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New York Cosmos legend Giorgio Chinaglia has passed away due to complications from a heart attack in Florida.
Chinaglia, the NASL’s all-time leading scorer with 243 goals, was 65.
Chinaglia was a star with Lazio in 1976 when he decamped for New York. Considered the greatest player in Lazio’s history, his move to the States was controversial and he was arguably the first player to join the NASL while still in the prime of his career.
Chinaglia played alongside greats such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer in New York. He became famous for his prolific scoring touch and fiery demeanor.
A Hall of Fame inductee in 2000, Chinaglia was one of the most recognizable faces of American soccer in the 1970s and 1980s. He once scored seven goals in a single NASL match, was player of the year in 1981 and a four-time golden boot winner. He appeared 14 times for the Italian national team, scoring four goals.
His later life was checkered by an arrest warrant issued in Italy for him on charges of an alleged attempt to influence the share prices of Lazio. Seven people would later be arrested in connection with that probe. Chinaglia always denied the charges saying at the time he “had nothing to prove because I haven’t done anything.”
At the time of his passing, Chinaglia was co-hosting a soccer show on Sirus XM radio.
Chinaglia, the NASL’s all-time leading scorer with 243 goals, was 65.
Chinaglia was a star with Lazio in 1976 when he decamped for New York. Considered the greatest player in Lazio’s history, his move to the States was controversial and he was arguably the first player to join the NASL while still in the prime of his career.
Chinaglia played alongside greats such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer in New York. He became famous for his prolific scoring touch and fiery demeanor.
A Hall of Fame inductee in 2000, Chinaglia was one of the most recognizable faces of American soccer in the 1970s and 1980s. He once scored seven goals in a single NASL match, was player of the year in 1981 and a four-time golden boot winner. He appeared 14 times for the Italian national team, scoring four goals.
His later life was checkered by an arrest warrant issued in Italy for him on charges of an alleged attempt to influence the share prices of Lazio. Seven people would later be arrested in connection with that probe. Chinaglia always denied the charges saying at the time he “had nothing to prove because I haven’t done anything.”
At the time of his passing, Chinaglia was co-hosting a soccer show on Sirus XM radio.
