Amoruso ‘cost caps’ by Rangers transfer
LORENZO AMORUSO is convinced joining Rangers wrecked his dreams of playing for Italy – but he insists he has no regrets about the move.
The popular defender left Fiorentina for Glasgow in 1997, going on to spend six successful seasons at Ibrox, but has confessed even friends thought he was a ‘madman’ to give up on life in Serie A.
Now 48, the former Ibrox skipper scooped three league titles, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups with Rangers, a haul that included two trebles and a cup double.
And, counting the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Brian Laudrup, Ronald de Boer, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Arthur Numan as Gers team-mates, Amoruso insists he would still give in to the lure of Champions League football if he had to make the same choice again.
He said: “It was not a decision well received by many and I also speak of people close to me.
“They called me the madman to leave the most beautiful championship in the world to go to Glasgow.
“Everyone thought it was an economic decision, and teams in Britain were starting to pay much more than the Italian ones.
“But, in reality, I wanted to face the strongest strikers in the world and this you could only do in the Champions League. Rangers gave me this chance.
“Having left Italy, unfortunately I lost the chance of playing in the national team. I was within touching distance of being called up, close to my debut.
“But going abroad cut my legs from under me. We [in Italy] had a slightly closed mentality.”