The failed 2005 Cardiff City signing recommended by Alex Ferguson who is still scoring goals after 20 years

Cardiff City have had plenty of successful signings over the years, but not all of their arrivals have lived up to expectations. The Bluebirds have made plenty of questionable signings over the years, and in recent years, there have been some pricey missteps.

There are plenty of reasons why players fail to deliver at certain clubs, and it’s not always easy for players to find their feet. Players like Josh Murphy, Etien Velikonja, Andreas Cornelius and many others have been missteps from the Bluebirds, but there have been many more over the years.

The difference with dodgy signings before recent years is that they were not traditionally costly errors, given City signed their fair share of cheap and free players, particularly during times of financial struggle. In 2005, Cardiff signed a striker on a free transfer after a successful trial, and indeed after a reported recomendation from one Sir Alex Ferguson.

Andrea Ferretti was the player, arriving in South Wales after coming through the academy at Parma. After scoring in pre-season, Ferretti was handed a two-year contract at Ninian Park in 2005, but things did not go to plan for the Italian.

He went on to make just five league appearances, failing to score in those games. During his two-year spell with the Bluebirds, he also had a brief loan spell at Scunthorpe United, but he also failed to score in four league appearances there.

A couple of months before his contract was set to expire, in the summer of 2007, Cardiff agreed to end Ferretti’s contract early, and he returned to Italy with Cesena. Ferretti rediscovered his scoring touch in the lower leagues of home country Italy, scoring 21 in 59 outings with Pavia, returning to score 16 in 31 with the same club later on.

As recently as the 2020/21 season, he scored 20 in 35 league appearances for Carpi in Serie D, the fourth tier of Italian football, and he netted 20 in 35 league appearances for Crema the following season.

Remarkably, at age 37, Ferretti is still going, playing for Serie D club Borgo San Donnino, scoring three goals in 12 league appearances this season. Ferretti had long black hair during his Cardiff days, but he is hairless these days, still banging in goals in Italy. Hats off to the former Bluebird as he continues his 20-year and counting professional career.