Filippo Inzaghi

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Inzaghi joined AC Milan on July 2, 2001, for a reported fee of 70 billion lire (or 45 billion lire plus Cristian Zenoni). Although a knee injury sidelined him for the first half of his debut season, he returned to form a lethal partnership with Andriy Shevchenko. Under Carlo Ancelotti, he secured major trophies including the 2002–03 Champions League, where he scored a record third Champions League hat-trick against Deportivo de La Coruña and a decisive goal against Ajax in the quarter-finals. In the final against his former club Juventus, Milan won on penalties. He added the 2003 UEFA Super Cup, 2004 Supercoppa Italiana, and the 2003–04 Scudetto to his collection.

In Their Own Story

On May 23, 2007, in Athens, Inzaghi faced Liverpool in a rematch of the 2005 final. He scored both of Milan's goals in their 2–1 victory, fulfilling a childhood dream. "It's a dream since I was a child to score twice in the final," he declared after the match, calling them the most important of his life. Earlier that season, on November 3, 2010, at age 37 years and 85 days, he became the all-time top scorer of European club competitions with 70 goals by scoring a brace against Real Madrid while coming off the bench to give Milan a 2–1 lead. He also set records for Serie A hat-tricks, netting three times against Atalanta on March 8, 2009, and again against Torino later that season.

Reader's Guide

Inzaghi's game was defined by anticipation rather than physical dominance. Arriving late into the box, he exploited space defenders missed. His career at Milan included scoring in a 2–2 Coppa Italia draw in the second leg of the 2002–03 final and netting two goals in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup final against Boca Juniors to help win 4–2. Even in his later years, he remained effective; on February 24, 2008, coming off the bench, he scored a diving header for a match-winning goal against Palermo, marking his first Serie A goal in over a year. He finished his Milan career with 100 official goals for the club.

Did You Know?

• Inzaghi was the first player to score two Champions League hat-tricks, achieving this feat against Dynamo Kyiv and Hamburger SV while at Juventus.
• He holds the record for the most hat-tricks in Serie A history with 10, surpassing Giuseppe Signori (9) and Hernán Crespo (8).
• On November 3, 2010, he became the all-time top scorer in European club competitions with 70 goals.
• Inzaghi is Milan's top international goalscorer in the club's history with 43 goals.
• He scored a decisive goal against his former club Juventus in the 2002–03 Champions League final, which Milan won on penalties.