Filippo Inzaghi facts for kids

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Filippo Inzaghi

Inzaghi in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Filippo Inzaghi
Date of birth	(1973-08-09) 9 August 1973 (age 51)
Place of birth	Piacenza, Italy
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Palermo (head coach)
Youth career
1982–1985	San Nicolò
1985–1991	Piacenza
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1995	Piacenza	39	(15)
1992–1993	→ Leffe (loan)	21	(14)
1993–1994	→ Verona (loan)	36	(14)
1995–1996	Parma	15	(2)
1996–1997	Atalanta	33	(24)
1997–2001	Juventus	120	(57)
2001–2012	Milan	202	(73)
Total		466	(197)
International career
1993–1996	Italy U21	14	(3)
1997–2007	Italy	57	(25)
Managerial career
2014–2015	Milan
2016–2018	Venezia
2018–2019	Bologna
2019–2021	Benevento
2021–2022	Brescia
2022–2023	Reggina
2023–2024	Salernitana
2024–2025	Pisa
2025–	Palermo
Medal record Men's football Representing  Italy FIFA World Cup Winner 2006 Germany UEFA European Championship Runner-up 2000 Belgium–Netherlands UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 1994 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi (born August 9, 1973) is a famous Italian football manager and former player. He played as a striker, which means he was a player whose main job was to score goals. Currently, he is the head coach for the Serie B club Palermo.

Fans and commentators called him "Superpippo" or "Alta tensione" (meaning "High Tension"). Many people think Inzaghi was one of the best strikers of his time. He played for several Italian clubs, but his most famous times were with Juventus and AC Milan. With these teams, he won two UEFA Champions League titles (in 2003 and 2007) and three Serie A titles (in 1998, 2004, and 2011).

Inzaghi is one of the highest goal scorers in Italian football history, with 313 goals in official matches. He is also among the top goal scorers in European club competitions with 70 goals. He holds the record for the most hat-tricks (scoring three goals in one game) in Serie A with 10.

For the Italian national team, Inzaghi played 57 games between 1997 and 2007, scoring 25 goals. He played in three FIFA World Cup tournaments and helped Italy win the World Cup in 2006. He also played in UEFA Euro 2000, where Italy finished second. His younger brother, Simone Inzaghi, is also a football manager and a former Italian player.

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Playing Career

Starting Out in Football

Filippo Inzaghi loved footballers Paolo Rossi and Marco van Basten when he was a child. He started playing for his hometown club, Piacenza, as a teenager in 1991. He only played two league games before being loaned to Serie C1 team Leffe, where he scored 13 goals in 21 matches.

In 1993, Inzaghi moved to Serie B club Hellas Verona and scored 13 goals in 36 games. When he returned to Piacenza, he scored 15 goals in 37 games. This helped his team win the Serie B title and showed everyone he was a promising young player.

Inzaghi played his first game in Serie A when he joined Parma in 1995. He scored only two goals in 15 league matches there. One of these goals was against his old club, Piacenza. The next season, he moved to Atalanta. He became the Capocannoniere (Serie A's top scorer) with 24 goals, scoring against every team in the league. He was named the Serie A Young Footballer of the Year.

Time with Juventus

Inzaghi playing for Juventus in a 1997–98 Coppa Italia match

Inzaghi soon moved to Juventus. He played alongside Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane, forming a strong attacking team for four seasons. This was Inzaghi's longest time with one team back then. While at Juventus, he scored two Champions League hat-tricks. He was the first player to do this.

In his first season with Juventus, Inzaghi scored two goals as Juventus beat Vicenza 3–0 to win the 1997 Supercoppa Italiana. Juventus also won the Scudetto (the Italian league title) in the 1997–98 season. Inzaghi scored 18 goals, including a hat-trick against Bologna that helped them win the title. He also scored six goals to help Juventus reach the Champions League final, but they lost 1–0 to Real Madrid.

The 1998–99 season was not as good for Juventus. They lost the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana and finished seventh in Serie A. However, Inzaghi still scored 20 goals in all competitions, making him the club's top scorer. Six of his goals were in the Champions League. Juventus reached the semi-finals but lost to Manchester United. In the second game of the semi-finals, Inzaghi scored two goals in the first ten minutes, but Manchester United came back to win 3–2.

Inzaghi helped Juventus win the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, scoring five goals in the semi-finals and two in the finals. This helped Juventus qualify for the UEFA Cup. Inzaghi scored 15 goals in Serie A, but Juventus just missed out on the title to Lazio on the last day. The next season, Inzaghi scored 11 goals in Serie A, as Juventus finished second again. He also scored five goals in the UEFA Champions League, including a hat-trick in a 4–4 draw. With 16 goals, he was Juventus's top scorer for the third season in a row.

Moving to AC Milan

Inzaghi (center, no. 9) celebrating with his Milan teammates after winning the 2003 UEFA Champions League final

Even though Inzaghi scored 89 goals in 165 games for Juventus, he was often on the bench. So, on July 2, 2001, he joined AC Milan. Inzaghi got a knee injury and missed the first half of his first season with Milan. When he returned, he formed a strong partnership with Andriy Shevchenko. He won many trophies with Milan, including the 2002–03 Champions League (where Milan beat his old team, Juventus, in the final). He also won the 2002–03 Coppa Italia, the 2003 UEFA Super Cup, the 2004 Supercoppa Italiana, and the 2003–04 Scudetto. In the 2002–03 Champions League, he scored his third Champions League hat-trick and a key goal in the quarter-finals, scoring 12 European goals that season.

Inzaghi celebrating the 2007 UEFA Champions League triumph with his Milan teammates

Inzaghi fully recovered from his knee injuries and started scoring many goals again. In the 2005–06 season, he scored 12 goals in 22 Serie A matches and four goals in five Champions League games. On May 23, 2007, in the 2007 Champions League final in Athens, he scored both of Milan's goals in their 2–1 win over Liverpool. This was a rematch of the 2005 final. After the match, he said:

It's a dream since I was a child to score twice in the final, and the ones I scored yesterday evening were the most important in my life. It was an unforgettable game. It's something that will stay with me all my life and two goals in the final speaks for itself.

At the start of the 2007–08 season, he continued his great form. He scored the tying goal in the 2007 UEFA Super Cup, helping Milan win 3–1. Inzaghi finished the year by scoring two goals in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup final, helping Milan win 4–2 against Boca Juniors.

On February 24, 2008, Inzaghi scored the winning goal in Milan's 2–1 win over Palermo. This was his first Serie A goal in over a year. He then scored ten more goals in the league, with his last one against Udinese being his 100th goal for Milan in official games.

Inzaghi celebrating a goal against Torino with David Beckham and Mathieu Flamini in 2009

On March 8, 2009, Inzaghi scored his first hat-trick of the season for Milan against Atalanta, leading his team to a 3–0 victory. His 300th career goal came in a 5–1 win against Siena. He then scored three goals against Torino, which was his second hat-trick that season. This hat-trick made him the player with the most hat-tricks in Serie A over the last 25 years. He scored one hat-trick for Atalanta, four for Juventus, and five for Milan.

In the 2009–10 season, Inzaghi played less often. On November 3, 2010, in a Champions League game, Milan was losing 1–0 to Real Madrid. Inzaghi came off the bench and scored two goals to give Milan a 2–1 lead. However, Real Madrid scored late, and the game ended 2–2. On that day, he became the all-time top scorer in all European club competitions with 70 goals. He also became the second-oldest player to score in the Champions League at 37 years old. With these two goals, Inzaghi passed his idol Marco van Basten on Milan's all-time top goal scorers list.

On November 10, 2010, Inzaghi got a serious knee injury. Many thought this injury could end his career because of his age. But Inzaghi was hopeful. On May 7, 2011, while Inzaghi was still recovering, Milan won the 2010–11 Serie A title. He returned to play on May 14, coming off the bench as Milan beat Cagliari 4–1. He extended his contract until June 2012.

Milan decided not to renew the contracts of several older players at the end of the 2011–12 season, and Inzaghi was one of them. He played his last game for Milan against Novara on May 13, 2012, and scored the winning goal. On July 24, 2012, Inzaghi announced he was stopping professional football to start a coaching career.

European Goal Records

With 70 goals, Inzaghi is the sixth-highest scorer in European club competitions. He was the first player to score two Champions League hat-tricks while playing for Juventus. He scored his third Champions League hat-trick in a 4–0 win against Deportivo de La Coruña in the 2002–03 season, playing for Milan.

International Career

Between 1993 and 1996, Inzaghi played 14 games for the Italy under-21 team, scoring three goals. He was part of the Italy under-21 team that won the 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Inzaghi played his first game for the senior Italian team on June 8, 1997, against Brazil. He scored his first goal for Italy on November 18, 1998, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Spain. He has scored 25 goals in 57 games for Italy. He was chosen to play in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, and the 2006 World Cup.

Inzaghi's boots from UEFA Euro 2000, on display at the San Siro Museum

Inzaghi did not score in the 1998 World Cup, as he mostly came on as a substitute. At Euro 2000, he was one of Italy's main strikers. He scored two goals in the tournament. His first was from a penalty in Italy's 2–1 win over Turkey. His second was in a 2–0 win over Romania in the quarter-finals. His good play helped Italy reach the final, where they lost to France.

Inzaghi was Italy's top goal scorer during the qualifying rounds of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. He scored his only international hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Wales on September 6, 2003. He missed Euro 2004 due to injury. He did not score in the 2002 World Cup, playing two games. Italy was knocked out in the round of 16.

Inzaghi's injuries kept him from playing for Italy for almost two years. But his good form at club level led to him being called up for the 2006 World Cup. He made his only appearance in Italy's last group game against the Czech Republic on June 22, 2006. He scored Italy's second goal, making him the oldest player to score for Italy in a World Cup at that time. Italy went on to win the tournament, beating France in the final.

After Italy's World Cup win, Inzaghi played six games under new manager Roberto Donadoni in Italy's UEFA Euro 2008 qualification campaign, scoring three goals. He was not called up for the final tournament. He played his last game for Italy on September 8, 2007, in a 0–0 draw against France.

Inzaghi is currently the sixth-highest goal scorer in the Italian national team's history, with 25 goals.

How Inzaghi Played

Inzaghi was a smart, very fast, and quick player. He was known for being great at finding open spaces and scoring goals. He was called a "goal poacher" because he mostly played inside the penalty box and was good at being in the right place at the right time to score. These skills, along with his ability to finish with his head and feet, made him one of the best goal scorers of recent decades. People often said Inzaghi "lived on the offside line" because he was so good at staying just onside.

When he first joined the national team, other Italian players were surprised he wasn't very technical. But they accepted him because he scored so often. Johan Cruyff once said about him: "Look, actually he can't play football at all. He's just always in the right position." Fans nicknamed him Superpippo, which is the Italian name for Super Goof. Inzaghi was also good at understanding the game and making smart runs to beat the offside trap. This led former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to joke: "That lad must have been born offside."

Some people criticized Inzaghi for not being very technical or strong in the air. They sometimes called him a "lucky" player or said he was selfish. However, many of his former managers and teammates praised him for scoring so many goals. Inzaghi himself said his success came from his strong desire, intelligence, and determination, not just his natural talent. He was often compared to Paolo Rossi because of his opportunistic playing style.

Coaching Career

Coaching AC Milan

Inzaghi managing Milan in 2014

Inzaghi started his coaching career in 2012. He signed a two-year deal to manage AC Milan's Allievi (under-17) team.

On June 9, 2014, Inzaghi became the manager of Milan's first team. In his first game as a manager in Serie A on August 31, Milan beat Lazio 3–1. Inzaghi then led Milan to a second win, a 5–4 victory against Parma.

On June 4, 2015, Milan announced that Inzaghi would not be the coach for the next season. He officially left the club on June 16, 2015.

Coaching Venezia

On June 7, 2016, Inzaghi was named the new coach of Lega Pro club Venezia. On April 19, 2017, his team won promotion to Serie B as champions. He also won the Coppa Italia Lega Pro in the same season.

During the 2017–18 season, Inzaghi guided Venezia to finish fifth in Serie B. This meant they could play in the playoffs to try and get promoted to Serie A. After winning one playoff game, his team was defeated by Palermo in the semi-finals.

Coaching Bologna

On June 13, 2018, Inzaghi became the new head coach of Bologna, a top-flight team. He faced a Lazio team coached by his younger brother Simone on December 26, losing 0–2. After winning only two games out of 21, he was dismissed on January 28, 2019.

Coaching Benevento

On June 22, 2019, Inzaghi was appointed manager of Benevento in Serie B. On June 30, 2020, his club won promotion to Serie A as champions with seven games left. In his first Serie A game with the team, they won 3–2 at Sampdoria on September 26, even after being down 2–0. Benevento finished the 2020–21 Serie A season in eighteenth place, which meant they were relegated back to Serie B after just one season. Because of this, Inzaghi did not get a new contract and left Benevento.

Coaching Brescia

On June 9, 2021, Inzaghi became the manager of Brescia in Serie B. On August 16, Inzaghi's first game for Brescia was a Coppa Italia match, which they lost 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 2–2 draw.

On March 23, 2022, Inzaghi was dismissed by the club chairman, even though the team was in fifth place. After his replacement was eliminated in the promotion playoffs, Inzaghi was formally reappointed as head coach on May 25, 2022.

Coaching Reggina

On July 12, 2022, Inzaghi was appointed manager of Reggina in Serie B. He signed a three-year deal. He guided Reggina to a spot in the promotion playoffs. However, Reggina was later removed from the league due to financial problems. This left Inzaghi without a job at the start of the 2023–24 season.

Coaching Salernitana

On October 10, 2023, Salernitana, a Serie A club struggling to avoid relegation, announced Inzaghi as their new manager. He was sacked on February 11, 2024.

Coaching Pisa

On July 3, 2024, Inzaghi signed with Serie B club Pisa. In his first season with the club, Inzaghi led Pisa to promotion to Serie A. This marked their return to the top league after 34 years. He left Pisa on June 13, 2025.

Coaching Palermo

On June 17, 2025, Inzaghi was confirmed as the new head coach for Palermo.

In Video Games

Inzaghi has been featured in EA Sports' FIFA video game series. He was on the cover for the Italian version of FIFA 2001. He was also named in the Ultimate Team Legends in FIFA 14.

In 2015, the company Konami announced that Inzaghi would be in their football video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 as one of the new myClub Legends.

Honours and Awards

Special Honors

• Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: 2006
• CONI: Golden Collar of Sports Merit: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Filippo Inzaghi para niños