More than a few eyebrows were raised when Fiorentina elected to pay Villarreal a reported €10 million for Giuseppe Rossi in January of this year. This, after all, was a player who had not played since October 2011, after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee twice in the space of six months. There were doubts over whether Rossi would return at all, let alone if he would come back the same player.

Well, after the past seven days, it seems that Rossi might even be better than he was before, with the forward having struck three times in his first two Serie A games of the season, against Catania and Genoa.

Rossi, for his part, is unsurprisingly refusing to get carried away, but given the way in which he is flourishing alongside Mario Gomez, earning a recall to the Italy squad in time for next summer’s World Cup now seems a realistic target for a striker who had gone 686 days without scoring a goal before he netted the opener against Catania on Monday.

“Rossi has made the most remarkable recovery,” enthuses Goal‘s Kris Voakes. “To come back the way he is is truly awe-inspiring, given that as well as having to deal with reinjuring his right knee, he also lost his father to a lengthy battle with illness in January 2012.

“It is obviously a joy for Fiorentina to see the gamble they took in signing Rossi pay off so handsomely, but Italy boss Cesare Prandelli must also be ecstatic about just how well the 26-year-old is performing and it would not be a surprise to see him back in the Azzurri set-up before the end of the year.

“Nothing is impossible for this incredibly strong-willed individual.”

The Shortlist

A. Eid Abdel-Malek – Zamalek @izzul_ikram: “Not fully fit and yet still so inspirational against Orlando Pirates.” Goal’s Ahmed Atta: “Scored one goal and created another as Zamalek claimed their first win in the group stages of the CAF CL in five years.”
Vedad Ibisevic – Stuttgart  @rayx22: “Vedad Ibisevic is back to his best!!!” Goal’s Enis Koylu: “Scored a fantastic hat-trick as Stuttgart picked up their first win of the season by routing former club Hoffenheim 6-2.”
Lionel Messi – Barcelona @Opta Jose: “Attempted seven shots on target vs Valencia, his best figure in a La Liga game in all his career. Indefatigable.” Goal’s Ben Hayward: “After a disappointing performance against Atletico, bounced back by scoring a sensational treble at Valencia.”
Daniel Sturridge – Liverpool @piersmorgan: “Good news > Daniel Sturridge just had his pocket surgically re-opened and @rioferdy5 has emerged.” Goal’s Sammy Lee: “After a cup double in midweek, he propelled Liverpool to the top of the Premier League with the winner against United.”