Rossi reflects on 2014 snub and Italy’s youth problem: ‘It happened to me too’
Rossi reflects on 2014 snub and Italy’s youth problem: ‘It happened to me too’ Giuseppe Rossi says that he has put the disappointment of being left out of Italy’s 2014 World Cup squad behind him and has commented on the ongoing struggle for playing time that faces young players in Serie A: ‘It happened to me too, I had to go abroad’. The former Manchester United, Villarreal and Fiorentina striker spoke in an in-depth interview with Corriere dello Sport , published on Wednesday. Rossi on Italy troubles, 2014 snub and youth issue: ‘It happened to me too’ FLORENCE, ITALY – MARCH 22: Giuseppe Rossi and family pose during Pepito Day at Stadio Artemio Franchi on March 22, 2025 in Florence, Italy.
Pepito Day is special event dedicated to Giuseppe Rossi, affectionately nicknamed “Pepito”. This day will mark the farewell to football of the Italian-American striker, famous for his career at clubs such as Fiorentina, Villarreal and Manchester United, as well as for his appearances for the Italian national team. (Photo by Diego Puletto/Getty Images) Rossi was born and raised in New Jersey, where he now lives full time again in retirement.
His current base is just a stone’s throw away from the MetLife Stadium, where the final of the 2026 World Cup will be played. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm, it’s all anyone’s talking about,” said Rossi. “I live in New Jersey, 10 minutes from the stadium where the final will be played.
I would have liked to see Italy there. ” But, after the play-off final defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the end of March, Italy will not feature at the final tournament. “It’s a shame.
Now we need somebody who loves football,” said Rossi. The 30-time Italy international believes that the Azzurri would have qualified and that there wouldn’t be such a large-scale inquest into the failures of the national team had Alessandro Bastoni not been sent off in the first half against Bosnia: “Without the red card, we would have won against Bosnia. We would have got to the World Cup and there would have been no discussion.
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