Fernando Forestieri, 36, joined Oxford City in October after non-league debut. The Argentine forward, nicknamed the Hoops, has played alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his professional career in Spain and Italy. Forestieri grew up in Rosario, Argentina, the same city as Messi, and idolised Diego Maradona. He made his senior debut for Genoa at 16 and qualified to play for Italy through his grandfather. After spells in Malaysia and Cyprus, he returned to England following the birth of his third son. Oxford City, sitting third in National League North, face Leicester City in the FA Cup first round on Friday. Forestieri aims to inspire the non-league club to an upset against the League One Foxes. He still lives in north London with his wife Andria and two younger sons. Since his debut against Hebburn Town, he has appeared in league games against Marine, Merthyr and South Shields. Forestieri, who is also taking his coaching badges, says he still has passion for football, stopping to join park games with his son. He believes Oxford City can cause an upset, stating this is what the FA Cup is all about.
Forestieri encountered Barcelona, Messi and Ibrahimovic while playing for Malaga in 2009-10. He shared the pitch with Ronaldo as recently as five years ago when Juventus played his Udinese team in Serie A. He scored against Inter Milan for Siena in 2008. When Maradona died in 2020, Forestieri paid tribute on the back of his Udinese shirt. He played for Argentine clubs Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors before moving to Italy. He qualified to play for Italy at youth levels. Twenty years after his Genoa debut, he is still playing non-league football in England.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing