International Career
Rossi has represented Italy at almost every youth level from U-16 to U-21. In 2006, he was invited to a pre-World Cup training camp with the United States national team by then-coach Bruce Arena but declined, stating his desire to play for Italy. He was called up for the 2007 Euro U-21 by head coach Pierluigi Casiraghi. He scored four goals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, making him the top scorer for the tournament, despite only reaching the quarter-final.
Italian national football team manager Marcello Lippi has stated that had Rossi been fit, he would have received a call-up for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in September 2008. Rossi was called up to the Italy squad in October 2008, making his debut for the national team as a second half substitute against Bulgaria on 11 October. Rossi scored his first goal for the Italian national team on 6 June 2009, in a friendly against Northern Ireland, at Pisa's Arena Garibaldi. He also scored two goals against the United States in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup on 15 June 2009, in South Africa.
Rossi was in Lippi's provisional 28-man 2010 FIFA World Cup squad announced in May, but failed to make the cut for final 23-man squad.
On 17 November 2010, for his 18th cap for Italy, Rossi was picked by Italian manager Cesare Prandelli to wear the Azzurri captain's armband for the first time ahead of the friendly against Romania.
Read more about this topic: Giuseppe Rossi
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