Fabrizio Miccoli

In October 2017 Miccoli was sentenced by the Court of Palermo to three years and six months imprisonment, with abbreviated procedure, for extortion aggravated by Mafia method. His sentence was confirmed in an appeal in January 2020.

He scored 103 goals in 259 matches in Serie A across nine seasons, representing Perugia, Juventus, Fiorentina and Palermo, also spending time on loan to Benfica in Portugal. He later spent two seasons with his hometown club Lecce in Lega Pro. He retired in 2015 after playing for Maltese club Birkirkara.

On 24 June 2015, Miccoli reached an agreement with Maltese Premier League side Birkirara on a one-year deal. He made his Stripes debut on 2 July as a 71st-minute substitute for Edmond Agius in a goalless home draw against Ulisses in the first leg of the first qualifying round for the season's Europa League. One week later, on his first start in the return leg at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, he opened a 3–1 victory after the opponents' defensive error. In the second qualifying round second leg, held at the Ta' Qali National Stadium, he scored the only goal to defeat West Ham United and earn an aggregate draw, but was later substituted and Birkirkara lost in a penalty shootout.

In the league campaign, Miccoli scored 6 goals in 11 matches, including Birkirkara's first of the season on 21 August in a 4–0 home win over Naxxar Lions, and two on 4 October in a win of the same score over St. Andrews. On 16 December 2015, Miccoli announced his decision to retire from professional football.

On 20 April 2015, Miccoli was investigated on charges of aggravated extortion because of constant contact with Lauricella to recover €12,000 from a physiotherapist friend at the disco "il Paparazzi" in Isola delle Femmine.

On 24 November, Miccoli scored his 100th Serie A goal in Palermo's 3–1 win over Catania. On 28 April 2013, in Serie A's 34th matchday, of the championship won 1–0 against Inter, Miccoli reached the first place in the ranking of the players present in the shirt of Serie A with Palermo, with 161 appearances, overcoming in the next race, on May 5, lost 1–0 to Juventus. Later in June, it was confirmed that Miccoli would not be offered a new deal, and would therefore be released by the end of his contract, set to be on 30 June 2013, ending his six-year stint in Sicily.

Having been released by Palermo, Miccoli reached an agreement with Lecce and a contract was formalised 17 July 2013. He was immediately made captain of the team he supported as a child. He scored 14 goals in 27 appearances for a Lecce side which just narrowly missed out on promotion back into Serie B, reaching the final of the 2013–14 Lega Pro Prima Divisione Play-off during his first season with the club, only to be defeated by Frosinone. The following season, the club missed out on promotion yet again, finishing sixth in Group C of the Lega Pro Championship.

Miccoli is a supporter of Lecce and, before joining them in 2013, had previously expressed an interest in playing for the club in the future.

On 22 June 2013, the Italian press agency ANSA reported that the office of public prosecution in Palermo had started investigations against Miccoli for extortion in connection with allegations he commissioned Mauro Lauricella, the son of Sicilian mafioso Antonino Lauricella, to collect money owed to him by a nightclub. Additionally, Miccoli was quoted in wiretaps of taped telephone conversations, published in the newspaper La Repubblica, as referring to the assassinated anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone as "fango", or "filth" in English. Subsequently, during the 2013–14 season, the FIGC Federal Prosecutor's Office asked for a disqualification day and a fine of €50,000, but on February 27, 2014 he was acquitted by the Federcalcio Disciplinary Committee.

Miccoli made a strong start to the Serie A 2011–12 season, scoring twice in a 4–3 win against Internazionale and helping Palermo to fourth place in Serie A after five matches, recording three goals and three assists en route. In February 2011, Palermo defeated Lecce 4–2, with Miccoli, a boyhood supporter of Lecce, scoring a free-kick on the stroke of half-time. However, Miccoli refused to celebrate, being visibly upset as he left the field and was substituted during the interval. Miccoli maintained his good form despite a lacklustre season from Palermo, with three different managers serving as head coach from August to January, and on 1 February 2012, he became the top goalscorer in club history after scoring a hat-trick in a 4–4 draw against Internazionale at the San Siro. In May 2012, he scored a hat-trick against Chievo away in a 4–4 draw. On 30 September 2012, he scored another hat-trick against Chievo in a 4–1 away win.

Starting in the 2009–10 season, Miccoli took the role of captain leading the team through the campaign in place of the injured Fabio Liverani, and being then confirmed after the latter rejoined the team in November 2009. During the 2009–10 season, Miccoli scored 19 goals, tying him for third in the Serie A goal-scoring race. He scored a hat-trick on 27 March 2010 against Bologna, and in a home draw against Sampdoria on 9 May 2010, Miccoli scored his 41st goal in Serie A for Palermo on a penalty which he had earned, making him the all-time Serie A leading goalscorer for Palermo. The Luciano Zauri foul that earned Miccoli the penalty against Sampdoria, though it resulted in a successfully converted penalty, also caused a moderate injury to Miccoli's knee. As a result, Miccoli underwent right knee surgery on 13 May 2010 at the Villa Stuart Clinic in Rome. The moderate damage to his cruciate ligament was deemed "successfully repaired" by knee specialist Professor Pier Paolo Mariani, and Miccoli was expected to make a full recovery over the summer months.

In early 2010, Miccoli made national news after he purchased an earring belonging to his childhood hero Diego Maradona. The earring had been confiscated by the national tax office during a visit by Maradona to Italy (the Argentine star owing several million euros in taxes to the Italian state). It was sold at a public auction for €25,000. After confirming the purchase, Miccoli revealed he would return the earring to Maradona if he were to meet him.

Miccoli's strong 2009–10 season played a big part in Palermo's campaign, which saw the club finish fifth in Serie A, tied for the best league finish in club history, and narrowly missing out on Champions League football. This also brought transfer interest from English Premier League side, Birmingham City, whom despite his injury at the time and the prospect of Miccoli missing most of the first half of the next season, still bid a reported £5 million for the 31-year-old striker.

During the 2009–10 Serie A season, there were several calls and speculation within the Italian media and high football figures that Miccoli could make a return to the Azzurri for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and expressed continued interest in playing for the national team. However, Miccoli was not selected for the World Cup and in March 2011, upon return from a serious knee injury, he effectively announced his intentions not to pursue an international career any further.

In 2008–09, Miccoli, now Palermo vice-captain (behind Fabio Liverani) following the transfers of Andrea Barzagli and Cristian Zaccardo to German club VfL Wolfsburg, enjoyed a remarkable seasonal start, especially after the appointment of Davide Ballardini as new head coach for the team, creating a prolific striking partnership with the Uruguayan Edinson Cavani, scoring 14 goals each. He renewed his contract on 30 May.

On 5 July 2007, Palermo announced on their official website to have signed Miccoli with a three-year agreement, costing Palermo €4.3 million. He completed a four-way swap: Miccoli replaced the left of Andrea Caracciolo, Caracciolo for Fabio Quagliarella and Vincenzo Iaquinta was replaced by Quagliarella. Miccoli returned to Italian football in the 2007–08 season and took part in the Rosanero's third UEFA Cup campaign. He scored a total eight goals in his first season with the Sicilian club, including the winning goal in the Sicilian derby against Catania, despite a number of injuries which prevented him from playing continuously in the season.

In July 2006, Miccoli's loan to Benfica was confirmed despite initial interest from Aston Villa. Miccoli scored two goals for Benfica in six Champions League appearances. He also became a fan favourite when he scored a magnificent scissor-kick goal against Liverpool during that competition, sending Benfica to the quarter-finals. At Benfica, Miccoli attracted attention from other clubs such as Roma and Internazionale. Miccoli opted to stay one more year in Lisbon with Benfica.

After leaving Juventus on numerous loan stints, Miccoli did not receive any call ups under Marcello Lippi and was not called up to the Azzurri under either Roberto Donadoni nor Cesare Prandelli. Many sections of the Italian media attribute Miccoli's exclusion from the Italian national side under Lippi due to Miccoli's role in court during the 2006 Italian football scandal ("Calciopoli") in which Miccoli testified against Juventus, a club with close relations to Lippi. Notwithstanding, Lippi still spoke positively in the media about Miccoli, referring to him in 2005: "I am constantly keeping him under observation, He's a big quality player and technically he is really good. He is a genius. Miccoli is a forward that can be really important for all teams in which he plays."

Miccoli featured in UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying matches and received another call-up in a friendly against Finland in November 2004, which ended in a 1–0 win, with the only goal scored by Miccoli from a free-kick.

Fabrizio Miccoli made ten appearances for Italy between 2003 and 2004, scoring twice. He made his debut under manager Giovanni Trapattoni against Portugal on 12 February 2003, creating the only goal for Bernardo Corradi. On 30 March 2004, Miccoli scored directly from a corner kick in another friendly match against Portugal.

Miccoli is married to Flaviana, a woman he met first when he was 17 and she was 14. Together they have a daughter, Suami, who was born in March 2003. His second child, a son named Diego, was born in June 2008.

Following his impressive performances, Juventus showed interest in signing Miccoli, and ultimately acquired his transfer rights from Ternana in July 2002, then loaning him to minor Serie A side Perugia for the 2002–03 season.

After playing at youth level with Milan, Miccoli returned to his native Puglia in 1995 to join Serie C1 team Casarano, where he made his professional debut at age 17. He then agreed for a move to Serie B side Ternana in 1998, where he scored a total 32 goals in 4 seasons, 15 of which in his final year at the club. His performances at Ternana had Miccoli dubbed the "new Del Piero" by many sections of the Italian media.

Fabrizio Miccoli (Italian pronunciation: [faˈbrittsjo ˈmikkoli] ; born on 27 June 1979) is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a striker.