Simone Inzaghi facts for kids
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Inzaghi with Inter Milan in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Simone Inzaghi | ||
| Date of birth | 5 April 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Piacenza, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Al-Hilal (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1994 | Piacenza | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994–1999 | Piacenza | 30 | (15) |
| 1994–1995 | → Carpi (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | → Novara (loan) | 23 | (4) |
| 1996–1997 | → Lumezzane (loan) | 23 | (6) |
| 1997–1998 | → Brescello [it] (loan) | 21 | (10) |
| 1999–2010 | Lazio | 133 | (28) |
| 2005 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Atalanta (loan) | 19 | (0) |
| Total | 263 | (63) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–1994 | Italy U18 | 4 | (1) |
| 2000–2003 | Italy | 3 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016–2021 | Lazio | ||
| 2021–2025 | Inter Milan | ||
| 2025– | Al-Hilal | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Simone Inzaghi (born 5 April 1976) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal. People sometimes called him "The Piacenza Demon" because he was good at finding new ways to play and communicate with his team. He is also known for bringing back the 3–5–2 playing style.
Inzaghi started his playing career in 1994 with Piacenza. He played for several clubs on loan, like Novara and Lumezzane. He won two Serie C2 titles in a row with these teams in 1996 and 1997. In 1999, Inzaghi joined Lazio. There, he won one Serie A title, three Coppa Italia titles, one Supercoppa Italiana, and one UEFA Super Cup. He also played for Sampdoria and Atalanta on loan before he stopped playing in 2010. He played three games for the Italian national team between 2000 and 2003.
Inzaghi began his coaching career with Lazio's youth teams in 2010. He became the main coach for Lazio in 2016. With Lazio, he won one Coppa Italia and two Supercoppas Italiana. In 2021, Inzaghi moved to Inter Milan. At Inter, he won one Serie A title, two Coppa Italia titles, and three Supercoppas Italiana in a row. He also led Inter to the UEFA Champions League final in 2023 and 2025. He then signed with Al-Hilal in 2025.
Contents
Playing Career
Club Teams
Inzaghi started his professional football journey in 1993 with his hometown club, Piacenza. He didn't play any first-team games that season. The next year, he was loaned to Carpi, a team in the third division. He scored his first goal in the 1995–96 season while playing for Novara in the fourth division.
After two more loan periods with Lumezzane and Brescello, Inzaghi returned to Piacenza. This was for the 1998–99 Serie A season, his first time playing in Italy's top league. He scored 15 goals in 30 matches. This great performance led to him joining Lazio.
At Lazio, even with other strong strikers like Marcelo Salas, Inzaghi played often. The coach, Sven-Göran Eriksson, rotated players. In the 1999–2000 season, Lazio won both the Scudetto (Italian league title) and the Coppa Italia. Inzaghi played in 22 league matches and scored seven goals. In the Champions League, he scored nine goals in eleven games. This included an amazing four goals in one game against Marseille on 14 March 2000. This tied a record for the competition.
The next few seasons were not as successful for Inzaghi. However, he helped Lazio win another Coppa Italia in 2003–04. In September 2004, he signed a contract to stay with Lazio until June 2009. He spent the second half of the 2004–05 season on loan at Sampdoria. He then returned to Lazio for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, but played only a few games.
In the 2007–08 season, Inzaghi went on loan to Atalanta. He played in 19 league matches, mostly as a substitute, but did not score. Inzaghi came back to Lazio for the 2008–09 season. He helped Lazio win the Coppa Italia again, which was his third time winning this cup. He scored his first Serie A goal since 2004 in October, helping Lazio draw 1–1 against Lecce. He played only 12 games over two years before retiring in the summer of 2010 at age 34.
Playing for Italy
Inzaghi played three friendly matches for the Italian national team. His first game was on 29 March 2000, in a 0–2 loss against Spain. He came on as a substitute and played alongside his older brother, Filippo. He played two more games for Italy in 2000 and 2003, both wins.
How He Played
Simone Inzaghi was a tall and fast striker. He was known for being good at scoring goals, especially from close range. He had a great sense of where to be in the penalty area to find the net.
Coaching Career
Lazio Coach
After he stopped playing, Inzaghi stayed with Lazio. He coached their youth teams. On 3 April 2016, he became the main coach for the senior team for a short time.
For the 2016–17 season, Inzaghi was made the permanent manager. He led the team to fifth place in the league. They also reached the final of the Italian Cup, but lost to Juventus. In June 2017, he signed a new contract until 2020.
The 2017–18 season started well. Lazio beat Juventus 3–2 to win the Supercoppa Italiana. They finished fifth in Serie A again. In the 2018–19 season, his team won the Italian Cup by beating Atalanta 2–0. This was Lazio's seventh Cup title.
On 22 December 2019, Inzaghi won his second Supercoppa Italiana with Lazio. They beat Juventus 3–1. In the 2019–20 Serie A season, he led Lazio to finish fourth. This meant they could play in the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2007–08. Lazio reached the round of 16 in the 2020–21 Champions League.
Inter Milan Coach
On 27 May 2021, Lazio announced that Inzaghi had left the club. On 3 June 2021, Inzaghi signed a two-year contract to coach Inter Milan.
In his first season at Inter, Inzaghi won the Supercoppa Italiana on 12 January 2022. He also won the Coppa Italia on 11 May 2022. Both times, they beat Juventus after extra time. Inter finished second in the Serie A league. They scored the most goals with 84. In the Champions League, they were knocked out by Liverpool in the round of sixteen.
In his second season, Inter's league performance was not as strong. Napoli won the title easily. However, Inzaghi secured the Supercoppa Italiana again. He also guided Inter to another Coppa Italia title. His biggest achievement was leading Inter to the Champions League Final. This was the first time in 13 years for Inter. They beat local rivals A.C. Milan 3–0 in the semi-finals. However, Inter lost 1–0 to Manchester City in the final. On 5 September 2023, Inzaghi extended his contract with Inter until 2025.
On 15 January 2024, Inzaghi was named third for the Best FIFA Men's Coach award. On 22 April 2024, Inzaghi won the 2023–24 Serie A with Inter. They beat A.C. Milan 2–1 in the Derby della Madonnina. On 6 May 2025, Inzaghi led Inter to its seventh Champions League final. His team beat Barcelona 7–6 over two games. This was his second Champions League final as a coach in three years. Inter lost the 2024–25 Serie A title on the last day, finishing one point behind Napoli. They also lost 5–0 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
On 3 June 2025, Inzaghi left Inter by agreement.
Al-Hilal Coach
On 4 June 2025, Inzaghi became the manager of Al-Hilal. He signed a two-year contract. Inzaghi's first game with Al-Hilal was a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Coaching Style
Inzaghi is known for helping his players perform their best. He often uses a 3–5–2 formation. In this setup, players on the sides of the field (wing-backs) move forward to help with attacks. Two main strikers are supported by a midfielder who plays just in front of two other midfielders. This system can change. When the team doesn't have the ball, the wing-backs drop back. This makes the formation look like a 5–3–2.
Inzaghi is also good at changing how his team defends. At Lazio, he used different ways to win the ball back. Experts have said that Inzaghi gives his players more freedom than some other coaches. This has helped his teams play better. His teams can be hard to play against because they are not always predictable. Beyond tactics, Inzaghi is praised for his leadership. He is adaptable and good at managing his players. He also knows how to handle important moments during games.
Personal Life
Simone Inzaghi was born in Piacenza, Italy. He is the younger brother of Filippo Inzaghi, who was also a famous football player and striker.
On 14 May 2000, Lazio won the Serie A title in a very close race. Simone's team was competing against his brother Filippo's team, Juventus. Simone scored a goal in Lazio's 3–0 win against Reggina. Juventus lost their game, which allowed Lazio to win the championship.
Simone Inzaghi has a son born in 2001 from a past relationship. He married Gaia Lucariello on 3 June 2018. They have two sons together.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Piacenza | 1993–94 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1997–98 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1998–99 | Serie A | 30 | 15 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 15 | |||
| Total | 30 | 15 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 15 | ||||
| Carpi (loan) | 1994–95 | Serie C1 | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | 9 | 0 | |||
| Novara (loan) | 1995–96 | Serie C2 | 23 | 4 | – | – | – | 23 | 4 | |||
| Lumezzane (loan) | 1996–97 | Serie C2 | 23 | 6 | – | – | – | 23 | 6 | |||
| Brescello [it] (loan) | 1997–98 | Serie C1 | 21 | 10 | – | – | – | 21 | 10 | |||
| Lazio | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 22 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 19 |
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 7 | |
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 20 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | – | 28 | 6 | ||
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 18 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | – | 29 | 9 | ||
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 23 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | – | 32 | 10 | ||
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 1 | |||
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 133 | 28 | 20 | 7 | 42 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 196 | 55 | ||
| Sampdoria (loan) | 2004–05 | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 0 | ||
| Atalanta (loan) | 2007–08 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 19 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 262 | 63 | 23 | 7 | 42 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 328 | 90 | ||
International
| Italy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Lazio |  |
3 April 2016 | 27 May 2021 | 251 | 134 | 45 | 72 | 463 | 325 | +138 | 53.39 |
| Inter Milan | |
1 July 2021 | 3 June 2025 | 217 | 141 | 41 | 35 | 425 | 189 | +236 | 64.98 |
| Al Hilal |  |
5 June 2025 | present | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 40.00 |
| Total | 473 | 277 | 88 | 108 | 896 | 520 | +376 | 58.56 | |||
Honours and Awards
As a Player
Novara
- Serie C2: 1995–96
Lumezzane
- Serie C2: 1996–97
Lazio
- Serie A: 1999–2000
- Coppa Italia: 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2008–09
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2000
- UEFA Super Cup: 1999
As a Manager
Lazio
- Coppa Italia: 2018–19; Runner-up: 2016–17
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2017, 2019
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2023–24
- Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2021, 2022, 2023
- UEFA Champions League Runner-up: 2022–23, 2024–25
Individual Awards
- Serie A Coach of the Month: December 2021, October 2023, January 2024, April 2024, December 2024
- Enzo Bearzot Award: 2024
- Premio Bulgarelli Number 8 Best Serie A Coach: 2023–24
- Serie A Most Valuable Coach: 2023–24
- Serie A Coach of the Year: 2024
- Panchina d'Oro: 2023–24
See also
In Spanish: Simone Inzaghi para niños
- List of European association football families
