Massimo Maccarone

Massimo Maccarone (born September 6 1979 in Galliate, Province of Novara, Italy) is a striker who plays for A.C. Siena. He made headlines in March 2002 when he became the first Serie B player in twenty years to be picked for the Italy national football team.

Biography

He started his career at A.C. Milan youth system. On 1998, he went on loan to Modena F.C., but made not a single appearance. On 1999, he was transferred to Serie C team A.C. Prato, scoring 24 goals in 49 matches. In 2000, he transferred to Empoli F.C], helping the club get promoted to Serie A during the 2001-02 season. In the same period, he was the most brilliant player of the Italian U21 national team, which reached the semi-finals in the UEFA U-21 Championship 2002. As a result he was noticed by several teams and was signed by English Premiership team Middlesbrough F.C.. His transfer from Empoli F.C. in July 2002 cost Middlesbrough £8.15m (€12.7m) and he remains the club's record transfer signing.

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 in English football season he was loaned out to Serie A club Parma A.C. and later moved on to A.C. Siena.

The player returned to Middlesbrough for the 2005-06 in English football season, and despite not being a regular first-team player, endeared himself to the Middlesbrough fans principally through his work-rate and attitude. Maccarone'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 quarter final, 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 Bucureşti, once again in the 90th minute taking Boro to the UEFA Cup Final in Eindhoven.

Despite these heroics he made few appearances for Middlesbrough in the following season and in early 2007 Maccarone moved to Siena on a free transfer (soccer). His contract with Siena will keep him at the club until 2010.
In February 2007 he made headlines by criticizing former Boro and then England manager Steve McClaren for his 'ineptitude', causing Boro chairman Steve Gibson to call him 'a fool'[ebruary 11, 2007 he played his first Serie A match in his Siena return against Cagliari Calcio. Maccarone scored a brace in the 4-3 defeat by AC Milan on 17th February 2007 to register his first goals for Siena.