World Soccer – August 2019

“I can’t finish

my career without

playing for Boca”

EUROPE

ANTOINE GRIEZMANN joined

Barcelona from Atletico Madrid for

€120m. For all the summer’s transfers

in Europe’s top five leagues, go to http://www.

worldsoccer.com

JOHN VAN’T SCHIP took over from

Angelos Anastasiadis as coach of Greece.

STEVE BRUCE left Sheffield

Wednesday to become manager

of Newcastle United.

Scottish Championship side Dundee

appointed ex-Scotland boss GORDON

STRACHAN as technical director.

CONCACAF

AMERICO GALLEGO was appointed

coach of Panama.

After 18 years at the same club, 36-year-old DANIELE DE

ROSSI was expected to announce his retirement on leaving

Roma at the end of last season. Instead, the midfielder chose

to sign for Boca Juniors in Argentina.

De Rossi was mobbed by crowds waiting at Buenos Aires

airport to greet him. “The reception at the airport was

incredible,” said the Italian. “I can’t thank you enough, other

than by doing my job as seriously as I can.”

Boca’s sporting director Nicolas Burdisso, who played with

De Rossi at Roma between 2009 and 2014, was a key figure

in facilitating the move.

“This place stimulates me, and Nicolas was my guarantee,”

added De Rossi. “He told me that they are professionals in

Boca, and I believe him. He is my friend; he would not have

brought me to a place where I wouldn’t fit in.”

He continued: “I lived for 20 years in a country where

football is lived 24 hours a day. I could have chosen a

much quieter place to relax, but I only know one way:

seriousness, and then I chose to come to a place with

the craziest fans in football.”

Daniele De Rossi

SEBASTIEN DESABRE returned to

club football with Egypt’s Pyramids after

leaving his post with Uganda.

VICTOR MATINE replaced Abel Xavier

as coach of Mozambique, while KAMOU

MALO took over from Paolo Duarte as

boss of Burkina Faso.

ASIA

AKIRA NISHINO became the first

ever Japanese coach of Thailand’s

national team.

Former USA international striker

JOSH WOLFF will be the first ever

coach of Austin FC, who are expected

to join MLS in 2021.

AFRICA

Moroccan champions Wydad

appointed Serbian coach ZORAN

MANOJLOVIC as the replacement

for Faouzi Benzarti.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

THE WORLD THIS MONTH

First...Josh Wolff

Boca boy...with president Daniel Angelici

Historic...Akira Nishino

Costly...Antoine

Griezmann

Technical...

Gordon

Strachan

De Rossi makes surprise switch to Boca Juniors