Ahmed Barusso, a towering Ghanaian midfielder, rose to play in the Champions League for Roma before injury and a series of loan moves derailed his career. Now 41 years old, he plays third-tier football for Team Crociati Parma, the lowest rung of Italian club football, a far cry from his early promise at the Giallorossi.
Barusso made only five appearances for Roma before a severe tibia injury suffered during his time at Rimini halted his progression permanently. The structural damage to his leg compromised his physical recovery and his ability to perform at elite level. Roma subsequently sent him out on loan to find his form, but instead Barusso embarked on a long odyssey through multiple clubs: Galatasaray (where he won the Turkish championship), Siena, Brescia, Torino, Livorno, Novara and Nocerina. He returned to Roma in 2011 under Luis Enrique but was rejected after the preseason retreat. The trajectory from the Champions League anthem to peripheral pitches was sharp.
Barusso was known for his remarkable physique—so large that he would cut his socks at calf height because standard sizes did not fit him. During an Empoli–Roma commentary, former Roma broadcaster Carlo Zampa despairingly urged: "Look at Barusso please, but Barusso doesn't do these things. Pass the ball, don't shoot." He is believed to still live in Parma and may still play the occasional match, calves exposed.
Testo Originale / Source Text
“Grosso, grande e veramente grosso. Tanto che si tagliava i calzini all'altezza del polpaccio visto che non si trovava una misura giusta per lui. Per il resto Ahmed Barusso non ha lasciato una grande impronta in serie A, tranne forse quella telecronaca di Carlo Zampa quando l'ex speaker giallorosso…”
Read the full article in Italian at Forza Roma.
