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 46)
Place of birth	Nardò, Italy
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Forward
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)
International career
1996–1997	Italy U18	10	(5)
1998–2000	Italy U21	7	(2)
2003–2004	Italy	10	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fabrizio Miccoli (born on June 27, 1979) is a former Italian football player. He was a forward, known for scoring many 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 played for his hometown club Lecce and finished his career in 2015 with the Maltese club Birkirkara. Fabrizio Miccoli also played ten games for the Italian national team, scoring two goals.

Fabrizio Miccoli's Club Journey

Starting His Football Career

Fabrizio Miccoli began 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 Serie C1 team Casarano and made his professional debut at just 17 years old. In 1998, he joined Serie B team Ternana. He scored 32 goals in four seasons there, with 15 goals in his last year. His great playing at Ternana made some people call him the "new Del Piero".

Playing for Big Italian Clubs

Because of his impressive skills, Juventus signed Miccoli in 2002. They then loaned him to Serie A team Perugia for the 2002–03 season.

Miccoli showed amazing talent in his first season in Italy's top league. He scored fantastic goals and had excellent technical skills. People gave him nicknames like "the Romário of the Salento" and "pocket bomber" because he was small but very fast and skillful. His efforts helped Perugia get a spot in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. After this, he was called up to play for the Italian national team, and Juventus brought him back to their team.

Miccoli played six UEFA Champions League matches for Juventus, scoring one goal. He also scored seven goals in Serie A for Juventus. However, he didn't play much after some disagreements with the coach, Fabio Capello. The next season, Juventus sold part of his player rights to Fiorentina. In Florence, Miccoli again showed his great abilities. He helped Fiorentina avoid being moved down to a lower league on the very last day of the season. He scored a goal that sent Brescia to Serie B. After that season, Juventus bought back his full player 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 in that competition. This goal helped Benfica reach the quarter-finals. Miccoli enjoyed his time at Benfica so much that he decided to stay for another year.

Miccoli later said that playing for Benfica was the best experience of his career. Benfica fans loved him very much. 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 July 5, 2007, Palermo signed Miccoli with a three-year contract. 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 Sicilian derby against Catania. He had some injuries, but still played well.

In the 2008–09 season, Miccoli became Palermo's vice-captain. He had a great start to the season, especially after Davide Ballardini became the new coach. He formed a strong partnership with Edinson Cavani, and they both scored 14 goals. He signed a new contract on May 30.

Starting in the 2009–10 season, Miccoli became the team's captain. He led the team and scored 19 goals, making him one of the top goal scorers in Serie A. On March 27, 2010, he scored three goals in one game against Bologna. On May 9, 2010, he scored his 41st Serie A goal for Palermo. This made him Palermo's all-time leading goal scorer in Serie A.

Miccoli's strong 2009–10 season helped Palermo finish fifth in Serie A. This was one of the club's best league finishes ever. It also meant they almost qualified for the Champions League.

Miccoli started the 2011–12 Serie A season well. He scored twice in a 4–3 win against Inter Milan. In February 2011, Palermo beat Lecce 4–2. Miccoli, who supported Lecce as a child, scored a free-kick. However, he refused to celebrate the goal.

Miccoli reached the 2011 Coppa Italia final with Palermo, but they lost 3–1 to Inter.

On February 1, 2012, he became the top goal scorer in Palermo's history. He scored three goals in a 4–4 draw against Inter Milan. In May 2012, he scored another three goals against Chievo. On September 30, 2012, he scored yet another hat-trick against Chievo in a 4–1 win.

On November 24, Miccoli scored his 100th Serie A goal in Palermo's 3–1 win over Catania. On April 28, 2013, he played his 161st Serie A game for Palermo. This tied the record for most appearances in Serie A for the club. He broke the record in the next game on May 5. In June, it was announced that Miccoli would leave Palermo when his contract ended on June 30, 2013. This ended his six years with the team. At the end of that season, Palermo was moved down to Serie B.

Playing for His Hometown Club, Lecce

After leaving Palermo, Miccoli signed with Lecce on July 17, 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. The team almost got promoted back to Serie B but lost in the play-off final. The next season, they again missed out on promotion.

Final Season with Birkirkara

On June 24, 2015, Miccoli joined Maltese Premier League team Birkirkara for one year. He played his first game on July 2. A week later, he scored his first goal for the team. He also scored the only goal against West Ham United in a Europa League qualifying game. Birkirkara won the game, but lost in a penalty shootout.

In the league season, Miccoli scored 6 goals in 11 matches. On December 16, 2015, Miccoli announced he was retiring from professional football.

Fabrizio Miccoli's International Career

Fabrizio Miccoli played ten games for the Italian national team between 2003 and 2004, scoring twice. He played his first game on February 12, 2003, in a friendly match against Portugal. He helped create the only goal of the game. On March 30, 2004, Miccoli scored directly from a corner kick in another friendly match against Portugal. Italy won that game 2–1.

Miccoli also played in Euro 2004 qualifying matches. His last game for Italy was on November 17, 2004, against Finland. He scored the only goal from a free-kick in that 1–0 win.

After leaving Juventus, Miccoli was not called up to the national team by coach Marcello Lippi. This meant he missed out on the 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning team. Even though he was not called up, Lippi spoke positively about Miccoli in 2005, calling him a "genius" and a "big quality player." During the 2009–10 Serie A season, many people in Italy thought Miccoli might return to the national team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. However, he was not chosen by Lippi. In March 2011, after recovering from a serious knee injury, he decided not to try for the national team anymore.

How Fabrizio Miccoli Played

Miccoli usually played as a creative second striker. He was known for his all-around attacking skills, speed, and powerful and accurate shots with both feet. He scored many goals and also helped his teammates score by providing assists. Because of his quickness, balance, and technical skills, Miccoli could also play as an attacking midfielder. This allowed him to dribble past players and create chances. He also played as a winger, where he would use his ball skills to get past defenders and then shoot. Miccoli was also very good at set pieces and penalty kicks. He often used a special "Panenka" style when taking penalties.

When he was young, people called him the "Romário of the Salento" and "the Maradona of the Salento." He was also nicknamed "pocket bomber" because of his small size and goal-scoring ability. During his time at Ternana, his playing style was compared to Alessandro Del Piero. Miccoli was also praised for his leadership as Palermo's captain.

Fabrizio Miccoli After Playing Football

After retiring from playing, Miccoli continued to work with his youth football team in his home region 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. In March 2021, both Moriero and Miccoli left their coaching roles.

In July 2021, he accepted a job to be the head youth coach for the under-19 team at Triestina. However, he resigned from this position just nine days later.

Fabrizio Miccoli's 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 March 2003. Their son, Diego, was born in June 2008 and was named after Miccoli's idol, Diego Maradona.

In 2010, Miccoli bought an earring that belonged to his childhood hero, Diego Maradona. The earring was sold at an auction for €25,000. Miccoli said he would return the earring 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 and always wanted to play for the club, which 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

Fabrizio Miccoli's Awards and Trophies

Juventus

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

Benfica

• Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2005

Palermo

• Coppa Italia runner-up: 2010–11

Birkirkara

• Maltese Super Cup runner-up: 2015

Individual Awards

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

See also

In Spanish: Fabrizio Miccoli para niños