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Simone Inzaghi
Personal information
Inzaghi with Inter Milan in 2023
Date of birth	(1976-04-05) 5 April 1976 (age 49)
Place of birth	Piacenza, Italy
Height	1.85 m
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Inter Milan (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)
National team
1993–1994	Italy U18	4	(1)
2000–2003	Italy	3	(0)
Teams managed
2016–2021	Lazio
2021–	Inter Milan
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Simone Inzaghi (born 5 April 1976) is a famous Italian football manager and a former football player. He is currently the head coach for the Serie A club Inter Milan. People sometimes call him "The Piacenza Demon." This is because he is very good at finding new ways to play and communicate with his team. Inzaghi is also known for bringing back the 3–5–2 football strategy.

Inzaghi started his playing career in 1994 with Piacenza. He also played for other teams like Novara and Lumezzane. He won two Serie C2 titles with these teams in 1996 and 1997. In 1999, Inzaghi joined Lazio. There, he won one Serie A title, three Coppa Italia cups, one Supercoppa Italiana, and one UEFA Super Cup. He also played for Sampdoria and Atalanta for a short time. He stopped playing football in 2010. Between 2000 and 2003, Inzaghi played three games for the Italian national team.

After retiring as a player, Inzaghi started coaching. He coached Lazio's youth teams from 2010. In 2016, he became the main coach for Lazio's senior team. With Lazio, he won one Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. In 2021, Inzaghi moved to Inter Milan. Since then, he has won one Serie A title, two Coppa Italia cups, and three Supercoppa Italiana titles in a row. He also led Inter Milan to the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.

Playing as a Footballer
- Club Career
- Playing for Italy
How He Played
Coaching Career
- Coaching Lazio
- Coaching Inter Milan
His Coaching Style
Personal Life
Honours
- Player
- Manager
See also

Playing as a Footballer

Club Career

Simone Inzaghi began his professional football journey in 1993. He started with his hometown club, Piacenza. However, he did not play in any first-team matches that year. The next year, he played for Carpi in the third division.

His first goal came in the 1995–96 season while playing for Novara. After playing for Lumezzane and Brescello [it], 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 helped him move to Lazio.

At Lazio, Inzaghi played alongside talented strikers like Marcelo Salas. The team's manager, Sven-Göran Eriksson, made sure all players got a chance to play. Inzaghi played in 22 matches during Lazio's amazing 1999–2000 season. He scored seven goals as his team won both the Scudetto (Italian league title) and the Coppa Italia.

In the UEFA Champions League, Inzaghi scored nine goals in eleven games. This included scoring four goals in one game against Marseille on 14 March 2000. This equaled a record set by Marco van Basten in 1992.

The next few seasons were not as successful for Inzaghi. But he did help Lazio win another Coppa Italia in 2003–04. He also played for Sampdoria and Atalanta on loan. He returned to Lazio in 2008–09. He helped them win the Coppa Italia again, his third time winning this cup. Inzaghi retired from playing football in the summer of 2010 when he was 34 years old.

Playing for Italy

Inzaghi played three friendly matches for the Italian national team. His first game was on 29 March 2000, 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.

How He Played

Simone Inzaghi was a tall and fast striker. He was known for his ability to score goals, especially from close range. He was good at finding the right position on the field. His playing style was often compared to his older brother Filippo and also to Paolo Rossi.

Coaching Career

Coaching Lazio

After he stopped playing, Inzaghi stayed with Lazio. He coached their youth teams. On 3 April 2016, he became the temporary coach for the main team.

For the 2016–17 season, Inzaghi became the permanent manager. He led the team to finish fifth 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 for Lazio. They beat Juventus 3–2 in the Supercoppa Italiana. They finished fifth in Serie A again.

In the 2018–19 season, his team won the Italian Cup 2–0 against Atalanta. This was their seventh cup title. On 22 December 2019, Inzaghi won his second Supercoppa Italiana with Lazio. They beat Juventus again, this time 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 Champions League that season.

Coaching Inter Milan

On 3 June 2021, Simone Inzaghi signed a two-year contract to coach Inter Milan.

In his first season with 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 in extra time. Inter finished second in the Serie A championship. They scored 84 goals, more than any other team. In the Champions League, they were knocked out by Liverpool in the round of sixteen.

In his second season, Inter won the Supercoppa Italiana again. They also won another Coppa Italia title. A big achievement was leading Inter to the Champions League Final. This was the first time in 13 years for the club. They beat local rivals A.C. Milan 3–0 in the semi-finals. However, Inter lost 1–0 to Manchester City in the final. In September 2023, Inzaghi extended his contract with Inter until 2025.

On 15 January 2024, Inzaghi was ranked third for the Best FIFA Men's Coach award for 2023. On 22 April 2024, Inzaghi won the 2023–24 Serie A with Inter. They secured the title by beating A.C. Milan 2–1 in the Milan Derby.

His Coaching Style

Inzaghi is known for helping his players perform at their best. He often uses a 3–5–2 formation. In this setup, players on the sides (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 is flexible. When the team doesn't have the ball, the wing-backs drop back. This makes the formation look like a 5–3–2 for defense.

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 previous coaches. This has helped the team play better. His teams can be hard for other managers to prepare for because their play is not always easy to predict. Besides his tactics, Inzaghi is praised for his leadership. He is seen as adaptable and good at managing his players.

Personal Life

Simone Inzaghi was born in Piacenza, Italy. His older brother, Filippo Inzaghi, was also a famous footballer and striker. Filippo played for big clubs like Juventus and A.C. Milan. He won many titles, including the UEFA Champions League twice. Filippo also helped the Italian national team win the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

In 2000, when Lazio won the Scudetto (Italian league title), Simone and Filippo were indirectly competing. Simone's Lazio team won the title on the very last day. Filippo's Juventus team lost their final game, which allowed Lazio to win. Simone scored a goal in Lazio's 3–0 win.

Simone Inzaghi has a son from a past relationship with actress Alessia Marcuzzi. He married Gaia Lucariello on 3 June 2018. They have two sons together.

Honours

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

Manager