FORMER ITALY INTERNATIONAL Dani Osvaldo has cited his love of food, alcohol and rock ‘n’ roll as his reasons for his premature retirement from professional football.
The 31-year-old had stints at Fiorentina, Roma, Southampton and Inter, among others, before returning to his country of birth, Argentina, to play for Boca Juniors.
Osvaldo was part of the Boca squad to claim the Argentine Primera Division title and Copa Argentina in 2015 before calling a close on his career as a footballer.
Reports surfaced that Osvaldo had been sacked by Boca, though the forward claimed the decision was made to allow him to focus on becoming a musician.
Now, speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Osvaldo has revealed that he had fallen out of love with the game and his desire to eat and drink what he pleased meant more to him than money.
“I decided to quit at Boca, there was too much gossip,” Osvaldo said. “I couldn’t go out, I was afraid of people. I couldn’t do it anymore. I had offers from China and clubs in the Champions League, but I was detached.
“I was beginning to hate what I had always loved. Football deserves respect, and I prefer asado [Argentinian barbecue] and beer to money.”
“Do you want a laugh?” Osvaldo, who managed just three Southampton goals whilst on the south coast, continued. “In December 2016 [Jorge] Sampaoli contacted me, he was at Sevilla at the time,” Osvaldo recalled.
“He said to me: ‘Dani, I’m not asking anything of you, you can do what you want on the pitch and off, but I need a striker’.
I told him, ‘but boss, there’s the Cosquin Rock festival!’. He said: ‘I forgot! Go, of course, you can’t miss it’. Two crazy people!
Osvaldo signed for Southampton in 2013 for an estimated £12.8 million but the attacker only scored three goals in his two years on the books at St Mary’s.
He was fined £40,000 for fighting on the touchline at the start of 2014 and disciplined internally by the Saints after it was alleged that he assaulted team-mate Jose Fonte.
- Omni
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