Massimo Oddo

Lore & Background

Oddo is from the town of Pescara on the Adriatic coast. He started his career at Renato Curi Angolana of Serie D and moved to AC Milan youth team in 1993. After two successful seasons with Verona, Italian giants Lazio purchased him. He became captain of Lazio for the first half of the 2006–07 season. He transferred to AC Milan in January 2007. He won the Coppa Italia with Lazio, and the UEFA Champions League and Scudetto with Milan. He also had a loan spell at Bayern Munich. He represented Italy at UEFA Euro 2004 and was part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning squad.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed over the Stadio Olimpico on a crisp autumn evening. Oddo received the ball deep near his own penalty area, shielding it with a defender's instinct. With a burst of acceleration that belied his years, he surged past the opposition winger. The crowd roared as he drove toward the byline, whipping a low cross into the box where a striker waited to finish what the 'Lazio boy' had started.

Reader's Guide

Oddo was primarily deployed on the right flank as an offensive full-back or wing-back, or even as a wide-midfielder on occasion, due to his stamina, work-rate, defensive consistency, attacking drive, and crossing ability. In his later career, he was deployed in a more defensive role as a central-defender. He was known for his ability on set pieces and penalties.

Did You Know?

• Oddo scored his only international goal for Italy from a penalty spot in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Ukraine.
• After the 2006 World Cup final, Oddo chopped off a chunk of teammate Mauro Camoranesi's long hair as the squad celebrated.
• Oddo is a trained barber.
• He studied law at university but left without graduating; later he undertook a course in sports management.