ROCK ‘N ROLL Former Premier League bad-boy is now Johnny Depp lookalike and singer in rock band who has Lionel Messi as a fan

Despite enjoying prolific spells with Espanyol and Roma, the ex-Premier League bad-boy retired from football at just 30.

He had been Italy’s first choice striker just two years earlier, but hung up his boots to pursue a career in music.

And now the former Azzurri whiz is a rock star.

He plays in Barcelona for Barrio Viejo, a band he formed with a bunch of friends he met when he signed for Espanyol.

Back in 2018, the football rocker told SunSport: “I was 30 years old when I quit football.

“And people say that’s the age when a footballer reaches his peak.

“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.”

And he even looks like Johnny Depp, which is why he’s a hit with the ladies.

His new lifestyle, which includes smoking and drinking, is a far cry from his days as a professional footballer.

And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, the footballer-turned-rock star is none other than Dani Osvaldo.

Osvaldo’s career was often overshadowed by disciplinary problems.

He was even sacked by Boca Juniors for having a cigarette in the dressing room.

And his brief stint at Southampton was ended following a training ground fight with Jose Fonte which left his former team-mate with a broken nose.

The 2013-14 season ended in joy though, as he was loaned out to Juventus and won the Serie A title.

He continued: “There are so many many rules in football. 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.

“If you score a goal you are a God and if you don’t you’re s***.

“The only thing that matters about you is Daniel Osvaldo the football player, but they don’t give a s*** if you’re a good boy or not. Or if you have feelings.

“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.”

Osvaldo enjoys being away from the pressures of what comes with playing football at the top level.

And he now just simply wants to perform.

The same can’t be said about Lionel Messi – a close friend who posed with Osvaldo for a snap as a fan, holding up a Barrio Viejo disc back in 2018.

Speaking of the football legend before he lifted the World Cup in December, he said: “Leo is a lovely, lovely guy.

“He is the best in the world. The best in history? I don’t like to make comparisons.

“But I think Maradona is the best ever. Diego is Diego for us.

“It’s not just for the football. He’s a rock star, he’s crazy. I love him.”