Giuseppe Rossi reflected on the best season of his career with Villarreal back in the 2010-11 campaign, remembering that ‘all the big clubs wanted me’.
The Italian forward was once one of the most promising young talents in Europe, bouncing around between Parma, Manchester United and Newcastle United before finally moving to Villarreal in 2007. This period is where Rossi shined, scoring 82 goals in 189 appearances before injuries derailed his career.
Speaking to AM, Rossi looked back at his time with Villarreal and how much potential he once had.
“It was the one year at Villarreal, 2010/11. That year I exploded, playing with consistency and scoring 32 goals between the league and Europa League.
“In Spain, after Messi and Ronaldo I was there. All the big clubs wanted me.”
In the 60th minute of a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid in October 2011, Rossi suffered an incredibly serious cruciate ligament rupture. The injury was so bad that he spent 557 days on the sidelined, missing 34 games for Villarreal and later Fiorentina after his transfer in January 2013.
The injury derailed Rossi’s career. Only six months after making his return to action in May 2013, the Italian forward again suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the following campaign. This issue ended his 2013-14 season season.
Unfortunately for Rossi, the 2014-15 campaign was no better as he suffered an intraarticular ligament fissure, which sidelined him for 234 days or 43 games for Fiorentina. This issue was immediately followed up with muscle fatigue, which drew his season to a close.