Giuseppe Rossi, star Real Salt Lake forward, on how coronavirus has changed his daily routine

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Quarantine Routine is a regular feature that asks political, business, sports and entertainment power brokers how their daily lives have changed -- and how they're still doing their jobs -- during the coronavirus crisis.

Giuseppe Rossi, former Italy international forward and current Real Salt Lake member, is finding different ways to normalize life as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced Major League Soccer to suspend the season just two games in.

Rossi, 33, signed with Real Salt Lake in February after a successful career playing for several clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga.

The New Jersey native represented Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics, where he registered four goals. In 30 appearances from 2008-2014, Rossi scored seven goals for the Italian national team.

Rossi spoke to Fox News on Thursday to discuss how his life has changed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Rossi, 33, signed with Real Salt Lake in February after a successful career playing for several clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga. (Reuters)

Fox News: How has your daily routine changed since social distancing measures began?

Rossi: It’s changed drastically. Obviously being a footballer we’re very used to having a set routine every single day, going through the same motions, getting up at the same time and going through the same exact things every single day, seven days a week. Once you take that away from us, in this case, myself, I feel lost. It’s hard to find another type of routine.

I try to dabble in a lot of things, if it’s taking online courses, if it’s doing puzzles, if it’s buying myself a PlayStation and just killing time in that way. It is a game-changer and we’re doing the best we can in order to feel normal.

Fox News: What are the biggest challenges in doing your job during this crisis?

Rossi: The biggest challenge right now is more than like an athlete’s standpoint, it’s more like a human being itself. It’s trying to understand how to feel as if you’re going through the normal motions of life. Trying to understand what are the best decisions for you and your family regarding small little things like going out, like going to the grocery store, like exercising. What is the best way to put you and your family in the safest position possible but trying to keep it normal for yourself and for your loved ones.

So I think that’s where it all starts from and then it trickles down to your bread and butter, to what brought you, in my case, to what brought me to Salt Lake City. To what I’ve been doing my whole life and what I’ve been sacrificing my whole entire life for which is soccer. Trying to always stay in shape every day, keeping in contact with trainers and teammates and just trying to figure out what’s the best way to workout, things to do in order for whenever we do come back, we’ll have a good athletic base and hopefully not miss so much of the beat.

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Fox News: What do you miss the most about how you did your job before this began?

Rossi: At this point, it’s just the interactions with my teammates, with coaches, with staff. It’s been a while since we’ve had some good interactions and some good laughs together like we always do in the changing room. You kind of take for granted being in those environments every single day. The joy that it brings you, how it uplifts you and how just time flies when you’re in those moments. It’s always great to be around people and this past month we haven’t had many interactions with people so you kind of miss that and then obviously whatever happens on the field.

Fox News: What surprised you most about how life has changed?

Rossi: Probably how life is outside my home or my apartment, outside these walls. People are very cautious. Just a small little example of how we’re walking down the street and one’s moving left and one’s moving right just to make sure we’re keeping our distance. People walking around with masks, people running around with gloves. This is something we see in movies, something that you thought would never really affect us and here we are today living these moments and I think people have responded very well. People have been disciplined enough to follow these directions.

I just thought that we would never, or that I personally would never, have to live through a moment like this but here we are, we’re learning. We’re learning a lot about ourselves. We’re learning how much we can take and I think we’re doing a great job of it.

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Fox News: How do you blow off steam?

Rossi: I feel like it’s the small little things that kind of keep you sane, that keep you company. Unfortunately, I’m here [Salt Lake City] by myself right now because my wife, she had to go back a couple days before all this mess started. We felt that the best thing was for her not to fly back and for her to stay home so she’s back home with her family and she’s having her interactions with family and everybody else.

My situation is just a matter of doing the small little things which make a big difference, especially when you’re in a situation like this. So it’s things like making your bed, cooking every single day for yourself, washing your clothes every couple of days, making sure you’re keeping the house clean and just keeping yourself busy. In this way, doing the small little things, which are normal things in life where maybe whenever we’re busy and we’re going about our life and playing soccer and traveling the entire world, they’re little things that you don’t even think of and you take for granted but these things are important to maintain a household, to maintain a certain type of lifestyle in your home. So coming back to those values, to that type of mindset ,it does kind of keep you busy.

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