Not many players can make a name for themselves playing outside Europe’s top leagues. But, Diego Rossi has bucked the trend as the Uruguayan is one of the hottest young properties in world football who plays in the Major League Soccer of the United States of America.
In just his second season in the MLS, Rossi is already one of the best and most popular players in the league due to his goal-scoring abilities and consistency.
As a result, elite European clubs are scouting Diego to sign him in the future.
However, the Montevideo native was not handed all his success and fame. Instead, Rossi had to earn everything he has accomplished until now.
Therefore, I have written this article to provide you with details on how the 22-year-old Uruguayan, born in Montevideo, realized his dreams of becoming a professional footballer.
Also, I will provide you with information regarding Diego’s early life, transfer, salary, net worth, and family.
So buckle up as we are going on a beautiful journey of Diego Rossi’s life. But first, have a look at his quick facts.
Quick Facts about Diego Rossi
| Full Name | Diego Martin Rossi Marachlian |
| Known As | Diego Rossi |
| Birth Date | 5 March 1998 |
| Birth Place | Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Nick Name | Not available |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | Uruguayan |
| Ethnicity | Not Available |
| Education | Not Available |
| Horoscope | Aries |
| Father’s Name | Not Available |
| Mother’s Name | Not Available |
| Siblings | Nicolas Rossi (Brother), Fio Rossi (Sister) |
| Age | 24 years old |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches(1.70 m) |
| Weight | 65 kg (143.3 lbs.) |
| Shoe Size | Not available |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Body Measurement | Not available |
| Build | Lean |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Vivian Reymunde |
| Children | None |
| Position | Forward, Winger |
| Profession | Football Player |
| Net Worth | $2 million |
| Clubs | Los Angeles FC (Current), Penarol (Former) |
| Jersey Number | 9 |
| Social Media | |
| Last Update | May, 2022 |
Diego Rossi – Early Life & Career
Like every other kid who grew up in Uruguay, Diego loved playing football more than school. Consequently, young Rossi joined the Solymar Uruguay Sports Center at the age of six to start his footballing education.
Following years of development with Solymar, the then 12-year-old Rossi joined Penarol, a club where he would make his professional debut, after being scouted by Nestor Goncalves.
Subsequently, the club offered him a contract due to his outstanding showings at the Alegrete Tournament.
After that, the Montevideo native impressed at every level he played in for Penarol. Some notable highlights of his time with the youth academy are the time Rossi became the top scorer of the U-14 team scoring a staggering 42 goals in just 27 appearances.
The next season Diego again managed to become the highest scorer for the Penarol Youth Team by scoring 25 times in only 17 appearances.
Furthermore, the Uruguayan scored 17 goals in the U-16 Clausura Tournament, helping his side win the cup. As a result, Rossi became the top scorer at that tournament.
Finally, before being called up to the senior team of Penarol, Rossi had one last tournament with the Penarol U-17 team as he helped his side win another youth level trophy by clinching the Apertura U-17 tournament.
To explain, Diego scored an important goal in the final against Danubio and scored 22 goals on the road to the finals.
Consequently, the LAFC attacker was the top scorer of the tournament with 23 goals in just 10 games.
Furthermore, the feat helped Penarol win the cup and made Rossi the top scorer for the fourth consecutive season for the Penarol youth side. As a result, the manager of Penarol, Bengoechea, promoted the young prodigy into the senior team.
Diego Rossi – Career & Stats
Rossi started his journey into the professional footballing world with his former youth side, Penarol. Subsequently, the 17-year-old made his debut against Cerro Porteno in the Bandes Cup final in a 1-0 victory.
However, that was the only positive for the tricky winger as he was demoted to the second team by new manager Jorge Orosman da Silva.
As a result, Montevideo native had to endure two grueling seasons, with Penarol making a measly 15 appearances while scoring an underwhelming three goals.
His unimpressive performances were mainly due to a lack of playing time and faith in him by Orosman.
Subsequently, the following season in 2017 was the breakout season for the Uruguayan as he performed exceedingly well to help Penarol win the Primera Division of Uruguay.
For instance, the Uruguayan scored 10 goals and assisted a further 10 times in 36 appearances.
Consequently, many top clubs in Europe got interested in the then 19-year-old as they saw raw talent and potential that just needed some development and coaching.
However, to the surprise of many, Los Angeles FC pulled a rabbit out of the hat by signing the talented attacker in a $4 million deal from Penarol.
Although many top clubs in Europe had their eyes on the tricky attacker, Los Angeles FC announced an agreement had been struck with Rossi’s former side on 14 December 2017.
After that, LAFC head coach Bob Bradley said in a press release,
“Diego is a young and exciting attacking player. His experience at Penarol and his ability fit perfectly with our vision of the team we are building at LAFC. We believe Diego will mature into a top-class player.”
Subsequently, Rossi made his debut for LAFC, a new franchise in the MLS that started playing in 2018.
As a result, when Diego scored on his debut for the brand new MLS franchise, it was Uruguayan’s first goal for his new club and the first-ever goal scored in Los Angeles FC’s history.
Similarly, the Montevideo native scored his first hat trick for the club in a USOC semifinal match against Houston Dynamos. However, the tie didn’t go as planned for LAFC as they lost in penalties.
Nevertheless, Diego managed to help his side reach the play-offs in his first season with the club.
To illustrate, the then 20-year-old scored 17 times and provided eight assists to his teammates in just 37 appearances.
In doing so, Rossi justified his relatively colossal price tag for a teenager. In fact, the Uruguayan’s value rose even higher after his first season in the United States.
Similarly, the 2019 season was as impressive as his previous one, if not more. For instance, Rossi managed to score 18 goals to provide eight assists for his teammates, which helped his side reach the playoffs.
Also, LAFC finished first in the Western Conference standings after the regular season. However, the Los Angeles-based team lost 3-1 in the semi-finals to eventual champions Seattle Sounders.
