Daniele Massaro

Massaro began his career with his local club Monza in Serie B in 1978, putting on notable performances during his three seasons with the club alongside his more technically gifted teammate, Paolo Monelli, which attracted the attention of larger clubs. In 1981, he was acquired by Serie A club Fiorentina, along with Monelli, making his Serie A debut on 13 September 1981, and his Italy Under-21 debut 10 days later. He instantly became a permanent member of Fiorentina's starting line-up, and he came close to winning the Scudetto during his first season with the club, missing out on the title to Juventus by a single point. He continued to be an important member of the club during his subsequent seasons in Florence. After leaving Fiorentina in 1986, Massaro made a name for himself at AC Milan where he played over 300 games between 1986 and 1995 (apart from a loan spell with Roma during the 1988–89 season), and he was part of the legendary Milan squad of the late 1980s and early 1990s, under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello, which dominated Italy and Europe. Although he won the Scudetto during his second season with the club, he was initially used sparingly and out of position under Sacchi, who did not have faith in his capabilities, and the two began to have several tactical disagreements regarding his true playing position, eventually leading him to be sent out on loan to Roma for a season, in 1988. He returned to Milan during the 1989–90 season, and his consistent, reliable…

Massaro made his Italy under-21 debut on 23 September 1981, ten days after his Serie A debut with Fiorentina. Overall, he made four appearances with the Azzurrini between 1981 and 1984, also taking part with Italy's Olympic under-23 side at the 1984 Olympics, where Italy reached the semi-final, finishing the tournament in fourth place. Having surprisingly earned 15 appearances for the Italian senior squad, Massaro's international career actually spanned more than a decade between 1982 and 1994. At the age of 21 on 14 April 1982, Massaro debuted under Enzo Bearzot in a 1–0 loss against East Germany. He was a member of the Italian squad that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain, but did not receive any playing time during the tournament. Massaro played between 1984 and 1986, but was called up for Italy's 1994 FIFA World Cup squad by manager Arrigo Sacchi at the age of 33. He played in six of Italy's seven games at said tournament in the United States, and scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against Mexico in Italy's final match of the group stage on 28 June, which allowed them to progress to the knockout round as the best third-placed team. This was his only goal for Italy, making him the country's oldest-ever goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup at the age of 33 years and 36 days. In the 1994 FIFA World Cup final loss against Brazil, he missed a one-on-one opportunity and later failed to convert a penalty kick in the shoot-out, which marked his last international appearance.

A talented and determined player, Massaro was gifted with pace and agility, as well as good physical and athletic attributes. Due to his versatility, work-rate and tactical intelligence, he was uniquely capable of playing in many different positions anywhere on the pitch. Although he is remembered mainly for his performances as a centre forward with Milan, he began his career as a midfielder, and was capable of playing anywhere in midfield; indeed, he was often used as an offensive, central, or defensive midfielder. Throughout his career, he even played as a makeshift defender, both in the centre, or on the flank as a full-back. During his highly successful stint with AC Milan, he was initially deployed as an outside forward on the left, or as a winger under his Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi, due to his good technique. Massaro was only utilised as a true striker later on in his career, in particular under Milan's subsequent manager Fabio Capello, and also at the 1994 World Cup with Italy under Sacchi, where he was able to find the net more often, due to his finishing ability with either foot, as well as his aerial prowess and heading accuracy; in this position, he was also capable of playing off his teammates and of holding up the ball when playing with his back to goal. Due to his tendency to score decisive goals in closely fought matches, most notably his brace in the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final, or in the closing minutes of games, he earned the nicknames Provvidenza…

Club

International

Score and result list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Massaro goal.