Tribute to a legend – Filippo Inzaghi
In the wake of Inzaghi’s brilliant brace (albeit second one being an offside) against Real Madrid, Novice football fans and haters should simply accept the fact that Inzaghi is a legend, an absolute legend.
Every time the striker scores, without exception, he runs towards the corner flag. An arm in the air and mouth gaping in absolute glee, the striker celebrates every goal like he has just emulated the Maradona goal of the century. There’s no goal less important,
no occasion too dignified and no tap-in less classy for this ageless legend who enjoys his football to the max and manages to get the crowd going almost every time he takes to the pitch. Despite turning 37, Inzaghi still has the will and hunger to play at
the top level and succeed. The desire to play and win still fuels his legs, week in and out.
The author feels for the less understanding football fans who consider Inzaghi a mere ‘goal-hanger’. In the eyes of many, Inzaghi doesn’t even pass for a footballer. His job being little more than passing the ball into the back of the net, few realise the
impact this sensation has made on football over his 20-year career as a professional. What makes Inzaghi truly special is the fact that he had to do it all without the mesmerising skill of Ronaldo, the appearances of Raul, the pace and power of Thierry Henry
or the panache of Gabriel Batistuta. Inzaghi’s job is to score important goals; through the decades of footballing history, one would be hard-pressed finding a more decisive goal scorer than Super Pippo.
For all the hype and recent media attention, Inzaghi was a late bloomer, starting his footballing career for a modest Piacenza outfit. The club loaned out the player for successive seasons before Parma – a big Serie A power back than – snapped him up. Sadly,
Inzaghi couldn’t make most of the opportunity and found the back of the net just twice in 15 appearances. The player was duly dumped to Atalanta where he found his feet. His Capocannoniere winning 24 goals in just 33 appearances made him a highly sought after
talent and Marcelo Lippi’s Juventus came calling. At Stadio Delle Alpi, Pippo formed a formidable attack compromising of himself, Alessandro Del Piero and legendary Zinedine Zidane. 58 goals in 122 appearances is a decent return but arrival of David Trezeguet
saw Inzaghi go down in the pecking order. Silvio Berlusconi decided to break the bank for the goal-poacher and what a buy it has been.
Rossoneri played in excess of 45 million Euros for the striker and Inzaghi has been worth every single penny it. The player has become a firm ‘fan favourite’ owing much to a decade of tireless service. Pippo has scored 72 goals in 193 appearances, hardly
a glamorous return, but it’s arguable if any striker during the last decade has scored more important goals.
Without a shadow of doubt, there isn’t a player in the history of the beautiful game with better movement, anticipation and penalty box intelligence than Super Pippo. Over the years, the legend has been written off as over-rated, slow and finished. However,
like a classic French wine getting better with time, Inzaghi is getting better and better over the years. At an age when many players are finished and washed up, Inzaghi continues to perform at the very top level. A fortnight ago, Jose Mourinho, on the eve
of Milan’s Champions league game against Real Madrid, said of the legend, “I don’t care who Milan play as long as they don’t play eleven Inzaghis”
Such rave praise, coming from a coach of Mourinho’s calibre, goes a long way in cementing his legendary status. Following the Milan’s 2 – 2 draw against Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho took to the pitch and embraced the player, the admiration and respect for
the legend very much evident on his face. It was like a breath of fresh air seeing a legendary manager appreciating an equally legendary player.
Sadly, Inzaghi doesn’t have much football left in him; he’s a human after all. The player may never lose the will and the hunger to play, but his legs won’t support him for long. Players like Inzaghi come once in a century and football fans across the globe
should relish the player in action, enjoy his exaggerated celebrations and brainstorming finishes while they last. Filippo Inzaghi – it was an absolute honour watching you play, it would be long before any human comes close to your level on and off the pitch.
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