Giorgio Chinaglia

Chinaglia was born in Carrara, Tuscany, in 1947, but in 1955, he moved to Cardiff, Wales, with his father Mario, mother Giovanna and his sister Rita, because of unemployment in Italy following World War II.{{cite book ==Club career==

Swansea At age 13, Chinaglia was spotted scoring a hat trick for Cardiff Schools, and joined Swansea Town in the Football League Third Division as an apprentice in 1962. With Swansea, Chinaglia won the 1965 West Wales Senior Cup, scoring in the 3–0 victory in the final against Llanelli, and represented the Swansea Senior Association Football League in 1964 in a representative match against the Birmingham & District Works Football Association. The following season, he joined another Serie C club, Internapoli in Naples, where he played two seasons and scored 26 goals in 66 matches. New York Cosmos In Rome, Chinaglia's family faced abuse from opposing fans and threats of kidnapping by terrorist groups, and he voiced frustration at Italian tax and corporate laws that he said led to business failures. In 1972, Chinaglia began investing in American real estate while on a tour of the United States with Lazio. And in 1975, his family bought a house in Englewood, New Jersey with the idea that he would commute to matches from there. Instead, he walked into the office of Clive Toye, then president of the New York Cosmos of the NASL, and said he would either play for the Cosmos or buy his own team. Chinaglia scored 49 goals in 41 playoff games for the Cosmos for his career and scored five goals in five Soccer Bowls, three of which were game winners (1977, 1978, and 1982). In 1980, Chinaglia scored 76 goals in 66 total matches, including 32 goals in 32 regular-season games and 18 goals in seven playoff games. The NASL regular-season record for most goals is also held by Chinaglia with 34 goals in 1978. In December 1981, Chinaglia played indoor soccer, and in his first game against the Chicago Sting, he set an individual all-time NASL indoor record for most goals in a single match by scoring seven. He also became a close associate of Warner Brothers president Steve Ross, part-owner of the franchise, and was known to thoroughly enjoy the cultural diversions that New York provided. In 1984, Cosmos, facing mounting losses and having never turned a profit, sold 60 per cent of the club's ownership to Chinaglia, with no money exchanging hands. Chinaglia, at that time Lazio's president, handed the controls to his personal assistant and general manager Peppe Pinton. When the league and the club folded in 1986, Pinton ended up retaining the rights to the Cosmos name and memorabilia, including trophies and playing gear, associated with the club. In 2000, he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. ==International career==

, Chinaglia and Pulici with the Italy national team in 1973 Chinaglia's play with Lazio earned him a place on head coach Ferruccio Valcareggi's shortlist for the Italy squad in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He did not make the final 22-man squad, but Valcareggi took him to Mexico for experience. In total, he scored 4 goals for Italy in 14 appearances between 1972 and 1975. ==Style of play==

Chinaglia was a large, strong, fast, and powerful player with a keen eye for goal. He is regarded as one of the most prolific Italian strikers of all time. His opportunistic style of play was initially seen as unorthodox, but he developed into a prominent goalscorer, often described as one of the first true old fashioned centre-forwards in Italy. as well as his acrobatic ability in the air. he developed his skill and control with time, showing great technical improvements later on in his career, leading him to dribble with the ball at speed during counterattacks on occasion. Although he was popular with fans and teammates, he also had a controversial, brash, and rebellious character, and an aggressive temper at times, which led to arguments and altercations with some of his managers and teammates throughout his career. He also drew negative attention to himself in the press due to his lifestyle off the pitch, which included certain legal problems throughout his career, as well as accusations of criminal activity. ==Personal life==

In 1970, Chinaglia married his first wife, Connie Eruzione, daughter of a retired American army sergeant who was living in Italy They had three children together: Cynthia, Giorgio Jr. and Stephanie. In 1996, Chinaglia was given a two-year prison sentence for fraudulent and false bankruptcy in the financial statements attributable to the management of Fin Lazio (1986–87), the financial owner of S.S. Lazio. He was Lazio's club president from 1983 to 1985, and was investigated by Italian authorities over a failed attempt to buy the club in 2006 He had previously attempted to buy another Italian club, U.S. Foggia, in 2004, but that attempt also failed after money laundering allegations and he fled to the United States. In November 2007, Chinaglia was fined €4.2 million by the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa for the alleged intention of a Hungarian chemical-pharmaceutical group to acquire the majority stake in S.S. Lazio. In July 2008, another arrest warrant was issued to Chinaglia. Football Show co-host Charlie Stillitano said Chinaglia never returned to Italy because "He never wanted to take the chance". Chinaglia died in Naples, Florida of a heart attack on 1 April 2012. The Giorgio Chinaglia Foundation, a non-profit organisation to help youth football programmes and disabled children, was later formed by the three children from his first marriage. ==Honours==

Lazio • Serie A: 1973–74 • Coppa delle Alpi: 1971 New York Cosmos • North American Soccer League Soccer Bowl: 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982 • NASL Atlantic/National Conference: 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982 • NASL Regular Season: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 • NASL Eastern Division: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 Individual • Serie A top scorer: 1973–74 • Serie B top scorer: 1971–72 • Coppa delle Alpi top scorer: 1971 • NASL top scorer: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 • NASL MVP: 1981 • Soccer Bowl MVP: 1980, 1982 • NASL All-Stars: First-team: 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980 1981 1982 Second-team: 1983; Honorable mention: 1977 • N° 9 jersey retired by the Cosmos ==Bibliography==