Former Manchester United player reckons soccer gods spared his life after Roy Keane encounter
Manchester United and Ireland legend Roy Keane detailed a training ground incident in his book.
Former Manchester United prospect Giuseppe Rossi reckons he was lucky to get out of the Red Devils training ground with his life after an incident early in his career involving Roy Keane.
But the 30-time capped Italy international remained blissfully unaware of how close he came to incurring the wrath of the ex-Ireland midfielder until he heard about it from a friend who read Keane’s autobiography.
Rossi spent three years at United and played just 14 times for the first-team, before making the grade in La Liga with Villarreal, and in Serie A with Fiorentina.
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Born in New Jersey, he opted to play for Italy and lined out for the Azzurri from Under-16s all the way to senior level.
He recalled his encounter with Keane while speaking at the launch of Ladbrokes' ‘Gaffer of all Accas’, saying: “Roy Keane is a legend. He was our leader. I loved playing with the guy, he was a really cool dude off the field too.
“He was just somebody who always wanted to make sure everything was going in the right direction, and sometimes that would rub off the wrong way.
“But I just saw that as somebody who cared a lot, and I'm the same; I'm somebody who cares about their craft, about the character of the team, and making sure that we're all on the same page and fighting for the same common goal.
“That was Roy's role at Man United, and he did it perfectly, to a tee.”
Rossi added: “I remember somebody telling me about something he wrote in his book; he talks about this 17-year-old kid who he's training with one day. Roy yells at this kid, and this kid turns around and gives him the meanest look ever, as if you say, ‘go f*** yourself’.
“So Roy says in his book that he was about to go and knock the living crap out of this kid, but he calmed himself, and said to himself, ‘Do you know what? I respect this kid’. And it turned out to be Giuseppe Rossi; it turned out to be me!
“I never knew that I did something like that; looking back now I just feel like, on that day, the soccer Gods spared my life, basically!
“I've seen Roy a couple of times over the years, and I remember he wanted me at Sunderland when he was their coach - I've got great memories of him.”
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