Bird of prey

Milan AC's forward Filippo Inzaghi jubilates after scoring his team's first goal against Inter Milan during their Italian Serie A match 05 October 2003 at San Siro stadium in Milan. AFP PHOTO / PATRICK HERTZOG

The ruthless opportunist Filippo Inzaghi is one of the great natural goal poachers of European football. However, ankle surgery in late April 2004 failed to heal in time and he missed the cut for Italiy's Euro squad.

Two of Italy's previous coaches, Dino Zoff and Cesare Maldini, had liked him enough to give him a regular place and he re-paid their faith by scoring goals at a rate of nearly one every two games.

Italy's striker Filippo Inzaghi (L) celebrates after scoring against Wales his second goal as Wales goalkeeper Paul Stephen Jones looks on during their Euro 2004 group 9 qualifying match at San Siro's stadium in Milan 06 September 2003. AFP PHOTO PAOLO COCCO

While the even more prolific Christian Vieri is Giovanni Trapattoni's first choice, Inzhagi's goals in the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign again proved crucial.

"Pippo", as his fans call him, burst onto the national scene at Parma in 1995.

After a move to Atalanta a year later he ended the season top scorer in the Italian first division with 24 goals in 33 matches.

Filippo Inzaghi (L) of Juventus is challenged by Feyenoord's Korneev (R) during their Champions League match here 17 September. Juventus defeated Feyenoord 5-1

In 1997 he stepped up a notch by joining Juventus, where he found an equally gifted striker to team up with Alessandro Del Piero.

The understanding between the two worked at club and international level and was a major factor in the championship triumph for Juve in 1998.

Revenge

Milan AC forward Italian Filippo Inzaghi (R) and coach Carlo Ancelotti jubilate after winning the European Champions League Final Match against Juventus at Old Trafford Stadium, 28 May 2003 in Manchester. AFP PHOTO PAUL BARKER

All went well with him at Juventus until the arrival of David Trezeguet.

Three was a crowd and Inzaghi made a tactical switch from the "Bianconeri" to the "Rossoneri" of AC Milan in 2001 for the princely sum of 35 million dollars.

He had scored 89 goals at Juventus and may have felt somewhat bitter.

He had been on the losing side of a Champions League final in 1998 when Juve crashed 1-0 to Real Madrid, but Inzaghi got a winners medal in 2003 and revenge on Juventus when AC Milan beat his old side in a penalty shoot-out at the all-Italian final at Old Trafford.

Though he missed much of 2003-04 through injury, Milan won the Italian Championship that season, his second national title.

World Cup misery

A knee injury just six months before the start of the 2002 World Cup saw him miss the start of the tournament.

Italy's forward Filippo Inzaghi (C) intercepts a pass between Mexico's defenders Manuel Vidrio (L) and Salvador Carmona (R) during match 43 group G of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea Japan 13 June, 2002 in Oita, Japan. AFP PHOTO DAMIEN MEYER

He was back in the side by the time they crashed out to co-hosts South Korea, when he found himself part of a three-pronged attack that failed to dispatch the Asians in the second round.

He had been on the fringe of the 1998 World Cup side that went out in the quarter-finals to France, and while he wasn't on the pitch for the final itself, had featured strongly in the Euro 2000 tournament where France again upset Italy's party, with an extra-time golden goal.