Fabrizio Miccoli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Fabrizio Miccoli

Miccoli playing for Palermo in 2010
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-06-27) 27 June 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Nardò, Italy
Height	1.68 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1991–1995	AC Milan
1995–1996	Casarano
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–1998	Casarano	57	(19)
1998–2002	Ternana	120	(32)
2002–2004	Juventus	25	(8)
2002–2003	→ Perugia (loan)	34	(10)
2004–2005	Fiorentina	35	(11)
2005–2007	Juventus	0	(0)
2005–2007	→ Benfica (loan)	39	(14)
2007–2013	Palermo	165	(74)
2013–2015	Lecce	44	(17)
2015	Birkirkara	11	(6)
Total		530	(191)
National team
1996–1997	Italy U18	10	(5)
1998–2000	Italy U21	7	(2)
2003–2004	Italy	10	(2)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Fabrizio Miccoli (born on 27 June 1979) is an Italian former professional footballer. He played as a striker, which is a player whose main job is to score goals.

He scored 103 goals in 259 matches in Serie A, which is Italy's top football league. He played for teams like Perugia, Juventus, Fiorentina, and Palermo. He also played on loan for Benfica in Portugal.

Later, he spent two seasons with his hometown club Lecce. He finished his career in 2015 playing for the Maltese club Birkirkara. Miccoli also played for the Italian national team for two years, scoring two goals in ten games.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Football

Fabrizio Miccoli started playing football at a young age with AC Milan's youth team. In 1995, he moved back to his home region of Puglia. He joined Casarano, a team in Serie C1, and made his professional debut at just 17 years old.

In 1998, he moved to Ternana, a team in Serie B. He scored 32 goals in four seasons there. In his last year, he scored 15 goals. Because he played so well, some people in the Italian media called him the "new Del Piero".

Playing for Big Italian Clubs

After his great performances, Juventus, a very famous Italian club, signed Miccoli in 2002. They then loaned him to Perugia for the 2002–03 season.

Miccoli showed his amazing skills in his first season in Italy's top league, Serie A. He scored fantastic goals and showed excellent technical ability. People gave him nicknames like "the Romário of the Salento" or "pocket bomber" because he was small but very fast and skillful. His efforts helped Perugia get a spot in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Juventus brought him back to their team the next season.

Miccoli played six UEFA Champions League matches for Juventus and scored one goal. He also scored seven goals in Serie A for Juventus. However, he didn't play as much as he wanted. The next season, Juventus sold half of his player rights to Fiorentina.

In Florence, Miccoli showed his good qualities again. He helped Fiorentina stay in Serie A on the very last day of the season. He scored a goal that sent Brescia down to Serie B. After that season, Juventus bought back his full rights. He then went on loan to Benfica in Portugal.

Time in Portugal with Benfica

In July 2006, Miccoli's loan to Benfica was confirmed. He scored two goals for Benfica in six Champions League games. He became a fan favorite when he scored an amazing scissor-kick goal against Liverpool. This goal helped Benfica reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

Miccoli loved his time at Benfica. He later said it was the best experience of his career. He was one of the most loved players by Benfica fans. He scored 14 goals in 39 matches for Benfica in the Primeira Liga, Portugal's top league.

Becoming a Star at Palermo

Miccoli in 2009

On 5 July 2007, Palermo signed Miccoli for three years. He returned to Italian football for the 2007–08 season. He scored eight goals in his first season with the Sicilian club. This included the winning goal in the local derby against Catania.

In the 2008–09 season, Miccoli became Palermo's vice-captain. He had a great start to the season, forming a strong partnership with Edinson Cavani. They both scored 14 goals that season.

For the 2009–10 season, Miccoli became the team's captain. He scored 19 goals that season, making him one of the top goalscorers in Serie A. On 27 March 2010, he scored three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Bologna.

On 9 May 2010, Miccoli scored his 41st goal in Serie A for Palermo. This made him the club's all-time leading goalscorer in Serie A. His strong season helped Palermo finish fifth in Serie A, which was one of the best league finishes in the club's history.

Miccoli continued his good form in the 2011–12 Serie A season. On 1 February 2012, he became the top goalscorer in Palermo's history after scoring another hat-trick against Inter Milan. In May 2012, he scored another hat-trick against Chievo. On 30 September 2012, he scored yet another hat-trick against Chievo.

On 24 November, Miccoli scored his 100th Serie A goal in Palermo's 3–1 win over Catania. In April 2013, he equaled the record for most appearances in Serie A with Palermo (161 games). He broke this record in the next match. In June 2013, it was announced that Miccoli would leave Palermo. At the end of that season, Palermo was relegated to Serie B.

Playing for His Hometown Club

After leaving Palermo, Miccoli signed with his hometown club, Lecce, on 17 July 2013. He was immediately made captain of the team he had supported since he was a child. He scored 14 goals in 27 games for Lecce.

Lecce almost got promoted back to Serie B during his first season. However, they lost in the play-off final. The next season, the club again missed out on promotion.

Final Season in Malta

On 24 June 2015, Miccoli joined Maltese Premier League team Birkirkara. He made his debut on 2 July in a Europa League qualifying match. A week later, he scored his first goal for the club.

In the next round, he scored the only goal against West Ham United, which led to a penalty shootout. Birkirkara lost the shootout. In the league season, Miccoli scored 6 goals in 11 matches. On 16 December 2015, Miccoli announced he was retiring from professional football.

International Career

Fabrizio Miccoli played ten games for the Italian national team between 2003 and 2004, scoring twice. He played his first game on 12 February 2003 in a friendly match against Portugal.

On 30 March 2004, Miccoli scored a goal directly from a corner kick in another friendly match against Portugal. Italy won that game 2–1. His last game for Italy was on 17 November 2004 against Finland, where he scored the only goal from a free-kick.

Even though he played well for his clubs, Miccoli was not called up to the national team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Many people thought he should have been included. He later said he would not try to play for the national team anymore after a serious knee injury.

How He Played

Miccoli was known for his amazing attacking and creative skills. He was usually a second striker, which means he played just behind the main striker. He was very good at dribbling, fast, and could shoot powerfully and accurately with both feet.

He was a great goalscorer, but he also helped his teammates score by providing many assists. Because he was quick and skillful, Miccoli could also play as an attacking midfielder. This allowed him to run with the ball and create chances for others. He could also play as a winger, using his skills to get past defenders and shoot.

Miccoli was also excellent at free kicks and penalty kicks. He often used a special move called the "Panenka" when taking penalties, where he would gently chip the ball into the net. He also used a "stutter feint" to trick the goalkeeper.

Because he was small, fast, and talented, he was called "the Romário of the Salento" and "the Maradona of the Salento". His idol was Diego Maradona. He was also nicknamed "pocket bomber" because of his size and ability to score goals. While at Ternana, his style was compared to Alessandro Del Piero. He was also praised for being a great leader as Palermo's captain.

After Playing Football

After retiring from playing, Miccoli continued to work with his youth football team in his hometown area of Salento. He had started this team in 2012.

In December 2020, he became the assistant coach for Francesco Moriero at the Albanian club Dinamo Tirana. He also helped with the club's youth teams. However, he resigned from this role in March 2021 after only two league games.

In July 2021, he took a job as the chief youth coach for the under-19 team at Triestina. But he resigned from this position just nine days later.

Personal Life

Fabrizio Miccoli is married to Flaviana. They met when he was 17 and she was 14. They have a daughter named Suami, born in 2003, and a son named Diego, born in 2008. His son is named after his idol, Diego Maradona.

In 2010, Miccoli bought an earring that belonged to Diego Maradona for €25,000 at an auction. Maradona's earring had been taken by the tax office. Miccoli said he would give the earring back to Maradona if they ever met. Like Maradona, Miccoli has a tattoo of Che Guevera on his right leg.

Miccoli is a big fan of Lecce, the team from his hometown. He had always wanted to play for them, and he did in 2013.

Career statistics

Club

International

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	31 March 2004	Estádio Municipal de Braga, Braga, Portugal	Portugal	1–2	1–2	Friendly
2.	17 November 2004	Stadio San Filippo, Messina, Italy	Finland	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Honours

Juventus

• Supercoppa Italiana: 2003
• Coppa Italia runner-up: 2003–04

Palermo

• Coppa Italia runner-up: 2010–11

Birkirkara

• Maltese Super Cup runner-up: 2015

Individual

• Coppa Italia top scorer: 2002–03 (5 goals)

See also

In Spanish: Fabrizio Miccoli para niños