A man born with a unique talent. Born to ‘put on a show’ in front of 70.000 fans. Held back by injuries. In a nutshell, the story of Giuseppe Rossi, who found the energy to make a new start once again, with his goal against Fiorentina after 1,449 days without scoring in Serie A.
“It was a great moment,” he told Forza Italian Football, “It was a liberation for me. After 13 months of therapy, 13 months of hard work it was the light at the end of the tunnel. I hope it can be the start of many more great moments to come.”
The first injury came on October 27, 2011, in a Villarreal top. Then the first rebirth. And another injury. Immediately. Without even having the time to think. “Every injury is tough, because it’s a story all by itself. There’s moments when I got injured when I was at my best, there’s moments when I got injured – like this last one – where I just got off scoring three goals in a game…
“So every injury has its own story. Every recovery has its own story. I was without a team for four or five months during this injury, and this never happened to me before in my career. So that added even extra stress and it was even harder moments to go through. But we did it. We’re back on track, we’re back where we want to be.”
All of this after months without having a team, without knowing what the future would hold and whether or not he would be back playing in front of the crowds he so loves.
“It’s tough,” he went on. “Because I’d had injuries in my past, many people wouldn’t want to take a risk in a player who – yes, he’s a very good player – but who is injury prone. And I don’t blame them.
“Therefore, for those three or four months, when I didn’t really have anything going for me, it was a tough moment, because I love what I do, I love playing football, I love being in front of 60-70,000 fans and putting in a show. That’s what I was born to do. For many many days, and many months, I was asking myself, ‘Am I ever going to see that again?’. So I was lucky enough that I did have a few offers, and Genoa was one of them, so here we are today.”
His last Serie A club was Fiorentina, with which he will always have a special relationship. The Viola bought him in January 2013, when he still has six months of recovery time from injury, thus taking a gamble. However, they had faith in him and at €9 million, it was worth it, for the club and for Rossi, who scored goals every time he was around the purple of Fiorentina.
“It’s pretty crazy – back in the day, when I was 19, in Parma-Fiorentina, we won and I scored two goals,” Rossi explained.
“This last game [Genoa-Fiorentina], I scored but unfortunately we lost. But I was able to get a goal. And also, playing for them I scored many and I did very well, so I guess they bring me good luck if I’m playing with them or if I’m playing against them.”
He’s now part of Fiorentina’s history, thanks to that unforgettable Fiorentina match against Juventus in which he bagged three and giving La Viola their first home win over the Bianconeri since 1998, when a certain Gabriel Batistuta bagged the winner.
“It was a very special moment, scoring those three goals against Juventus,” Rossi said smiling. “It was a long time that Fiorentina hadn’t beaten Juve and I didn’t really realise how big the rivalry was between Fiorentina and Juve until after that game, going to my car and seeing fans crying, still cheering on the streets, on social media, people celebrating as if we won the Champions League.
“It was something really special, something that I’m never going to forget, something the Fiorentini will never forget, and I believe we will always have a bond because of that special game.”
But that same season came his third big injury, which ultimately left him out of the Italy squad for the 2014 World Cup. Now Italy, just like him, are looking for a rebirth. And the national team could do with a new Rossi.
“It’s obviously every footballers dream,” Rossi said. “It sure is mine. I’ve played there in the past, I love being in that atmosphere, I love representing my country, and I hope to have that opportunity again.”
Perhaps this dream could be resurrected under the new coach, Roberto Mancini: “His resume speaks for itself. He is somebody who’s won everywhere he went to. He’s a very accomplished coach, a very accomplished player also, a great player back in the day. And we’d be lucky to have a great coach like Mancini.”
And perhaps alongside Mario Balotelli. The striking duo that should have been leading Italy for the past decade. “Anything could happen. [Mario Balotelli’s] having a great season, I’m getting back to where I want to be. Like I said, this is just the start, and hopefully it is the start of many great things to come.”
The future with the Azzurri depends on his time at Genoa, who will go forward with Davide Ballardini next season and Rossi has plenty of confidence in his former mentor.
“I’ve known Davide Ballardini for a while now,” Rossi explains. “He was my coach when I was 16 years old in the Primavera at Parma. He’s done great things since then. He came to Genoa this year, in a very tough situation, and brought them out. I think it’s a well deserved confirmation. Next year I believe Genoa could do much better than this year. Hopefully that will mean to be fighting for Europe.”
Whether or not they can do it remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure, a player with the talent Rossi has can be the man to make the Grifone fly once more.
