Đovani Roso

Đovani Roso (Italian: Giovanni Rosso, Hebrew: ג'ובאני רוסו; born 17 November 1972[1]) is a Croatian former association footballer, who holds Israeli permanent residency. Played as a midfielder who preferred to play on the center-right flank of the field. He finished his footballing career at Hajduk Split. Roso is known in Israel for his technique and free kicks. In the media, his name is often italianized to Giovanni Rosso, due to its origins.

Giovanni Rosso
Personal information
Full name Đovani Roso[1]
Date of birth (1972-11-17) 17 November 1972
Place of birth Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia (now in Croatia)
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)
National team
2002–2004 Croatia 19 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early and personal life

Roso was born in Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia (now in Croatia), in a Catholic family of seven children, whose grandfather was of Italian origin.

Roso also speaks fluent Hebrew.[2]

Roso resides in Israel with his second wife, an Israeli named Maya Fishel and their son. He also has a daughter from a previous relationship with Croatian sports journalist Mirta Šurjak, as well as a daughter from his first marriage to Morena.

Club career

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. He is also known for his lively personality and prominent sense of humour.

Roso's form in 2004 got him called up for Croatia, so he played for his birth country at Euro 2004. It was only later, in 2005, that he finally obtained Israeli permanent residency. However he could never play for the Israeli national team, since he had already played for Croatia.

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]

Later career

Roso appeared as the Pit Stop greeter during Leg 3 of Israeli reality TV show HaMerotz LaMillion 2 (The Amazing Race: Israel), which took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia. In 2015, he participated in the Israeli docu-reality TV series Goalstar. In 2019, he participated and won the Israeli reality TV show Survivor VIP (Hisardut VIP) that was broadcast on Channel 13. In 2017, he participated along with his wife Maya Fishel in the Israeli reality TV show Power Couple VIP (Zug Menatze'ach VIP).

Roso was also used as a football commentator in several Israeli media outlets. He was appointed as a mental trainer for Israeli club Maccabi Haifa in 2019.

As of 2020, Roso and his wife Maya Fishel host an Israeli radio program on Radio Haifa.

Honours

Hapoel Be'er Sheva

Hapoel Haifa

Maccabi Haifa

Individual

  • Israeli Player of the Year: 1998–99, 2001–02[3]

References
  1. Croatian Football Federation - official statistic
  2. "Đovani Roso odlučio završiti karijeru". gol.dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 10 June 2009. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  3. "Israel - Player of the Year".
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