Giuzeppe Rossi Italian footballer, forward. Participant of the 2008 Olympics Date of Birth: 01.02.1987 Country: Italy

Giuseppe Rossi Biography

Born in the United States to Italian immigrant parents, Giuseppe Rossi is an Italian footballer who currently plays as a forward for the club SPAL. He comes from a family with a football background, with his father being a former footballer and his mother a teacher. In 2000, Rossi received an invitation from Parma, and he immediately moved to Italy with his father.

At the age of 17, Rossi joined Manchester United, initially playing for their youth team and then the reserves, occasionally appearing for the first team in cup games. In the beginning of the 2006/07 season, Rossi was loaned to Newcastle United until January 1, 2007, to gain more experience. He made his debut on September 24, 2006, impressing everyone with his speed and several shots on goal. Rossi scored his first goal on October 25, 2006, against Portsmouth. In the second half of the season, he was once again sent on loan, this time to his former club, Parma. Rossi scored 9 goals in 19 matches, helping the club avoid relegation to Serie B and showcasing his skills. His performance attracted the attention of top clubs in Europe. On July 31, 2007, Manchester United sold Rossi to Spanish club Villarreal for a transfer fee of 10 million euros. However, there was a clause in Rossi's contract that allowed Manchester United to buy him back for the same amount. Rossi scored his first goal for Villarreal on August 26, 2007, in a match against Valencia.

In November 2012, it was reported that Liverpool was officially interested in the Italian forward, as the club was in need of new strikers and Rossi wanted to leave Villarreal. The transfer fee for Rossi was rumored to be €10 million, the same amount he was sold for to Villarreal. On January 4, 2013, Rossi officially became a player for Fiorentina. At the time of signing the contract, Rossi became the highest-paid player in the team. In May 2014, he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss more than a year of playing. On July 18, 2015, Rossi made his comeback, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a friendly match against Carpi. The match ended with a 2-0 victory.

On January 22, 2016, Rossi was loaned to the Spanish club Levante until the end of the season. He made his debut for Levante on January 25 in a match against Las Palmas and scored his first goal for the team on January 31 in a match against Sevilla. In the summer of 2016, he went on a one-year loan to Celta Vigo. Rossi marked his debut for the Galician club on September 15 in a UEFA Europa League match against Belgian side Standard Liege, scoring a goal. On April 3, 2017, in a match against Las Palmas, he recorded a hat-trick. However, on April 9, in a match against Eibar, Rossi suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which sidelined him for at least six months. In the summer of 2017, he became a free agent after rejecting Celta Vigo's contract offer following the expiration of his contract with Fiorentina.

On December 4, 2017, Rossi joined Genoa. He made his debut for Genoa on December 20 in a Coppa Italia match against Juventus, coming on as a substitute in the second half. On May 6, 2018, he scored his first goal for Genoa in a match against Fiorentina. After the match against Benevento on May 12, a doping test revealed the presence of the banned substance dorzolamide in Rossi's body, but he avoided suspension. At the end of the 2017/18 season, Rossi left Genoa due to the expiration of his contract. In 2019, as a free agent, he trained with several clubs: Manchester United in January, LAFC in February, and Villarreal in October.

On February 27, 2020, Rossi signed a contract with MLS club Real Salt Lake. He made his debut in the American league on February 29 in a match against Orlando City, coming on as a substitute in the second half. On August 29, he scored his first goal in MLS in a match against Portland Timbers. After the conclusion of the 2020 season, RSL chose not to renew Rossi's contract.

On November 19, 2021, Rossi signed a contract until the end of the 2021/22 season with Italian Serie B club SPAL after training with the team for several weeks.

National Team:
In 2006, Rossi received an invitation to the United States national team camp ahead of the World Cup, but he declined, stating his desire to play for the Italian national team. Giuseppe Rossi represented Italy in all the youth and junior national teams. On November 17, 2010, during a friendly match against Romania, he captained Italy onto the field.