Dani Osvaldo explains he didn’t like all the rules in football, after giving up the game to become a rock star.
The former Italian international played for the likes of Roma, Juventus and Fiorentina during his playing career, as well as playing 14 times for the Azzurri.
Chievo tried to sign him in the summer of 2016, but he informed the Flying Donkeys he’d retired to focus on music.
“I was 30 years old when I quit football,” Osvaldo told The Sun.
“People just don’t understand it, you know, they look at me like ‘you’re crazy. You had everything. You played in some of the best teams in the world and you decided just to quit to do this? You’re nuts’. People don’t understand. But it’s my passion.
“There are so many many rules in football. So so many rules. And I’m not good with the rules. I like to be free.
“I am proud of my career and I owe everything to football. But in football you have to live a life that’s not real.
“You have a price, a value. It’s crazy. If you’re good you’re worth 50 million and if you’re not good you’re worth nothing.
“The only thing that matters about you is Daniel Osvaldo the football player. I didn’t like that. I’m a sensitive person. I was tired. I was going crazy and I decided to live the musician’s life instead.
“I left football and I don’t feel heavy any more. I feel free and relaxed. I’m so happy now.”