Ciro Immobile, Lazio's forward and 2020 Golden Boot, scored a goal on Saturday in his team's defeat against Napoli (3-1) and, with his thirty-sixth goal, matched the record held since 2016 by Argentine Gonzalo Higuain.
Immobile arrived at Napoli's San Paolo stadium already sure of being the new Golden Boot, as Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, still the only one with some options to reach him, was not called up for Juventus' last Serie A match against Roma.
This Saturday, while Higuain scored a goal in Juventus' defeat against Roma, Immobile took the field at San Paolo, the stadium where he dreamed of playing as a child, and scored his thirty-sixth goal of his unforgettable season in the 22nd minute.
He did it with a great number 9 goal, finishing a cross from Montenegrin Adam Marusic, shortly after Spanish Fabian Ruiz had put Napoli ahead with a left-footed shot from the edge of the area.
He failed to seal the match with the goal that would have given him the record alone and Napoli ended up winning in the second half thanks to penalties scored by Italians Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Politano.
Nevertheless, it is still a record of enormous prestige for Immobile, who had an undistinguished spell at Sevilla in 2015, ending with four goals in fifteen matches. Now, he shares this great achievement with Higuain.
Higuain, then a Napoli player and currently wearing number 21 for Juventus, crowned that record with a memorable hat-trick against Frosinone, culminating in a spectacular bicycle kick.
He came into that match with 33 goals and, after going into halftime without scoring, he scored three goals in twenty minutes to unleash the enthusiasm of the San Paolo fans. The level of his performance convinced Juventus to sign him for 90 million euros a few months later, at that time the record spending in "Calcio" history.
The goal scored by Immobile on Saturday was his 17th away goal and no one has ever scored as many in Serie A.
In addition, thirteen years after Francesco Totti won the Golden Boot with Roma, Immobile returned a golden boot to Italy, surpassing Polish Robert Lewandowski in the standings.
The Bayern Munich forward finished the Bundesliga with 34 goals and Cristiano Ronaldo finished his Serie A season with 31. EFE