Đovani Roso (Italian: Giovanni Rosso; born 17 November 1972)[1] is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Aside from native Croatia, Roso notably played for a number of renowned Israeli clubs, where he became noted for his technique and free kicks.

Giovanni Rosso
Roso with Maccabi Haifa
Personal information
Full name Đovani Roso[1]
Date of birth (1972-11-17) 17 November 1972 (age 51)
Place of birth Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1993 Zadar 30 (9)
1993–1996 NK Zagreb 64 (11)
1996–1997 Hapoel Be'er Sheva 34 (6)
1997–2000 Hapoel Haifa 89 (26)
2000–2001 Beitar Jerusalem 33 (6)
2001–2005 Maccabi Haifa 101 (23)
2005–2007 Maccabi Tel Aviv 52 (5)
2007–2008 Maccabi Haifa 28 (3)
2008–2009 Hajduk Split 4 (0)
Total 435 (89)
International career
2002–2004 Croatia 19 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Roso played for NK Zagreb between 1994 and 1996 before moving to Israel. Roso enjoyed great success in the decade. He played for top teams in Israel, including a campaign in the UEFA Champions League with Maccabi Haifa. He has been acknowledged as being among the very best foreign players to ever play in the Israeli Premier League.

His return to Hajduk Split was ruined by injuries. He only ended up playing four games in the Croatian first league during this stretch. He retired from club football in June 2009.[2]

International career

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He made his debut for Croatia in a November 2002 friendly match away against Romania and earned a total of 19 caps, scoring 1 goal.[3] His final international was a June 2004 European Championship game against England in Lisbon.[4]

Post-playing career

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Roso appeared as the Pit Stop greeter during Leg 3 of HaMerotz LaMillion 2 ("The Amazing Race: Israel"), which took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

In 2015, he participated in the reality TV series "Goalstar". In 2019, he participated and won the reality TV series "Survivor VIP" that was broadcast on Channel 13 in Israel.

Personal life

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Roso speaks fluent Hebrew[2] and is a naturalized Israeli citizen.

Honours

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Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Hapoel Haifa

Maccabi Haifa

Individual

  • Israeli Player of the Year: 1998–99, 2001–02[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b Croatian Football Federation - official statistic
  2. ^ a b "Đovani Roso odlučio završiti karijeru". gol.dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 10 June 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Appearances for Croatia National Team". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Player Database". EU-football. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Israel - Player of the Year".
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