Ciro Immobile (Part 1)

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23 Mar 2024

Ciro Immobile (Part 1)

Ciro Immobile Cavaliere OMRI, born on February 20, 1990, is an Italian professional footballer renowned for his role as a striker. He currently serves as the captain for both Serie A club Lazio and the Italy national team.
Immobile initiated his career at Sorrento before being acquired by Juventus in 2009. He was subsequently loaned out to various Serie B clubs, including Pescara, where he emerged as the league's top scorer, aiding in the team's championship victory. Following his tenure at Pescara, he transferred to Genoa in 2012, before eventually moving to Torino, Juventus' arch-rivals. During his stint at Torino, he claimed the prestigious Capocannoniere award for being Serie A top scorer.

Immobile secured a transfer to Borussia Dortmund in Germany, where he helped clinch the DFL-Supercup title. His career then led him to Spanish club Sevilla in 2015, before returning to Torino on loan in 2016. Later that year, he permanently joined Lazio.
At Lazio, Immobile has achieved significant success, including winning a Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana titles. He is also Lazio's all-time leading goal scorer. During the 2019–20 season, Immobile experienced the most prolific phase of his career, equalling the record for most Serie A goals in a single season with 36. This outstanding performance earned him his third Capocannoniere title and his first European Golden Shoe, awarded to the top scorer in Europe.

Immobile has represented the Italy national team since 2014. He has been part of Italy's squads for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and two UEFA European Championships , winning the latter tournament with the national team.
Ciro Immobile, hailing from Torre Annunziata in the province of Naples, began his journey in youth football at the Torre Annunziata 88 football school. He later transitioned to Maria Rosa and eventually joined the youth team of Salernitana. However, he struggled to make an impact there. It was at Sorrento where Immobile started to shine, particularly during the 2007–08 season when he scored an impressive 30 goals in the under-17 category, catching the attention of Juventus scouts.

Juventus secured the signing of Immobile at the age of 18 for a fee of €80,000, following the recommendation of Ciro Ferrara. Initially joining the Primavera squad, he formed a formidable striking partnership with Ayub Daud. Their collaboration played a pivotal role in the team's triumph at the 2009 Torneo di Viareggio, with Immobile contributing five goals, including a brace in the final.
Immobile made his Serie A debut for Juventus on 14 March 2009, coming on as a substitute in a victory against Bologna. He also made his European debut for the club later that year, featuring in a Champions League match against Bordeaux. Immobile's breakthrough moment came in February 2010 when he netted a hat-trick in the Torneo di Viareggio final against Empoli, securing the title for Juventus' Primavera team for the second consecutive year.
Following his promising performances, Immobile was loaned out to Serie B side A.C. Siena in July 2010. However, he struggled to establish himself in the first team and made only a handful of appearances before being loaned out again to Grosseto for the remainder of the 2010–11 season.

İt was confirmed that Ciro Immobile would embark on a season-long loan spell with Serie B outfit Pescara, departing from Juventus. He wasted no time in making an impact, scoring his debut goal for Pescara on 26 August in their league opener against Hellas Verona. Immobile's goal-scoring prowess was evident from the outset, as he quickly established himself as a key figure for the team.
By the end of the first half of the 2011–12 Serie B season , Immobile had already notched an impressive tally of 14 league goals. His stellar performances caught the attention of top-flight clubs, and on 30 January 2012, Genoa announced that they had secured half of Immobile's rights from Juventus for 4 million, recognizing his immense potential.

Despite the mid-season transfer, Immobile remained focused on helping Pescara achieve their objectives. He played a pivotal role in Pescara's successful campaign, contributing significantly as the club secured the Serie B title and earned promotion to Serie A. Immobile's goal-scoring exploits did not go unnoticed, as he finished the season as the top scorer in Serie B with an impressive total of 28 goals, seven more than the nearest competitor, Marco Sau of Juve Stabia.
Immobile's outstanding performances were duly recognized when he was named Serie B's Player of the Year at the prestigious 2012 AIC Gran Gala del Calcio, an honor he shared with his Pescara teammates Lorenzo Insigne and Marco Verratti.

Juventus exercised their option to buy Genoa's share of Ciro Immobile's rights for 2.75 million. However, on the same day, they sold him to their city rivals Torino in a new co-ownership deal for the same fee.
Immobile made an immediate impact at Torino, debuting during the first round of the Coppa Italia against his former club Pescara, where he also scored his first goal of the season. While he provided an assist in his Serie A debut, his first league goal for Torino came on 7 October in a 2–2 draw against Sampdoria. This goal ended a goal drought in Serie A dating back to December 2012. It marked the beginning of a prolific run for Immobile, as he went on to score 12 goals in his next 15 matches, including his first Serie A brace against Chievo Verona in December.

The highlight of Immobile's season came on 22 March 2014 when he netted his first Serie A hat-trick in a 3–1 victory over Livorno. Just three days later, he showcased his skill with a spectacular left-footed volley against Roma, temporarily equalizing the score at the Stadio Olimpico. Immobile continued his goal-scoring form, securing vital wins for Torino with goals against Catania and Genoa.
In April, Immobile scored crucial goals in stoppage time against Genoa and contributed to a 3–3 draw against Lazio. His remarkable form continued, as he scored in six consecutive matches, including a brace against Udinese on 27 April. With a total of 21 goals in the season, Immobile equaled the seasonal goal records set by Paolo Pulici and Francesco Graziani at Torino.

Despite being sent off in the penultimate fixture against Parma, Immobile concluded the season with 22 goals in 33 appearances in Serie A, making him the league's top scorer. He also added another goal in the Coppa Italia. Immobile's impressive performances earned him the prestigious Capocannoniere award, making him the first Torino player to achieve this feat since Francesco Graziani in the 1976–77 season.
Borussia Dortmund announced the signing of Ciro Immobile from Serie A club Torino. This move came despite unresolved issues regarding the co-ownership agreement between Torino and Juventus. Urbano Cairo, the president of Torino, accused both Juventus and Dortmund of violating FIFA regulations regarding transfers on 10 May 2014. Cairo insisted that any transfer involving Immobile should have mutual consent from the co-owners, and he expressed a desire to keep Immobile at Torino for at least another season for both sporting reasons and potential profit.

The situation took a turn on 18 June 2014 when Juventus sold their remaining 50% registration rights of Immobile to Torino for €8.035 million. However, Torino later revealed in its financial filings that the total transfer fee paid by Dortmund amounted to €17.955 million.
On 13 August 2014, Immobile made his official debut for Borussia Dortmund as a striker in the starting lineup for the 2014 DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich. Dortmund emerged victorious, lifting the cup with a 2–0 victory.
Immobile made his Bundesliga debut on 23 August 2014 in the opening match of Dortmund's 2014–15 Bundesliga campaign, which ended in a 2–0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen at home. He opened his goal-scoring account for the club on 16 September 2014, scoring in a 2–0 home win over Arsenal in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.