Alberto Gilardino

Italian professional football manager Alberto Gilardino formerly played as a striker and is now the head coach of Serie C club Pro Vercelli.

As a prolific goal scorer, Gilardino’s early career saw him compared to Filippo Inzaghi, due to his strong eye for a goal, positional sense and apparent opportunism. Gilardino holds the record for being the tenth-youngest player to score 100 goals in Serie A; a triumph which he managed at the age of just 26.
With an incredible 188 Serie A goals under his belt, Gilardino remains in Serie A history, among the top 10 all-time scorers. His signature goal celebration saw the player play an imaginary violin on his knees.

Throughout his career, Gilardino has played for several Italian clubs, first gaining prominence during his stint with Parma due to his continuous goal scoring, which, in 2004, saw him nab the title for the Serie A Young Footballer of the Year. In 2005 he continued to boom, winning both the Serie A Footballer of the Year and the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year Awards, followed by a move to Milan. He was a key player in the latter team’s victories and helped them win the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2007 UEFA Super Cup.

With 19 goals out of 30 appearances, Gilardino still remains the all-time top scorer of the Italy U-21 national team. When he moved to senior level, he was a crucial part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning team, the 2010 World Cup and the 2013 Confederations Cup, where he nabbed a bronze medal.