Former striker Giuseppe Rossi was interviewed a day before Fiorentina All Stars and Operazione Nostalgia Legends faced off. Here’s some of what he had to say:

“It’s great to be here and see old friends. It’s always a pleasure to see your old team-mates.

“It’ll be a real celebration for us players on the pitch but it’ll be especially nice for the fans. They’ve always backed the club in our 100 year history. I’m honoured to be part of this group. I’d like to thank Fiorentina for the invite. I’ve brought my whole family along. We’ll really embrace the occasion.

“I felt very much at home in Florence. The people of the city treated me like one of their own. I always tried to give my all on the pitch and show respect off it. Thanks to that I’m here today to celebrate this great club.

“It’s been great to see former team-mates such as Borja Valero. We won many matches together and really entertained the fans. We gave the fans some great memories here.

“The current team is coming together. It needs a bit of time. Let’s let the guys work. I know the first two games of the season were tough, but you can see that we’ve got the quality. We know that the coach understands the situation, so it’s only fair to give them time.”