Ciro Immobile, the 2020 European Golden Boot winner and a UEFA Euro 2020 champion with Italy, cannot stop scoring for Serie A side SS Lazio.
With last night’s goal in the UEFA Europa League match against Olympique de Marseille, Immobile brought his personal goal tally at Lazio to 160, overtaking Silvio Piola as the Biancocelesti’s all-time leading scorer.
Lazio’s official Twitter account celebrated the incredible milestone of their beloved number 17.
Despite maintaining one of the highest goal-scoring rates in Europe, Immobile’s market value is not excessively high when compared to other top-notch strikers.
Immobile’s market value today sits at $44 million, according to Transfermarkt estimates. This figure makes him the third most valuable player on the Lazio roster, slightly short of Spanish midfielder Luis Alberto ($46m) and well behind Serbia international Sergej Milinković-Savić, whose price tag currently reads $81m.
Market value aside, Immobile, 31, remains the undisputed heart and soul of this Lazio squad, as he always combines great work ethic with the ability to score clutch goals and deliver precise assists to his teammates.
Immobile’s role as a protagonist at Lazio, which has been his home since 2016, is visible in the paycheck that he collects. Per Gazzetta dello Sport wage estimates, the Italy international is the highest-paid player on Lazio’s roster, bagging an annual $4.6 million net salary.
Although Immobile’s impressive statistics have drawn attention from many European clubs, the Biancocelesti fans can find comfort in knowing that he has a contract tying him to Lazio for another five years, with the expiration date set for June 30, 2026.
What is more, the Lazio captain has previously tried to play outside the Italian boundaries, but he has never been able to find that kind of success that he has met in his homeland.
Back in 2014, then-Borussia Dortmund head coach Jürgen Klopp chose Immobile as Robert Lewandowski’s replacement in a stellar attack that also featured Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus. Immobile, however, struggled to make an impact in Klopp’s team and decided to move to La Liga side Sevilla, where he played half a season before returning to Italy as a Torino player.
Immobile, who has tallied 164 career goals in Serie A, can now aim to reach another highly-ambitious milestone: stepping on the podium of Serie A’s all-time leading scorers.
The third position is currently occupied by Swedish forward Gunnar Nordahl (225 goals), who is 25 goals shy of one of Italy’s biggest legends, Francesco Totti, who is in turn behind Silvio Piola (275 goals).
Immobile will try to continue adding goals to his personal count on Sunday night, as Lazio are scheduled to host Salernitana in the 12th round of this 2021/22 Serie A season.
