In his heyday, everyone detested playing against AC Milan and Filippo Inzaghi. Physically and technically there was nothing about Inzaghi that stood out. He didn’t possess incredible pace or sublime technical skill, but he was an absolute menace nonetheless.
Playing off the shoulder of the last defender and equipped with every trick of the trade in the bastard forward’s handbook, Inzaghi went about exasperating the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson (“That lad must have been born offside.”) and Johan Cruyff (“Look, actually he can’t play football at all. He’s just always in the right position.”) while totaling 46 Champions League goals and winning the competition twice.
How good was Pippo Inzaghi. pic.twitter.com/Sn2QuSvEGA
— Mundial Magazine (@MundialMag) August 9, 2017
Inzaghi was football’s version of a wet blanket. After producing the match of the century in 2005, the 2007 Champions League Final rematch between Milan and Liverpool was one of the most anticipated finals in the competition's history.
Inzaghi turned the match into a non-event after scoring with his shoulder in the 45th minute and then providing the finish to a Kaka pass in the 82nd.
Une revanche, une émotion, un homme.
CON IL NUMERO 9, FILIPPO INZAGHI pic.twitter.com/6ZaKvxgXl5— RomainCi (@Romino_7) July 25, 2017
Today, Inzaghi celebrates his 44th birthday while still being hugely involved in the game.
Happy Birthday Pippo Inzaghi! pic.twitter.com/eUG7h7kWD4
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) August 9, 2017
Inzaghi became manager of Milan back in 2014 — a post that surely came too soon in his young managerial career. After losing that position in 2015, Inzaghi became the manager of Venice-based Venezia FC in 2016.
His first season as manager of the club saw Venezia earn promotion to Italy’s Serie B, a remarkable achievement for a club that was in Serie D as recently as the 2015-16 season.