PIPPO INZAGHI

"Critics pushed me to prove them all wrong. Thankfully, I was born a metre onside, otherwise I would not have scored most of my goals"

- Daniele Verri

The moment you hear Pippo Inzaghi’s name, you half expect a slim 5ft 11in bundle of sleek black curtains to nip in front of you and score a near-post tap-in. Or be flagged for making his move a fraction too soon.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s infamous “born offside” quip about Filippo Inzaghi’s modus operandi has stuck, but there was so much more in the Italian striker’s armoury, however true the kernel of Fergie’s sentiment. He had blistering acceleration, game-reading intelligence and an unerring ability to finish with either foot, or his head, all of which marked him as the last of a dying breed of poachers who lived on the shoulder of the defender.

He didn’t track back. He didn’t have the smoothest technique, nor the work rate of those tireless multi-functional forwards who dominate the modern game. All Inzaghi did was score goals – by the bucketload. Some, even the great Johan Cruyff, derided him as selfish, lucky and limited, but you don’t bag 313 career goals without knowing where the net is, at least. Only six Italians in history have notched more; none have scored more than he in the European Cup or Champions League.

Inzaghi struck 70 times in European competitions for Parma, Juventus and Milan, his typically opportunistic brace in the 2007 final against Liverpool securing a second Champions League trophy with the latter (right). For many years, he fought with Real Madrid legend Raul to be UEFA’s most prolific marksman, prior to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi dwarfing them both.