Giampaolo Pazzini
Giampaolo Pazzini was born in Pescia, Tuscany, on August 2, 1984.
A product of the Atalanta youth academy, he made his senior debut for the Bergamo club in 2003 and quickly established himself as one of Italy’s most promising young strikers.
Originally deployed in a wider role, he developed into a classic centre-forward, combining physical strength, intelligent movement in the penalty area and a particular talent for scoring with his head.
In January 2005, Pazzini joined Fiorentina, where he spent four seasons and made 108 appearances, scoring 25 goals. He moved to Sampdoria in January 2009, and it was in Genoa that his career really took off.
Playing alongside Antonio Cassano, Pazzini became one of Serie A's most dangerous strikers. He scored 15 goals in the second half of the 2008-09 season and continued to flourish during the following campaign.
One of the defining moments of his career came on April 25, 2010, when Sampdoria travelled to face Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma, coached by Claudio Ranieri, had gone 24 Serie A matches unbeaten and were challenging Inter for the Scudetto. Francesco Totti put the hosts ahead, but Pazzini turned the match around after half-time, scoring twice to give Sampdoria a remarkable 2-1 victory. His second goal, scored in the 85th minute, completed the comeback and effectively ended Roma's hopes of winning the title.
Pazzini finished the 2009-10 Serie A season with 19 goals and helped Sampdoria finish fourth, securing a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds. He remained with the club until January 2011, scoring 36 goals in 75 league appearances.
In January 2011, Pazzini moved to Inter. He made an immediate impact, scoring twice on his debut against Palermo, and was part of the squad that won the Coppa Italia that season. During his time at Inter he scored 16 goals in 50 league appearances, although his opportunities became more limited during his second season.
In August 2012, Pazzini crossed Milan once again, joining Milan in a deal that also involved Antonio Cassano moving in the opposite direction. He made an explosive start, scoring a hat-trick against Bologna in only his second appearance for the club. In three seasons at San Siro, he scored 21 Serie A goals and 24 in all competitions.
Pazzini later enjoyed the final major chapter of his career at Hellas Verona. Signed in 2015, he became a key figure for the club and was particularly prolific in Serie B, scoring 23 goals during the 2016-17 campaign as Verona won promotion back to Serie A. He also spent the second half of the 2017-18 season on loan at Levante in Spain before returning to Verona.
With Verona, Pazzini scored 50 goals in all competitions. He left the club in 2020 and announced his retirement from professional football later that year.
Pazzini won 25 caps for Italy and scored four goals. He represented the Azzurri at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Known affectionately as "Il Pazzo", Pazzini finished his career with 569 official appearances and 191 goals.
He was a quintessential penalty-area striker: aggressive, instinctive and particularly effective in the air, with a knack for appearing at precisely the right moment.
For Lazio supporters, however, one memory stands above the rest: that extraordinary April evening at the Olimpico in 2010, when his two goals turned Roma's title challenge upside down.
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