Giuseppe Rossi facts for kids
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Rossi in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 February 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Teaneck, New Jersey, United States | ||
| Height | 1.73 m | ||
| Playing position | 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) | |
| National team | |||
| 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) |
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Giuseppe Rossi (born February 1, 1987) is a former professional footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals.
Rossi was born in the United States. He spent most of his football career playing in Europe. He played for big clubs like Villarreal and Fiorentina. He also played in England, Italy, and Spain. Later, he returned to the United States to play for Real Salt Lake in 2020.
He played for the Italian national team. He was part of the team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He also played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Rossi played 30 games for Italy and scored seven goals. He is one of Italy's top scorers in the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Because he scored so many goals in the Spanish league, La Liga, fans called him Pepito Rossi. This nickname was a nod to another famous Italian player, Paolo Rossi. Paolo was called Pablito after he helped Italy win the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
About Giuseppe Rossi's Early Life
Giuseppe Rossi is Italian American. His parents were Italian immigrants who moved to Teaneck, New Jersey. His father, Fernando Rossi, was a soccer coach. He also taught Italian and Spanish at Clifton High School. His mother, Cleonilde Rossi, was also a language teacher.
Giuseppe played soccer at Clifton High School. After his father passed away in 2010, Rossi started wearing the number 49 jersey. This number was special because it was the year his father was born. In 2014, he changed back to the number 22 jersey. His daughter was born on December 1, 2020.
Giuseppe Rossi's Club Career
Starting His Football Journey
When Rossi was 12, he was offered a spot on the youth team of Parma in Italy. He and his father moved to Italy for this opportunity. When he was 17, Manchester United bought his contract.
He played his first game for Manchester United's main team on November 20, 2004. This was in a League Cup match against Crystal Palace. He came into the game as a substitute.
On October 15, 2005, he made his Premier League debut. He scored a goal nine minutes after coming on as a substitute. This helped Manchester United win 3–1 against Sunderland. In an FA Cup game on January 18, 2006, he started and scored two goals. Manchester United won 5–0 against Burton Albion. Rossi did not play in the League Cup final that year. However, a teammate gave him his medal to recognize his help in earlier games.
Loans to Newcastle and Parma
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 matches. He scored his only goal for Newcastle on October 25, 2006. It was in a League Cup match against Portsmouth.
For the second half of that season, he was loaned to his old club, Parma. He scored nine goals in 19 league games for them.
Playing for Villarreal
On July 31, 2007, Manchester United sold Rossi to the Spanish club Villarreal. He scored his first goal for Villarreal in his very first game. This was against Valencia on August 26, 2007.
In his second season with Villarreal, Rossi scored 12 goals in 30 league games. He also scored three goals in eight Champions League matches. In January 2011, he signed a new contract with Villarreal until 2016. The 2010–11 season was a great one for him. He scored 32 goals in 56 games across all competitions. He helped Villarreal finish fourth in La Liga, scoring 18 goals. This meant they qualified for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League. He also helped Villarreal reach the semi-finals of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, scoring 11 goals.
Rossi faced some serious injuries during his time at Villarreal. He hurt his right knee in October 2011 and was out for six months. He re-injured the same knee in April 2012, which kept him out for another 10 months. Despite these setbacks, he scored 82 goals in 192 games for Villarreal. He became the club's all-time top scorer. His record was later broken by Gerard Moreno in August 2021.
Time at Fiorentina
On January 4, 2013, Fiorentina bought Rossi from Villarreal. He signed a four-year contract with the Italian club. On May 21, he made his debut for Fiorentina. He came on as a substitute in a 5–1 win against Pescara.
On August 26, Rossi scored his first goal in 23 months for Fiorentina. This was in their first game of the 2013–14 Serie A season. On October 20, he scored three goals in just 14 minutes against Juventus. This helped Fiorentina win 4–2.
In January 2014, Rossi got another knee injury. He had been the top scorer in Serie A with 14 goals. He returned from injury in May 2014, playing in the Coppa Italia final. He also scored in his Serie A comeback game. In August 2014, he injured his right knee again and was out for several months.
Rossi returned to play on August 30, 2015. He scored his first goal since his injury on October 1. This was in a Europa League match against Belenenses.
Loan to Levante
On January 22, 2016, Rossi went back to La Liga on loan. He joined Levante to get more playing time. He scored in his debut for Levante on January 31. On March 13, he scored the only goal in a win against Valencia CF. He also scored a late winning goal against Atlético Madrid on May 8.
Loan to Celta Vigo
On August 29, 2016, Rossi signed a one-year loan deal with Celta Vigo. He scored his first goal for them in his debut. This was in a Europa League game against Standard Liège. On April 3, 2017, Rossi scored three goals in a game against Las Palmas. This was his first hat-trick since 2013.
On April 9, 2017, Rossi suffered another serious knee injury. This was his fifth major injury. He was expected to be out for at least six months. His contract with Fiorentina ended in July, and he became a free agent.
Playing for Genoa
On December 4, 2017, Rossi joined Genoa on a free transfer. He made his debut for the club on December 20. He left Genoa at the end of the 2017–18 season.
In May 2018, Rossi had a problem with a drug test. He was later given a warning about it. He said it was a "nightmare" and that he only wanted to focus on football.
Looking for a New Club
In January 2019, Rossi started training with his old club, Manchester United. Later, he was invited to train with MLS team Los Angeles FC. In October, Villarreal also announced he would train with their team. In December 2019, he said he was ready to play for any Serie A team.
Real Salt Lake
After a trial, Rossi joined Real Salt Lake in the MLS on February 27, 2020. He played his first game for them on February 29. His contract with Salt Lake ended after the 2020 season.
Playing for SPAL
On November 19, 2021, Rossi joined the Italian club SPAL in Serie B. He signed a deal until the end of the season. On February 17, 2023, he returned to SPAL for another deal until the end of the season. He officially retired from football on July 22, 2023.
Giuseppe Rossi's International Career
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Rossi played for Italy at almost every youth level. This included the under-16 and under-21 teams. In 2006, he was invited to train with the United States national team. However, he chose to play for Italy instead.
He played in the 2007 Under-21 European Championship. The next year, he scored four goals at the 2008 Summer Olympics. This made him the top scorer of the tournament. He scored two goals in a game against Belgium. He also scored in wins against Honduras and Korea Republic.
Italy's national team manager, Marcello Lippi, said Rossi would have been called up for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers if he had been fit. Rossi made his senior debut for Italy on October 11, 2008. This was in a World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria.
Rossi scored his first goal for Italy on June 6, 2009, in a friendly game. He scored two goals against his birth country, the United States, on June 15, 2009. This was in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
He was part of Italy's provisional squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not make it into the final team. On November 17, 2010, Rossi was chosen to be the team's captain for a friendly game against Romania.
After two years away due to injury, Rossi played in a 2014 World Cup qualifying match in October 2013. He was named in Italy's provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. But again, he did not make the final 23-man squad. In May 2016, he was not selected for the UEFA Euro 2016 team either.
Giuseppe Rossi's Style of Play
Giuseppe Rossi was a fast and skillful forward. He was known for his attacking style and how hard he worked on the field. He was also good at moving without the ball. He had a powerful and accurate shot.
When he was younger, many people thought he was one of Italy's most promising players. His playing style was often compared to Alessandro Del Piero. This was because of his speed, great technical skills, and good dribbling. He could score goals or create chances for his teammates. He was also compared to Paolo Rossi, another famous Italian striker. This was because of his quickness and eye for goal.
In 2013, a former Fiorentina player, Giancarlo Antognoni, compared Rossi to Roberto Baggio. He said Rossi had similar "touch and creativity." Giuseppe Rossi was good at finishing chances and connecting with midfielders. He often dropped back to help build up plays. Because of this, he could play in many attacking positions. He could play on the wings, as a supporting striker, or as a lone striker. He was also a good penalty taker. Even though he was very talented, injuries limited his playing time later in his career.
After Retiring from Football
In September 2021, Rossi started a new career. He became a sports commentator for a show called Calcio e Cappuccino. This show is about Serie A football and is shown on CBS Sports Network.
Career Statistics Summary
Giuseppe Rossi played in 275 league games and scored 95 goals in his club career. For the Italian national team, he played 30 games and scored 7 goals.
Honours
Individual Awards
- 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
