After Jose Manuel Llaneza, general manager for Villarreal, mentioned this week the hope to tie Godín, Gonzalon and Rossi to lifetime contracts, it became a bit closer to reality. Gonzalo has indicated his openness to the idea, noting his appreciation for the way the club has treated him through his time during his knee injuries. He said, "They always take precedence because they have always dealt with me very well and above all did it during the most difficult moments, like injuries. They never ignored me or did anything bad when I was injured. What is more, they worried about me, they helped me and were concerned, that is important." In refusing to close the door to a lifetime deal, Gonzalo said, "I am very happy here, this is like my home and it would not bother me to remain here my whole career."
One of the other potential lifetime targets, Giuseppe Rossi, had a stellar beginning to his Italian international career. Coming on in the 67th, Rossi played with a lot of injury, opening up opportunities. Lippi must have liked what he saw. Hopefully he will get a little more play mid-week.
Again, I would love to see Rossi stick around, but the more he plays for Italy, the harder it is going to be able to keep him so far away from his adopted country. The calls to bring him back to so many teams is getting louder and louder. One more year in Vila-Real would be almost miraculous, assuming Rossi has a good year. Even if Villarreal are only able to tie down Gonzalo and Godín, though, it will be a tremendous accomplishment.