 Maccarone training withPalermo in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Massimo Maccarone[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-09-06)6 September 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Galliate, Italy[2] | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1987–1988 | Oleggio | ||
| 1988–1993 | GS Soccer Boys | ||
| 1993–1998 | AC Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2000 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 1998 | →Modena (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | →Prato (loan) | 21 | (4) |
| 1999 | →Varese (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Prato | 28 | (20) |
| 2000–2002 | Empoli | 68 | (36) |
| 2002–2007 | Middlesbrough | 80 | (18) |
| 2004–2005 | →Parma (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2005 | →Siena (loan) | 17 | (7) |
| 2007–2010 | Siena | 113 | (40) |
| 2010–2011 | Palermo | 18 | (2) |
| 2011–2014 | Sampdoria | 38 | (6) |
| 2012–2014 | →Empoli (loan) | 105 | (40) |
| 2014–2017 | Empoli | 99 | (28) |
| 2017–2018 | Brisbane Roar | 28 | (9) |
| 2018–2020 | Carrarese | 57 | (9) |
| Total | 682 | (219) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995 | Italy U15 | 2 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | Italy U16 | 4 | (1) |
| 1998–1999 | Italy U20 | 5 | (3) |
| 2000–2002 | Italy U21 | 15 | (11) |
| 2002 | Italy | 2 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022–2023 | Ghiviborgo | ||
| 2023 | Piacenza | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Massimo Maccarone (Italian pronunciation:[ˈmassimomakkaˈroːne]; born 6 September 1979) is an Italianfootballcoach and former player, who played as astriker. He was nicknamedBig Mac during his playing days.[3]
Maccarone grew up playing with friends inOleggio, in theProvince of Novara.[4][5] He was spotted in the final of the "Fortina e Zanolli" youth tournament at the age of eight (Pulcini category).[4][6]
At nine he joined Soccer Boys Turbigo and, at thirteen, was recruited byAC Milan, spending five seasons in the club's academy.[7] He also appeared at theTorneo di Viareggio in 1998.[7] After featuring in pre-season friendlies underFabio Capello, he spent the summer of 1998 on loan atModena, where he failed to make an appearance, before moving toPrato inSerie C2 in September 1998.[4][8] He scored on his debut on 4 October 1998 in a 2–0 win over Cremapergo and finished the season with 21 league appearances and 4 goals; in the play-offs he converted two penalties against Mantova in the semi-finals, before Prato lost the final.[4][7]
He began the following season withVarese but returned to Prato on 27 September 1999.[9] He scored 20 goals in 28 league matches to finish as Serie C2's top scorer.[10] Prato reached the promotion play-off final but lost 3–2 toAlessandria on 11 June 2000; Maccarone scored Prato's first goal in the match.[11][12]
In 2000, Maccarone returned to Milan and transferred toEmpoli, helping the club get promoted toSerie A during the 2001–02 season. In the same period, he was one of the most outstanding players of theItaly U21 team which reached the semi-finals in the2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. As a result, he was noticed by several teams.
Maccarone was signed byEnglish Premier League teamMiddlesbrough on 9 July 2002 for £8.15 million (€12.7 million).[13] He made his debut againstSouthampton on 17 August 2002. On his second appearance and his home debut the following week he scored twice in a 2–2 draw withFulham.[14][15] Another highlight in his first season was scoring twice as Middlesbrough defeatedTottenham Hotspur 5–1.[16]
Maccarone was an unused substitute when Middlesbrough won the2004 Football League Cup Final.[17] Despite showing fine early form in his first few matches for Middlesbrough, the remainder of his spell at the club was a struggle to justify his price tag and during the first half of the2004–05 season he was loaned out toSerie A clubParma, and in January 2005 toSiena.[18]
Maccarone returned to Middlesbrough for the2005–06 season, and despite not being a regular first-team player, endeared himself to the Middlesbrough fans, especially through his work-rate and attitude. The player's spell at Middlesbrough is remembered for two last-minute winners in keyUEFA Cup ties in 2006. He scored againstBasel in the second leg of the quarter-finals, a tie in which Middlesbrough overturned a three-goal deficit to win 4–3 on aggregate.[19] In the semi-final of the same competition he came on as a substitute and scored twice in the aggregate 4–3 win overSteaua Bucharest,[20] scoring one of Middlesbrough F.C's most iconic goals of all time, once again in the 90th minute, takingBoro to thefinal inEindhoven, in which he came on as a substitute. Following his exploits in the semi-final, fellow Middlesbrough strikerJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink declared "Massimo, I love him until I die... it's unbelievable".[21]
Despite these heroics, he made few appearances for Middlesbrough in the following season and in January 2007, Maccarone moved to Siena in afree transfer, signing a three-year contract.[22] In February 2007, he made headlines by criticising former Middlesbrough and then-England managerSteve McClaren for his "ineptitude", causing his club's chairmanSteve Gibson to call Maccarone "a fool".[23]
On 11 February 2007, he played his first Serie A match after his Siena return, againstCagliari.[24] Maccarone scored a brace in the 4–3 defeat againstA.C. Milan on 17 February, to register his first goals for Siena.[25] He finished theseason with six goals, and added 13in the following (club best by a long margin), as Siena achieved two consecutive 13th league places. After the club was relegated at the end of the 2009–10 season, Maccarone agreed a move to Sicilian Serie A clubPalermo, signing a three-year deal with therosanero, for €4.5 million.[26][27]
On 24 January 2011, Maccarone signed forSampdoria for €2.7 million on a2+1⁄2-year contract.[28][29][30]
From January 2012 to June 2014 Maccarone returned to Empoli in temporary deals.[31][32][33] His contract was also extended to 30 June 2015 in 2012.[34] On 17 July 2014 he was allowed to join Empoli on a free transfer.[35][36]
On 17 July 2017, Maccarone signed a one-year marquee deal withA-League clubBrisbane Roar.[37]
On 25 May 2018, he was signed by ItalianSerie C teamCarrarese.[38]
During his time at Empoli, Maccarone made his debut with theItaly Under-21 side underMarco Tardelli. He later earned a place as a starting striker inClaudio Gentile's Italy Under-21 side between 2000 and 2002.[39] In total, he scored 11 goals with the Under-21 side in 15 appearances, and he took part at the2002 Under-21 European Championship with Italy, where he finished as the tournament's top scorer, with 3 goals, helping Italy to reach the semi-finals, where they lost out to the eventual champions, theCzech Republic.[40] During the group stage, he scored two goals in a 2–1 win against theEngland Under-21 side in Basel.[41]
In 2002, he played twice for theItaly senior side.[42] He made his senior international debut on 27 March, in a friendly match againstEngland in Leeds; he came on as a late substitute, with the score level at 1–1. In injury time, Maccarone was fouled in the area by the English goalkeeperDavid James, allowingVincenzo Montella to score the winning goal from the penalty spot.[43] Maccarone had scored a goal in a 1–1 friendly draw in Bradford against the England Under-21 side earlier that week.[44] It had been over seventy years that aSerie B player had made his debut with the Italy national side before making hisSerie A debut.[45] He made his second and final appearance for the Italian senior side on 16 October 2002, in a 2–1 away defeat againstWales in aEuropean Championship qualifying match.[42]
Maccarone predominantly played as astriker, although he was also capable of being deployed as asupporting forward or as awinger, where he was able to move into the center of the pitch andcurl shots towards goal with his stronger foot, due to his striking ability from distance, and his eye for goal. Maccarone was capable of shooting with either foot, and he possessed good tactical intelligence, pace, and technique, as well as a strong mentality and good composure in front of goal; however, he was effective in the air.[46][47]
Following his retirement, he stayed on atCarrarese as a technical collaborator under his former bossSilvio Baldini for the 2020–21 season, leaving in April 2021 following the appointment ofAntonio Di Natale as the club's new head coach.[48]
In June 2022, Maccarone took on his first role as head coach, accepting a job offer from TuscanSerie D amateurs Ghiviborgo.[49] After a single season at Ghiviborgo, Maccarone was named new head coach of Serie D fallen giantsPiacenza;[50] he was however dismissed from his coaching post just a few months later, on 12 November 2023, following a negative start to the club's league campaign.[51]
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup[54] | Continental[55] | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Prato (loan) | Serie C2 | 1998–99 | 21 | 4 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | ? | ? |
| Varese (loan) | Serie C1 | 1999–00 | 3 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | ? | ? |
| Prato | Serie C2 | 1999–00 | 28 | 20 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | ? | ? |
| Empoli | Serie B | 2000–01 | 35 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 18 |
| 2001–02 | 33 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 12 | ||
| Total | 68 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 30 | ||
| Middlesbrough | Premier League | 2002–03 | 34 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 9 |
| 2003–04 | 22 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 8 | ||
| 2004–05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | 17 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 27 | 7 | ||
| 2006–07 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| Total | 80 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 99 | 25 | ||
| Parma (loan) | Serie A | 2004–05 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 2 |
| Siena (loan) | Serie A | 2004–05 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 8 |
| Siena | Serie A | 2006–07 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 |
| 2007–08 | 35 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 13 | ||
| 2008–09 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 9 | ||
| 2009–10 | 37 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 12 | ||
| Total | 130 | 47 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 48 | ||
| Palermo | Serie A | 2010–11 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 26 | 6 |
| Sampdoria | Serie A | 2010–11 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 |
| Serie B | 2011–12 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | |
| Total | 28 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 7 | ||
| Empoli | Serie B | 2011–12 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 |
| 2012–13 | 43 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 18 | ||
| 2013–14 | 42 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 16 | ||
| Serie A | 2014–15 | 34 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 10 | |
| 2015–16 | 37 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 13 | ||
| 2016–17 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | ||
| Total | 204 | 68 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 209 | 71 | ||
| Empoli Total | 272 | 94 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 284 | 101 | ||
| Brisbane Roar | A-League | 2017–18 | 28 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 10 |
| Carrarese | Serie C | 2017–18 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 7 |
| Career total | 647 | 207 | 32* | 11* | 14 | 10 | 693* | 228* | ||
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Ghiviborgo |  | 1 July 2022 | 27 June 2023 | 35 | 9 | 16 | 10 | 41 | 43 | −2 | 025.71 |
| Piacenza | | 4 July 2023 | 1 November 2023 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 041.67 |
| Total | 47 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 58 | 59 | −1 | 029.79 | |||
Middlesbrough[52]
