Former Italy striker Dani Osvaldo insists he would not have swapped his career for Lionel Messi‘s after living a life of anonymity since retiring aged 30.
Osvaldo, who like Messi was born in Argentina but played much of his senior career in Italy, retired two years ago to become a rock musician, forming a band called Barrio Viejo with other musicians he met in Barcelona while playing for Espanyol.
The striker’s career saw him win a Serie A title with Juventus in 2014, while he was on loan from Southampton, and he also played for Inter Milan, Roma, Boca Juniors, and Porto, among others.
He retired while playing for the Portuguese giants, claiming “the world of football was no longer for him”.
“Would I like to be like Messi? No. I’d like to play like him, but he has no life. It’s as if he lives in a golden prison,” he told Marca.
“He couldn’t go somewhere and quietly drink something. Maybe he doesn’t care about it, but I do.
“I imagine him buying the biggest TV in the world, but then he’s never in his living room to use it.
“Failing that, he probably drives a Ferrari, knowing he lives 15 minutes away from the Barcelona’s training ground…”
