Lorenzo Insigne

Lorenzo Insigne

Insigne playing for Napoli in 2014
Personal information
Full name Lorenzo Insigne
Date of birth (1991-06-04) 4 June 1991
Place of birth Naples, Italy
Height 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Playing position Winger / Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Napoli
Number 24
Youth career
2006–2010 Napoli
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009– Napoli 143 (25)
2010–2011 → Foggia (loan) 33 (19)
2011–2012 → Pescara (loan) 37 (18)
National team‡
2010–2011 Italy U20 5 (1)
2011–2013 Italy U21 15 (7)
2012– Italy 13 (2)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 November 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 November 2016

Lorenzo Insigne (Italian pronunciation: [loˈrɛntso inˈsiɲɲe]; born 4 June 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Italian club Napoli and the Italy national team. Insigne began his professional career with Napoli in 2009, making his Serie A debut in 2010, but was later sent on consecutive season loan spells to Foggia and Pescara, before returning to Napoli in 2012. Insigne is capable of playing on either flank, or through the centre, but is usually deployed as left winger. He is known in particular for his creativity, speed, and technical ability, as well as his accuracy from free-kicks.[2]

Insigne has represented the Italy national under-21 football team, with whom he won a runner-up medal at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He made his debut for the senior national team in September 2012, and has represented Italy at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and at UEFA Euro 2016.

Club career

Foggia and Pescara

A member of the Napoli Youth Academy, in 2010, Insigne was sold to Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Foggia in a co-ownership deal with Napoli; during his time with Foggia, he scored 19 goals under the tenure of Czech coach Zdeněk Zeman.

On 8 July 2011, Insigne agreed to re-join Zeman, accepting a one-year loan to Serie B club Pescara.[3] Insigne formed a notable offensive partnership with teammate Ciro Immobile, who was the Serie B top goalscorer with 28 goals as Pescara topped Serie B that season, scoring 27 more goals than any other team in the competition; Insigne managed 18 goals in the league himself as the club's second highest scorer, also providing 14 assists that season, heavily contributing to the team's success. Due to their victory in Serie B, Pescara were promoted to Serie A with Zeman's ultra-attacking style of football.[4] At the 2012 AIC Gran Gala del Calcio, Insigne was named the "Best Player" of the previous Serie B season, along with his former Pescara team-mates Immobile, and Marco Verratti.[5]

Napoli

Insigne on the ball in a friendly match against FC Barcelona in August 2014

Insigne's performances at Pescara enticed parent club Napoli to bring him back to his hometown club for the 2012–13 Serie A season. Insigne had originally made his Serie A debut with the club on 24 January 2010, under manager Walter Mazzarri, in a 2–0 win over Livorno;[6] he scored his first Serie A goal with Napoli on 16 September 2012, in a 3–1 home win over Parma.[7] He struggled to get a run of consecutive games at many points in the season but participated in a large successful season at Napoli, who finished in second place in Serie A that season. Throughout the duration of the season, he made 43 appearances and scored five goals, providing 7 assists. The competition for places with players like Edinson Cavani, Goran Pandev, Eduardo Vargas and Omar El Kaddouri meant that Insigne started often on the substitutes' bench.

The following season, Insigne made his UEFA Champions League debut in 2–1 home win over the previous season's finalists Borussia Dortmund, on 18 September 2013; Insigne marked his debut in the competition with a goal from a free-kick.[8] In the final of the Coppa Italia on 3 May 2014, Insigne scored twice in the first half, as his side won 3—1 against Fiorentina.[9]

During the 2014–15 season, Insigne injured the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee, on 9 November 2014, in a match against Fiorentina.[10][11] He returned to the pitch on 4 April 2015, after a five-month absence, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 away defeat to Roma.[12] In his next league match, on 26 April, he scored a goal in a 4–2 home win over Sampdoria, also wearing the captain's armband during the match, in the absence of team-mates Hamšík, Maggio, and Inler.[13]

On 13 September 2015, he opened the 2015–16 season by scoring in a 2–2 draw against Empoli.[14] On 20 September he scored again in a 5–0 win over Lazio, also setting up Allan's goal.[15] On 26 September he made his 100th Serie A appearance with Napoli and scored his third goal of the season in a 2–1 home win over defending league champions Juventus,[16][17] although he was also later forced off the pitch after sustaining an injury during the match; the club however later reported that the injury was not serious.[18] He continued his goalscoring run in the following match, netting twice and setting up Allan's goal in a 4–0 away win over Milan, bringing his seasonal tally to five goals in seven games;[19] his prolific performances even led to comparisons with former Napoli legend Diego Maradona, which Insigne played down.[20]

International career

Youth

A regular member of the Italian under-21 squad, Insigne made 15 appearances for the "Azzurrini", scoring 7 goals. He made his debut with the under-21 side on 6 October 2011, in a European qualifying match against Liechtenstein, scoring two goals and providing 2 assists in a 7–2 victory.[21] With the Italian under-21 team, he took part at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, under manager Devis Mangia, playing an important role in Italy's tournament run. On 5 June 2013, he made his tournament debut against England, scoring a goal from a free-kick in Italy's 1–0 opening victory.[22] On 9 June, in Italy's second match against hosts Israel, Insigne began the play which led to Italy's first goal of the match in the 18th minute, which was scored by Riccardo Saponara. He injured himself later during the match, and was forced to come off, although Italy won the match 4–0.[23] Insigne was able to recuperate in time for the semi-final match against the Netherlands, and he came on to set up Fabio Borini's winner which sent the Italians into the final.[24] On 18 June, Italy were defeated 4–2 against Spain in the final, although Insigne was able to set up Italy's second goal of the match, which was scored by Borini once again.[25]

Senior

Insigne was called up for the first time for the Italy senior squad in September 2012, at the age of 21, by coach Cesare Prandelli, for Italy's 2014 World Cup qualifying matches against Bulgaria and Malta. He made his senior debut on 11 September 2012, in a World Cup qualifier match against Malta in Modena coming on as a replacement for Alessandro Diamanti.[26] On 14 August 2013, Insigne scored his first goal in a friendly against Argentina, which ended in a 2–1 loss at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.[27] He was named in Cesare Prandelli's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was eventually picked in the final 23-man squad.[28] In Italy's last warm-up match against Fluminense in Brazil ahead of their World Cup opener against England, Insigne and his teammate Ciro Immobile went on to score five goals, with Insigne netting a brace.[29]

On June 20 he made his debut in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Italy's second group match against Costa Rica, replacing Antonio Candreva in the second half. This was his only appearance throughout the tournament, as Italy were eliminated in the group stage.[30]

On 31 May 2016, Insigne was named to Antonio Conte's 23-man Italy squad for UEFA Euro 2016.[31] He made his first appearance of the tournament on 22 June, coming off the bench in Italy's final group match, which ended in a 1–0 defeat to Ireland, striking the post and later receiving a yellow card in injury time.[32] In the round of 16 of the tournament, at Stade de France in Paris on 27 June, he came off the bench once again to help set-up Graziano Pellè's 91st minute volley to give the Azzurri a 2–0 win over defending champions Spain.[33] On 2 July, he made a further substitute appearance in the quarter-final fixture against Germany and subsequently scored Italy's first penalty in the resulting shoot-out, which ended in a 6–5 loss to the defending World Cup champions.[34]

Style of play

Nicknamed Lorenzo Il Magnifico,[35] Insigne is a talented right footed winger, who is usually deployed on the left in a 4–3–3 or in a 4–2–3–1 formation. Although his preferred role is on the left flank, he is capable of playing in any offensive position on either side of the pitch, or even through the centre; he has often operated in a more creative role, as an attacking midfielder or supporting forward, due to his passing, vision, ball control, and dribbling ability, which allow him to beat opponents, create chances, and provide assists for team-mates.[2] A hardworking player, he is known for his creativity, agility, balance, vision, flair, speed, and technical ability.[2] He is also capable of scoring goals himself, and is an accurate set-piece taker.[2] Due to his attributes, skill, pace, and small stature, his former Napoli teammate and Macedonia captain Goran Pandev has referred to him as the "Italian Messi".[36]

Personal life

Insigne has three brothers, all of whom are footballers: his younger brother and Napoli teammate Roberto, Marco, and Antonio.[37]

Career statistics

Club

As of 19 November 2016[38][39]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Napoli 2009–10 Serie A 1000––10
Cavese (loan) 2009–10 Lega Pro Prima Divisione 10000––100
Foggia (loan) 2010–11 331900––3319
Pescara (loan) 2011–12 Serie B 371812––3820
Napoli 2012–13 Serie A 375105[lower-alpha 1]000435
2013–14 3635310[lower-alpha 2]3–519
2014–15 202107[lower-alpha 3]000282
2015–16 3712005[lower-alpha 1]1004213
2016–17 122004[lower-alpha 1]000162
Total 14224733140018131
Career totals 22360853140026270
  1. 1 2 3 All appearances in Europa League
  2. ↑ Six appearances and two goals UEFA Champions League,Four appearances and one goal in Europa League
  3. ↑ Two appearances UEFA Champions League,Five appearances in Europa League

International

As of 12 November 2016[40]
Italy national team
YearAppsGoals
201210
201331
201420
2015––
201671
Total132

International goals

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.[41]
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 14 August 2013 Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy  Argentina 1–2 1–2 Friendly
2. 24 March 2016 Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy  Spain 1–0 1–1 Friendly

Honours

Club

Pescara[42]
Napoli[42]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sscnapoli.it/Squadra/Lorenzo-Insigne
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Lorenzo Insigne: 1991 – Italia". generazioneditalenti.it (in Italian). Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Ufficiale, colpi Pescara: presi Insigne e Romagnoli" (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport – Stadio. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Pescara, ecco i gioielli forgiati a Zemanlandia". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Oscar del Calcio per Maggio, Insigne e Cavani. Le dichiarazioni dei protagonisti". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  6. ↑ "Mazzarri: "I'm happy for Insigne, I made him debut in Serie A"". Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Napoli a tutto attacco Il Parma cede il passo 3-1". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Napoli-Borussia Dortmund 2-1. Gol di Higuain ed Insigne, è notte magica". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Insigne brace seals Coppa". ESPNFC. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Insigne, intervento perfettamente riuscito". Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "Insigne's medical report". legaseriea.it. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  12. ↑ Jacopo Manfredi (4 April 2015). "Roma-Napoli 1-0, Pjanic punisce ancora gli azzurri" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Gianluca Monti (26 April 2015). "Napoli-Sampdoria, 4-2 in rimonta: super Higuain, Benitez a -2 dal terzo posto" [Napoli-Sampdoria, 4-2 comeback: super Higuain, Benitez 2 points from third place] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Empoli 2-2 Napoli". ESPN FC. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Napoli 5 - 0 Lazio". Football Italia. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  16. ↑ Federico Sala (26 September 2015). "Napoli-Juventus 2-1: Insigne e Higuain gol, bianconeri quasi fuori dalla lotta scudetto" [Napoli-Juventus 2-1: Insigne and Higuain score, bianconeri almost out of the title race] (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "Napoli 2 - Juventus 1". BBC Sports. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "'Insigne injury nothing serious'". Football Italia. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Lorenzo Insigne inspires as Napoli end AC Milan's perfect home record". ESPN FC. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  20. ↑ Ben Gladwell (5 October 2015). "Diego Maradona comparisons of no interest to Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne". ESPN FC. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "Azzurrini, pioggia di gol dopo la grande paura" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  22. ↑ "Europei under 21, Italia-Inghilterra 1-0: decide una magia di Insigne" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 5 June 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  23. ↑ "Europei under 21: Italia-Israele 4-0, azzurrini già in semifinale ma Insigne va ko" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Europei Under 21, Italia-Olanda 1-0: Borini porta gli azzurrini in finale" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Under 21, Spagna-Italia 4-2. Gli azzurri si inchinano a Thiago Alcantara" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  26. ↑ "Insigne called up for game against Malta". Times of Malta. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  27. ↑ "International friendly: Argentina claim 2-1 win over Italy". Sky Sports News. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  28. ↑ "World Cup 2014: Striker Giuseppe Rossi in Italy's provisional squad". BBC Sport. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "Immobile & Insigne Impress in Fluminense Win". BBC Sport. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  30. ↑ "Costa Rica produced their second stunning upset in a week to beat a poor Italy side and confirm England's exit from the 2014 World Cup". BBC Sport. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  31. ↑ "OFFICIAL: Italy squad for Euro 2016". Football Italia. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  32. ↑ Adams, Sam (22 June 2016). "Brady sends euphoric Ireland into the last 16". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  33. ↑ Foulerton, Jim (27 June 2016). "Dominant Italy brush aside champions Spain". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  34. ↑ Adams, Sam (2 July 2016). "Hector the shoot-out hero as Germany finally defeat Italy". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  35. ↑ Andrea Tabacco (5 October 2015). "Da sgobbone a trascinatore, l'evoluzione di Lorenzo Insigne, Il Magnifico" (in Italian). Eurosport. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  36. ↑ "Pandev incorona Insigne: "Mi ricorda Messi"" [Pandev praises Insigne: "He reminds me of Messi"] (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport – Stadio. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  37. ↑ "Lorenzo e i suoi fratelli: alla scoperta della prole Insigne, famiglia di calcio [Lorenzo and his brothers: on the hunt of the Insigne offspring, football family]" (in Italian). SoccerMagazine. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  38. ↑ "Lorenzo Insigne". Soccerbase. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  39. ↑ Lorenzo Insigne profile at Soccerway
  40. ↑ Lorenzo Insigne at National-Football-Teams.com
  41. ↑ "Nazionale in cifre: Convocazioni e presenze in campo - Insigne, Lorenzo" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  42. 1 2 "Lorenzo Insigne". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  43. ↑ Roberto Di Maggio; Davide Rota (4 June 2015). "Italy - Coppa Italia Top Scorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 15 June 2015.

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