Giuseppe Rossi
Giuseppe Rossi (Italian pronunciation: [dʒuˈzɛppe ˈrossi]; born 1 February 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward. Born in the United States, he represented Italy at international level.
Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, he began his career with the Clifton Stallions in nearby Clifton, New Jersey, but joined the youth team of Italian club Parma at the age of 12. When he was 17, he was signed by English club Manchester United, but he was unable to break into the first team; after loan spells with Newcastle United and back at Parma, he signed for Spanish club Villarreal in 2007. His first four seasons in Spain were successful, as he maintained a consistent goalscoring rate, and even helped Villarreal qualify for the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Champions League; however, his final full season with the club was cut short by a serious injury. After five-and-a-half years with Villarreal, he returned to Italy, signing for Fiorentina in January 2013. His first full season with the club started well, with Rossi finding the net often, but his appearances with the club became increasingly limited due to several recurring injuries. After several injury-plagued seasons with Fiorentina, in January 2016, Rossi was sent on loan to Spanish club Levante, while he spent the following season on loan with Celta. After his contract with Fiorentina expired in the summer of 2017, he became a free agent, and he later returned to Italy, joining Genoa in December 2017, where he spent the remainder of the 2017–18 season. At the end of the season, he was without a club once again, but was later given permission to train with his former team Manchester United in January 2019.
Due to his prolific performances in the Spanish La Liga, Rossi earned the nickname Pepito Rossi, a reference to his namesake Paolo Rossi, who was nicknamed Pablito following his goalscoring performances in Italy's victorious 1982 FIFA World Cup campaign in Spain.At international level, Rossi represented Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Along with Mario Balotelli and Daniele De Rossi, he is Italy's all-time top scorer in the FIFA Confederations Cup, with 2 goals. ...more on Wikipedia
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