Rossi, 33, has played for Manchester United and Newcastle United in England, Parma, Fiorentina and Genoa in Italy and Villarreal, Levante and Celta Vigo in Spain, scoring 128 goals in 336 matches across all competitions for clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga. After moving from his native New Jersey to Italy at 12 years old to play with Parma’s youth academy, he made his professional debut for Manchester United at 17 years old in the fifth round of the League Cup in 2004. He went on to have his breakthrough season on loan with Parma in the 2006-07 season, notching nine goals and four assists in 19 Serie A matches.
His top season came with Villarreal in 2010-11, when he had 18 goals and seven assists in 35 matches in league play, 11 goals and three assists in 14 appearances in Europa League and three goals and one assist in five Copa Del Rey matches. During that season, Villarreal finished fourth in La Liga with Rossi finishing as the fifth-leading scorer in the league, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo. Villarreal also advanced to the semifinals of Europa League as Rossi finished second behind Radamel Falcao on the scoring charts for the tournament.
Internationally, Rossi had seven goals in 30 caps for Italy between his debut in 2008 and his last appearance in 2014. During the 2008 Olympics, he led Italy to the Quarterfinal Round, scoring four goals in four matches to win the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer. A technically-gifted and versatile attacker, Rossi can play in any attacking position – as a lone striker, a second striker, an attacking midfielder or on either wing. His uncanny ability to score and set up his teammates has been his hallmark throughout his career and he has even served as captain for Italy during his time with Gli Azzurri.