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Former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi has claimed that there was a time when he was the third-most wanted player in Europe after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Italian spent time at Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Parma before finding stability at Villarreal when he moved there in the summer of 2007. He went on to score 82 goals and provide 25 assists in 189 games across all competitions for the Yellow Submarine.
The highlight of his career was the 2010-11 season, where he netted 32 goals and assisted a further 11 in 51 matches. He recalled the campaign when he spoke in an interview with AM (h/t Football-Italia) recently.
He said:
“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."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi wreaked havoc in Europe during that time. Both were neck-and-neck for the Ballon d'Or year in and year out during late 2000s and 2010s.
According to Rossi, he was in demand as Ronaldo and Messi after his first couple of seasons with the Yellow Submarines. The former played for Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, while the latter was on Barcelona's books from 2000 to 2021. He continued:
“In Spain, after Messi and Ronaldo I was there. All the big clubs wanted me.”
However, things went awry for the Italian striker shortly after a spectacular season with the La Liga outfit. He suffered a serious ligament rupture in a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid in October 2011.
The injury sidelined him for 557 days and affected his playing time even when he left Villarreal for Fiorentina in January 2013. It's safe to say he hasn't been the same since.
Rossi played for Serie B club SPAL last season, where he scored three goals in 14 appearances. He is currently a free agent after his contract with the Italian side expired last month.
Manchester United consider move for Bologna striker this summer
Marko Arnautovic, like Rossi, is a player who seemed destined for big things during the early stages of his career. He is currently playing for Serie A side Bologna after joining the Italian club from CSL team Shanghai Port last summer.
At 33-years-old, Arnautovic is in the final few years of his playing career. It's safe to say that he hasn't lived up to expectations, but Manchester United could still offer him one last hurrah.
Manager Erik ten Hag is reportedly interested in a move to bring the Austrian striker at Manchester United this summer. According to the Guardian, the transfer fee could be in the region of £10 million.
Arnautovic scored 14 goals in 33 Serie A games last season. He has prior experience of playing in England, having spent time at Stoke City and West Ham United.
