, Marche
Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...
and emigrated to Argentina in the 19th century. Osvaldo had previously played for the Italy U21 national team in the team's victorious 2008 Toulon Tournament campaign, putting on a Man of the Match performance and scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
in the final.
On 5 October 2011, due to the injuries that caused the withdrawal of regular strikers Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli Barwuah (; ''né'' Barwuah; born 12 August 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Swiss Super League club Sion.
Balotelli started his professional football career in 2005 at Lumezzane, before ...
and Giampaolo Pazzini
Giampaolo Pazzini (; born 2 August 1984), nicknamed ''Il Pazzo'' ("The Madman") after his surname, is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a striker.
He spent most of his career in Serie A with Atalanta, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, ...
, Osvaldo received his first call-up to play for the Italy senior national team for UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 was a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, held in Poland and Ukraine. The draw for the qualifying rounds was held ...
matches against Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. Speaking of criticism by Lega Nord
Lega Nord (; acronym: LN), whose complete name is (), is a right-wing, federalist, populist and conservative political party in Italy. In the run-up of the 2018 general election, the party was rebranded as (), without changing its official n ...
politicians for his decision to play for Italy, Osvaldo said "The criticism from politicians is ridiculous. I have an Italian wife, Italian children and an Italian family and I also play in Serie A. Moreover, I have already sung the national anthem for the Under-21 team. I would have no problem facing Argentina in the future because it would mean I would be a part of the Italian national team." On 11 October 2011, he made his debut in the 3–0 victory over Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
.
National team 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 ...
dropped him from the squad after reports surfaced of Osvaldo shouting at his Roma coach, Aurelio Andreazzoli
Aurelio Andreazzoli (born 5 November 1953) is an Italian football coach. He is currently the head coach of club Ternana.
Career
In 2005, Andreazzoli joined Roma to become head coach Luciano Spalletti's assistant coach, becoming a valuable p ...
, during Roma's 1–0 defeat to Lazio in the 2013 Coppa Italia final.["Osvaldo kicked out of Italy squad"]
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, 28 May 2013 Osvaldo skipped the awards ceremony and then attacked Andreazzoli on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.[
He was recalled by Prandelli for the ]2014 World Cup qualifiers
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil. The remaining 31 places were determined b ...
against Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. He netted his first two international goals for the ''Azzurri'' away against Bulgaria within the space of four minutes to put Italy in front after being a goal down early on. He added two more goals in the qualification campaign, almost exactly a year apart, away 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 ...
, and Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. In the home qualifier against Denmark, on 16 October 2012 at the San Siro
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...
, Osvaldo was given a straight red card early in the second half for an elbow on Nicolai Stokholm
Nicolai Stokholm (born 1 April 1976) is a Danish former professional association footballer, who played as a midfielder. He played for FC Nordsjælland, having moved from Viking FK in the winter 2008–09. He made his debut for the Denmark nati ...
.
Osvaldo was not selected by Prandelli for the squad that contested the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup was the ninth FIFA Confederations Cup, which was held in Brazil from 15 to 30 June 2013 as a prelude to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The most recent winners of the six continental championships appeared in the tourna ...
in Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,[ nor for the following year's ]World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
.
Style of play
Described as a "modern", quick, tenacious, and physically strong striker, with good technique and dribbling skills, Osvaldo was capable of playing anywhere along the front line, due to his intelligent movement, positional sense, and his ability to make attacking runs. He was primarily known for his heading accuracy, his acrobatic ability in the air, and for his powerful and accurate striking ability both inside or outside the area, with both feet. In addition to his goalscoring ability, he was also capable of using his strength and control to link up with and play off of other forwards, and hold up the ball with his back to goal, to lay it off for teammates and provide them with assists. His former coach Zdeněk Zeman has described him as "a force of nature". Osvaldo also drew criticism throughout his career, however, for his inconsistency, aggressive character and lack of discipline, which led him to be involved in several confrontations with managers, opponents, teammates, and officials.
Personal life
Osvaldo met the Argentine actress Jimena Barón
Jimena Valentina Guevara Barón (born 24 May 1987), better known as Jimena Barón or J Mena, is an Argentine actress and singer.[Eugenia Tobal
''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...](_blank)
. He was playing in Italy at the time, and returned to Argentina to meet her under the pretense of a legal problem. She left the cast of ''Sos mi hombre
''Sos mi hombre'' ( es, You are the one) is an Argentine telenovela, which aired on El Trece in 2012-2013. It starred Luciano Castro and Celeste Cid.
Premise
The two telenovelas made by Pol-Ka at the beginning of 2012, '' Lobo'' and the second s ...
'' and moved to Italy with him, and he left his wife Elena Braccini and his two daughters. He had a son with Jimena, and both of them returned to Argentina when he signed for Boca Juniors. He broke up with Barón in 2015, under controversial circumstances.
Osvaldo has expressed his interest in music, with 'Wild Horses' by the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
being his favourite song. Osvaldo also has interest in playing the guitar.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Osvaldo goal.''
Honours
Atalanta[
* ]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 ...
: 2005–06
Roma[
* ]Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
runner-up: 2012–13
Juventus[
* ]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 ...
: 2013–14
Boca Juniors[
* ]Argentine Primera División
The Primera División (; en, "First Division"), known officialy as Liga Profesional de Fútbol, or Torneo Binance for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in Argentina, organised by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).
Th ...
: 2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
* Copa Argentina
The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), with the aim of qual ...
: 2014–15
* Supercopa Argentina
The Supercopa Argentina (English: Argentine Super Cup) is an official National association football cup of Argentina organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). The annual football match was played for the first time in 2012, being cont ...
runner-up: 2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
Italy U21[
* ]Toulon Tournament
The Toulon Tournament (officially the Festival International "Espoirs" – Tournoi Maurice Revello) is a football (training match) tournament, which traditionally features invited national teams composed of youth players from U-17 to U-23 level. ...
: 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; ...
See also
* List of athletes who came out of retirement
In most cases, when a professional athlete announces retirement, he or she retires and then never returns to playing professional sports; however, in rare instances there are some athletes who came out of retirement. The following list shows su ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osvaldo, Dani
1986 births
Living people
ACF Fiorentina players
Argentine footballers
Argentine people of Italian descent
Association football forwards
Atalanta B.C. players
Bologna F.C. 1909 players
Boca Juniors footballers
Expatriate footballers in Spain
Club Atlético Huracán footballers
Inter Milan players
Italian footballers
Italian people of Argentine descent
Italy international footballers
Italy under-21 international footballers
Serie A players
Serie B players
La Liga players
Argentine Primera División players
Primeira Liga players
Premier League players
RCD Espanyol footballers
Southampton F.C. players
Juventus F.C. players
U.S. Lecce players
FC Porto players
Expatriate footballers in Argentina
Expatriate footballers in England
Expatriate footballers in Portugal
Citizens of Italy through descent
Footballers from Buenos Aires
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Spain
Italian expatriate sportspeople in England
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Argentina
Italian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal