Giuseppe Rossi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Giuseppe Rossi

Rossi in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Giuseppe Rossi
Date of birth	(1987-02-01) 1 February 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Teaneck, New Jersey, United States
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1996–1999	Clifton Stallions
2000–2004	Parma
2004	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2007	Manchester United	5	(1)
2006	→ Newcastle United (loan)	11	(0)
2007	→ Parma (loan)	19	(9)
2007–2013	Villarreal	136	(54)
2013–2017	Fiorentina	34	(16)
2016	→ Levante (loan)	17	(6)
2016–2017	→ Celta (loan)	18	(4)
2017–2018	Genoa	9	(1)
2020	Real Salt Lake	7	(1)
2021–2022	SPAL	14	(3)
2023	SPAL	5	(0)
Total		275	(95)
International career
2003	Italy U16	5	(3)
2003–2004	Italy U17	14	(6)
2004–2005	Italy U18	3	(0)
2006–2008	Italy U21	16	(5)
2008	Italy U23	6	(6)
2008–2014	Italy	30	(7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giuseppe Rossi (born 1 February 1987) is a former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was usually one of the main goal scorers on the team.

Rossi was born in the United States but spent most of his football career playing in Europe. He played for big clubs like Villarreal and Fiorentina. He also played for teams in England, Italy, and Spain. Later, he returned to the United States to play for Real Salt Lake for one season in 2020.

He also played for the Italian national team. He represented Italy in the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Between 2008 and 2014, he played 30 games for Italy and scored seven goals. He is one of Italy's top scorers in the FIFA Confederations Cup, with two goals.

Because he scored so many goals in the Spanish La Liga, Rossi was often called Pepito Rossi. This nickname was a nod to another famous Italian player, Paolo Rossi, who was called Pablito after his amazing goals helped Italy win the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

Early Life and Family

Giuseppe Rossi is Italian American. His parents were Italian immigrants who moved to Teaneck, New Jersey, where Giuseppe was born. His father, Fernando Rossi, was from a town called Fraine in Italy. He coached soccer and taught Italian and Spanish at Clifton High School.

Giuseppe's mother, Cleonilde Rossi, was also a language teacher. She was from Acquaviva d'Isernia in Italy. Giuseppe also has a sister named Tina. He played soccer at Clifton High School when he was younger.

After his father passed away in 2010, Rossi started wearing the number 49 on his jersey. This was because his father was born in 1949. In 2014, he changed his jersey number back to 22. Giuseppe Rossi became a father himself on 1 December 2020, when his daughter was born.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

When Giuseppe was 12, he was offered a spot on the youth team of Parma, a club in Italy. He and his father moved to Italy for this opportunity. When he was 17, Manchester United in England bought his contract.

Rossi made his first team debut for Manchester United on 20 November 2004. He came on as a substitute in a League Cup game against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance in the Premier League on 15 October 2005. He scored his first Premier League goal just nine minutes after coming on as a substitute against Sunderland.

In January 2006, he scored two goals in an FA Cup game against Burton Albion. Even though he didn't play in the League Cup final against Wigan Athletic, his teammate Nemanja Vidić gave Rossi his medal. This was to recognize Rossi's help in the team's success in the earlier rounds of the competition.

At the start of the 2006–07 season, Rossi went on loan to Newcastle United. This was so he could get more experience playing in first-team games. He scored his only goal for Newcastle on 25 October 2006, in a League Cup match against Portsmouth. For the second half of that season, he was loaned back to his old club, Parma. He scored nine goals in 19 league games for Parma.

Time at Villarreal

Rossi played for Villarreal for five-and-a-half years after joining from Manchester United in 2007.

On 31 July 2007, Rossi was sold to the Spanish club Villarreal. He scored his first goal for Villarreal in his very first game against Valencia. In his second season with Villarreal, he scored 12 goals in 30 league games. He also scored three goals in eight Champions League games.

In January 2011, he signed a new contract with Villarreal that would keep him there until 2016. The 2010–11 season was a fantastic year for him. He scored 32 goals in 56 games across all competitions. He helped Villarreal finish fourth in La Liga, which meant they qualified for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. He also helped the team reach the semi-finals of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, scoring 11 goals in that competition.

Unfortunately, Rossi suffered a serious knee injury on 26 October 2011, which kept him out of action for six months. He re-injured the same knee in April 2012, meaning he was out for another 10 months. During his six years at Villarreal, he scored 82 goals in 192 games. This made him the club's all-time top scorer for a long time. His record was finally broken by Gerard Moreno on 11 August 2021.

Moving to Fiorentina

On 4 January 2013, Fiorentina, an Italian club, agreed to buy Rossi from Villarreal. He signed a four-year contract with Fiorentina. On 21 May, Rossi made his debut for Fiorentina as a substitute in a game against Pescara.

On 26 August, Rossi scored his first goal in almost two years for Fiorentina. This was in their first game of the 2013–14 Serie A season. On 20 October, he scored an amazing hat-trick (three goals) in just 14 minutes against rivals Juventus. This helped Fiorentina win 4–2.

On 5 January 2014, Rossi suffered another knee injury during a game. At this point, he was the leading goal scorer in Serie A with 14 goals in 18 games. He returned from injury on 3 May, playing as a substitute in the Coppa Italia final. On 6 May, he scored a goal in his first Serie A game back.

On 14 August 2014, Rossi injured his right knee again during training. This meant he would be out for another 4–5 months. He finally returned to playing on 30 August 2015. On 1 October, he scored his first goal since his return from injury in a Europa League match.

Loan to Levante

On 22 January 2016, Rossi went back to Spain on loan to Levante. He wanted to play more games to try and earn a spot on the Italian national team for Euro 2016. He scored in his debut for Levante on 31 January. On 13 March, he scored the only goal in a win against city rivals Valencia CF. On 8 May, he scored a late winning goal against Atlético Madrid, but it wasn't enough to stop Levante from being relegated.

Loan to Celta Vigo

Rossi with Celta de Vigo in 2017

On 29 August 2016, Rossi signed a one-year contract with Celta Vigo. He scored his first goal for the club in his debut game in the Europa League. On 3 April 2017, Rossi scored another hat-trick in a game against Las Palmas. This was his first hat-trick since 2013.

However, on 9 April 2017, Rossi suffered his fifth serious injury. He tore a ligament in his left knee and was expected to be out for at least six months. After this, his contract with Fiorentina ended, and he became a free agent.

Playing for Genoa

On 4 December 2017, Rossi joined Genoa in Italy. He made his debut for the club on 20 December in a Coppa Italia game against Juventus. He left Genoa at the end of the 2017–18 season.

Time as a Free Agent and Return to Play

In January 2019, Rossi started training with his old club, Manchester United, to stay fit. Later that year, he also trained with MLS team Los Angeles FC. In October, Villarreal, another of his former clubs, announced he would train with their first team.

Playing in the MLS with Real Salt Lake

After a trial, Rossi officially became a Real Salt Lake player on 27 February 2020. He made his debut for the club on 29 February. His contract option was not picked up by Real Salt Lake after the 2020 season.

Final Years at SPAL

On 19 November 2021, Rossi joined the Italian Serie B club SPAL. He signed a deal to play for them until the end of the season. After being without a club for some time, Rossi returned to SPAL on 17 February 2023, for another short deal. He officially retired from professional football at the end of the 2022–23 season on 22 July 2023.

International Career for Italy

Rossi with Italy in 2011

Giuseppe Rossi played for Italy at almost every youth level, from the under-16 team to the under-21 team. In 2006, he was invited to train with the United States national team, but he chose to play for Italy instead.

He played in the 2007 Under-21 European Championship. The next year, he was the top scorer at the 2008 Summer Olympics, scoring four goals. He scored twice in a game against Belgium and also scored against Honduras and Korea Republic.

Rossi made his senior debut for the Italian national team on 11 October 2008, in a World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria. He scored his first goal for Italy on 6 June 2009, in a friendly game against Northern Ireland. He also scored two goals against his birth country, the United States, in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

He was included in Italy's first squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but he didn't make the final team. On 17 November 2010, Rossi was chosen to be the captain for Italy for the first time in a friendly match against Romania.

After two years away from the national team due to injuries, Rossi played in a 2014 World Cup qualifying match on 15 October 2013. He was named in Italy's first squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but again, he didn't make the final team. He was also not selected for UEFA Euro 2016.

Playing Style

Giuseppe Rossi was a fast and skillful forward who used his left foot well. He was known for his creative way of playing, his hard work, and how he moved without the ball. He also had a powerful and accurate shot and was great at scoring goals.

When he was younger, many people thought he was one of the most promising Italian players. His style of play was often compared to famous Italian players like Alessandro Del Piero and Paolo Rossi. He was good at dribbling, passing, and could both score goals and create chances for his teammates.

Because of his skills, Rossi could play in many different attacking positions. He could play on the wings, as a supporting striker, as a main striker, or even as an attacking midfielder. He was also very good at taking penalty kicks. Even though he was very talented, Rossi's career was often affected by many serious injuries.

After Retirement

In September 2021, after retiring from playing, Rossi started a new career as a sports commentator. He worked for an American TV show called Calcio e Cappuccino, which focuses on Italian football.

On 8 July 2025, Rossi joined North Jersey Pro Soccer, a new football team in the USL League One. He became the vice chairman and director of soccer for the club. Two days later, the club announced it would be known as the New York Cosmos.

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
• Pallone d'Argento: 2013–14

See also

In Spanish: Giuseppe Rossi para niños