Daniele Massaro

Lore & Background

Massaro began his career with his local club Monza in Serie B in 1978. In 1981, he was acquired by Serie A club Fiorentina, making his Serie A debut on 13 September 1981. After leaving Fiorentina in 1986, Massaro made a name for himself at AC Milan where he played over 300 games between 1986 and 1995 (apart from a loan spell with Roma during the 1988–89 season). He was part of the legendary Milan squad of the late 1980s and early 1990s, under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.

He scored two decisive goals in the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final against FC Barcelona, which Milan won 4–0. He was also Milan's top scorer in the 1993–94 Serie A season with 11 league goals. After leaving Milan in 1995, he played a year in the Japanese football league with Shimizu S-Pulse, before retiring in 1996. Massaro made his Italy under-21 debut on 23 September 1981.

He made 15 appearances for the Italian senior squad between 1982 and 1994. He was a member of the Italian squad that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup but did not receive any playing time. He played in six of Italy's seven games at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, scoring a goal in a 1–1 draw against Mexico. In the 1994 FIFA World Cup final loss against Brazil, he missed a one-on-one opportunity and later failed to convert a penalty kick in the shoot-out, which marked his last international appearance.

Reader's Guide

Massaro was a talented and determined player, gifted with pace and agility, as well as good physical and athletic attributes. Due to his versatility, work-rate and tactical intelligence, he was uniquely capable of playing in many different positions anywhere on the pitch. He began his career as a midfielder, and was capable of playing anywhere in midfield; indeed, he was often used as an offensive, central, or defensive midfielder. Throughout his career, he even played as a makeshift defender, both in the centre, or on the flank as a full-back.

During his highly successful stint with AC Milan, he was initially deployed as an outside forward on the left, or as a winger under Arrigo Sacchi. Massaro was only utilised as a true striker later on in his career, in particular under Fabio Capello, and also at the 1994 World Cup with Italy under Sacchi, where he was able to find the net more often, due to his finishing ability with either foot, as well as his aerial prowess and heading accuracy.

Due to his tendency to score decisive goals in closely fought matches, he earned the nicknames Provvidenza and 'San Massaro' in the media. He once referred to himself as a 'supersub' due to his penchant for scoring decisive goals after coming off the bench.

Did You Know?

• Massaro scored a brace for Shimizu S-Pulse on 13 April 1996 in a 5–1 win against Bellmare Hiratsuka.
• He was the captain of the Italian Beach Soccer National Team for a couple of years.
• Massaro is an avid golfer and also took part in several rally races in the Italian Rally Division, racing twice in the WRC, in the Sanremo Rally (in 1998 and 1999).
• He currently works with Milan as a public relations manager.