Normally in tales of footballers changing careers there is some degree of shock, but not really with Dani Osvaldo – he is exactly the kind of player who you could imagine as the lead singer in a rock band and a Johnny Depp lookalike.
During his first career as a striker, Osvaldo probably would describe himself as a “free spirit”. His nickname was, fittingly, “El Loco”, which translates to "crazy".
That is hinted at by the fact that he played for 13 different clubs during a 15-year playing career in which he never stayed longer than two years anywhere. A journeyman career in Italy, via a spell in Spain with Espanyol, led him to Southampton, who paid a club-record £12.8million to sign him in August 2013 and only really got one stunning goal against Manchester City for their investment.
