Massimo Maccarone
Encyclopedia
Massimo Maccarone is an Italian
association football striker
currently playing for Sampdoria
.
He made headlines in March 2002 when he became the first Serie B
player in twenty years to be picked for the Italian national side
. He is nicknamed Big Mac.
, but did not make a single appearance. On 1999, he was transferred to Serie C2
team Prato
(in co-ownership
deal), scoring 20 goals in 28 league matches. In 2000, he was bought back by Milan and transferred to Empoli F.C.
, helping the club get promoted to Serie A
during the 2001–02 season. In the same period, he was one of the most outstanding players of the Italian U21 team
which reached the semi-finals in the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
. As a result he was noticed by several teams, and was signed by English Premier League team Middlesbrough
. His transfer from Empoli in July 2002 cost Middlesbrough £8.15m (€12.7m).
Despite showing fine early form in his first few matches for Middlesbrough, the remainder of his spell at the club was a struggle to justify his price tag and during the 2004–05 season he was loaned out to Serie A
club Parma, moving (yet again on loan) on January 2005 to Siena
.
Maccarone returned to Middlesbrough for the 2005–06 season, and despite not being a regular first-team player, endeared himself to the Middlesbrough fans, especially through his work-rate and attitude. The player's spell at Middlesbrough is remembered for two last minute winners in key UEFA Cup
ties in 2006. He scored against FC Basel
in the second leg of the quarterfinals, a tie in which Middlesbrough overturned a three goal deficit to win 4–3 on aggregate. In the semi-final of the same competition he came on as a substitute and scored twice in the aggregate 4–3 win over Steaua Bucharest, once again in the 90th minute, taking Boro to the final
in Eindhoven, in which he came on as a substitute. Following his exploits in the semi-final, fellow Middlesbrough striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
declared "Massimo, I love him until I die... it's unbelievable".
Despite these heroics, he made few appearances for Middlesbrough in the following season and in January 2007 Maccarone moved to Siena on a free transfer, signed a 3-year contract. In February 2007 he made headlines by criticizing former Middlesbrough and then England
manager Steve McClaren
for his "ineptitude", causing his club's chairman Steve Gibson to call Maccarone "a fool".
On February 11, 2007 he played his first Serie A match after his Siena return against Cagliari Calcio
. Maccarone scored a brace in the 4–3 defeat by AC Milan on February 17, to register his first goals for Siena. He finished the season with 6 goals, and added 13 in the following (club best by a long margin), as Siena achieved two consecutive 13th league places. After the club was relegated at the end of the 2009–10 season, Maccarone agreed a move to Sicilian Serie A club Palermo
, signing a three-year deal with the rosanero. His stint at Palermo however turned out to be a disappointing one, with only two league goals in 18 games, leading the Sicilians to put him into transfer. On 24 January 2011, it was announced Maccarone had agreed a permanent move to Sampdoria
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
association football striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
currently playing for Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
.
He made headlines in March 2002 when he became the first Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
player in twenty years to be picked for the Italian national side
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
. He is nicknamed Big Mac.
Biography
Maccarone started his career at Calder High's youth system. On 1998, he went on loan to ModenaModena F.C.
Modena Football Club is an Italian football club based in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. The club was formed in 1912 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, after being relegated from a two year period in Serie A in the year 2004. The team's previous stay in Italy's top division ended in 1964. The team...
, but did not make a single appearance. On 1999, he was transferred to Serie C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
team Prato
A.C. Prato
Associazione Calcio Prato is an Italian association football club, based in Prato, Tuscany.Prato currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione group B, having last been in Serie B in 1964.The team's colors are blue and white.- History :...
(in co-ownership
Co-ownership (football)
Co-ownership is a system whereby two football clubs own the contract of a player jointly, although the player is only registered to play for one club...
deal), scoring 20 goals in 28 league matches. In 2000, he was bought back by Milan and transferred to Empoli F.C.
Empoli F.C.
Empoli Football Club is an Italian association football club located in Empoli, Tuscany, founded in 1920 and played its first official match in 1921.In recent years, the club has all too often been bouncing between Italy's two top divisions...
, helping the club get promoted to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
during the 2001–02 season. In the same period, he was one of the most outstanding players of the Italian U21 team
Italy national under-21 football team
The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
which reached the semi-finals in the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2002 was the 13th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Switzerland between 16 and 28 May 2002.Czech Republic U-21s won the competition for the first time.-Qualification:...
. As a result he was noticed by several teams, and was signed by English Premier League team Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. His transfer from Empoli in July 2002 cost Middlesbrough £8.15m (€12.7m).
Despite showing fine early form in his first few matches for Middlesbrough, the remainder of his spell at the club was a struggle to justify his price tag and during the 2004–05 season he was loaned out to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Parma, moving (yet again on loan) on January 2005 to Siena
A.C. Siena
Associazione Calcio Siena is an Italian football club based in Siena.The club currently plays in Serie A, having gained promotion from Serie B at the end of the 2010-2011 season....
.
Maccarone returned to Middlesbrough for the 2005–06 season, and despite not being a regular first-team player, endeared himself to the Middlesbrough fans, especially through his work-rate and attitude. The player's spell at Middlesbrough is remembered for two last minute winners in key UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
ties in 2006. He scored against FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
in the second leg of the quarterfinals, a tie in which Middlesbrough overturned a three goal deficit to win 4–3 on aggregate. In the semi-final of the same competition he came on as a substitute and scored twice in the aggregate 4–3 win over Steaua Bucharest, once again in the 90th minute, taking Boro to the final
2006 UEFA Cup Final
The 2006 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place at Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, on 10 May 2006. The match was contested by Middlesbrough of England and Sevilla of Spain. Sevilla won the UEFA Cup with a 4–0 win.-Match details:...
in Eindhoven, in which he came on as a substitute. Following his exploits in the semi-final, fellow Middlesbrough striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jerrel Hasselbaink usually known as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is a Dutch former football striker who played for various clubs in the Netherlands, Portugal, England, and Spain, as well as the Dutch national team. He scored more than 200 career goals...
declared "Massimo, I love him until I die... it's unbelievable".
Despite these heroics, he made few appearances for Middlesbrough in the following season and in January 2007 Maccarone moved to Siena on a free transfer, signed a 3-year contract. In February 2007 he made headlines by criticizing former Middlesbrough and then England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
manager Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
for his "ineptitude", causing his club's chairman Steve Gibson to call Maccarone "a fool".
On February 11, 2007 he played his first Serie A match after his Siena return against Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
. Maccarone scored a brace in the 4–3 defeat by AC Milan on February 17, to register his first goals for Siena. He finished the season with 6 goals, and added 13 in the following (club best by a long margin), as Siena achieved two consecutive 13th league places. After the club was relegated at the end of the 2009–10 season, Maccarone agreed a move to Sicilian Serie A club Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
, signing a three-year deal with the rosanero. His stint at Palermo however turned out to be a disappointing one, with only two league goals in 18 games, leading the Sicilians to put him into transfer. On 24 January 2011, it was announced Maccarone had agreed a permanent move to Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
.