Insigne began his professional career withNapoli in 2009, making hisSerie A debut in 2010, but was later sent on consecutive season loan spells toCavese,Foggia andPescara, before returning to Napoli in 2012. After departing Napoli, he later moved toMajor League Soccer sideToronto FC in 2022.
In 2006, at age 15, Insigne was signed byNapoli from Olimpia Sant'Arpino for €1,500.[5] In 2008, he made his debut for thePrimavera team, with whom he scored 15 goals in the 2009–10 season.[6] He was first called up to the first team underRoberto Donadoni, playing some friendlies in the summer of 2009, before making hisSerie A debut underWalter Mazzarri, on 24 January 2010, in a 2–0 win away toLivorno.[7] He played the remainder of the season on loan atCavese inLega Pro Prima Divisione, where he made 10 appearances.
The following season, Insigne was loaned toFoggia inLega Pro Prima Divisione. He scored his first professional goal on 14 August, in theCoppa Italia Lega Pro match againstL'Aquila, while on 29 August, he scored his first league goal in a 2–3 home defeat toLucchese. Under the managerZdeněk Zeman, he totalled 19 goals in the league, in addition to seven goals scored in Coppa Italia Lega Pro.[8]
On 8 July 2011, he was loaned toPescara inSerie B, now managed by Zeman.[9] He made his debut in the Italian second division on 26 August 2011 in the opening round againstHellas Verona,[10] and on 4 September scored his first goal for Pescara away againstModena.[11] Insigne finished the season with 18 goals, making him the second top-scorer of the season behind teammateCiro Immobile, and 14 assists.[12] Among the key players of Pescara's title-winning season and promotion toSerie A, Insigne was subsequently awarded the "Best Player" of the Serie B season, along with teammates Immobile andMarco Verratti.[13]
At the end of the season, Insigne returned to Napoli, choosing the number 24 jersey.[14] On 16 September 2012, he scored his first goal in Serie A, after entering as a substitute forEdinson Cavani in a 3–1 home win overParma.[15] Four days later, he made his debut inUEFA club competitions, starting in a 4–0 win against Swedish sideAIK Fotboll in theUEFA Europa League.[16] Insigne struggled to get a run of consecutive games at many points in the season, but participated in a large successful season at Napoli, who finished in second place inSerie A that season. Throughout the season, he made 43 appearances, scoring five goals and providing seven assists. The competition for places with players likeEdinson Cavani,Goran Pandev,Eduardo Vargas andOmar El Kaddouri meant Insigne often started matches on the substitutes' bench.
Thefollowing season, Insigne made hisUEFA Champions League debut in 2–1 home win over the previous season's finalistsBorussia Dortmund, on 18 September 2013. Insigne marked his debut in the competition with a goal from a free-kick.[17] In thefinal of theCoppa Italia on 3 May 2014, Insigne scored twice in the first half as his side won 3–1 againstFiorentina.[18] During the2014–15 season, on 9 November 2014, Insigne injured theanterior cruciate ligament of his right knee in a match against Fiorentina.[19][20] He returned to the pitch on 4 April 2015 after a five-month absence, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 away defeat toRoma.[21] In his next league match, on 26 April, he scored a goal in a 4–2 home win overSampdoria, also wearing the captain's armband during the match, in the absence of teammatesMarek Hamšík,Christian Maggio andGökhan Inler.[22]
On 13 September 2015, Insigne opened the2015–16 Serie A season by scoring in a 2–2 draw againstEmpoli.[23] On 20 September, he scored again in a 5–0 win overLazio, also setting upAllan's goal.[24] On 26 September, Insigne made his 100th Serie A appearance with Napoli and scored his third goal of the season in a 2–1 home win over defending Serie A championsJuventus,[25][26] although he was also later forced off the pitch after sustaining an injury during the match; the club, however, later reported the injury was not serious.[27] He continued his goalscoring run in the following match, scoring twice and setting up Allan's goal in a 4–0 away win overMilan, bringing his seasonal tally to five goals in seven games.[28] Insigne's prolific performances even led to comparisons with former Napoli legendDiego Maradona, which Insigne played down.[29]
In April 2017, Insigne scored his third brace in four appearances for Napoli to take his tally to 14 goals for theSerie A season, surpassing his previous personal best for a single campaign.[30] On 14 October 2017, Insigne scored his 100th career club goal in a 1–0 away win overrivals Roma in Serie A.[31] AfterMarek Hamšík's departure from the club in February 2019, Insigne was made the officialcaptain of Napoli.[32] On 24 August, in the opening game of the2019–20 Serie A season, Insigne scored twice and set up two more goals in a 4–3 away win over Fiorentina.[33]
On 13 June 2020, Insigne assistedDries Mertens's equalising goal in a 1–1 home draw againstInter Milan in the second leg of2019–20 Coppa Italia semi-final; the goal saw the Belgian overtake Hamšík to become Napoli's outright all-time leading goalscorer with 122 goals, while the result also allowed Napoli to advanced to theCoppa Italia Final.[34][35] In the final on 17 June, Insigne netted Napoli's first spot-kick in a 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory against Juventus following a 0–0 draw after regulation time; Insigne went on to lift the trophy as the club's captain.[36][37]
On 8 January 2022, Insigne signed a pre-contract to joinMajor League Soccer clubToronto FC as adesignated player on a free transfer and four-year contract that began on 1 July,[38][39] with a reported annual salary of $15 million, making him the highest paid player in MLS.[40]
He made his debut for the club on 23 July, in a 4–0 home victory againstCharlotte FC, only featuring in the opening half, but setting up club captainMichael Bradley's second goal of the match with a back-heel pass.[41] On 6 August, Insigne scored his first goal for the club, converting a shot from outside the box for the game-winning goal in a 4–3 away victory againstNashville SC.[42] On 1 July 2025, he agreed to a mutual termination of the remainder of his contract with the club.[43]
A regular member of theItaly under-21 squad, Insigne made 15 appearances for the "Azzurrini", scoring seven goals. He made his debut with the under-21 side on 6 October 2011 in aEuropean qualifying match againstLiechtenstein, scoring two goals and providing two assists in a 7–2 victory.[45] With the under-21 team, he participated in the2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship under managerDevis Mangia, playing an important role in Italy's tournament run.
On 5 June 2013, he made his tournament debut againstEngland, scoring a goal from a free-kick in Italy's 1–0 opening victory.[46] On 9 June, in Italy's second match against hostsIsrael, Insigne began the play which led to Italy's first goal of the match in the 18th minute, which was scored byRiccardo Saponara. He injured himself later during the match and was forced to come off, although Italy won the match 4–0.[47] Insigne was able to recuperate in time for the semi-final match against theNetherlands, and he came on to set upFabio Borini's winner which sent the Italians into thefinal.[48] On 18 June, Italy was defeated 4–2 againstSpain in the final, although Insigne was able to set up Italy's second goal of the match, which was scored by Borini.[49]
At the age of 21 in September 2012, Insigne received his first call-up to theItalian senior team by coachCesare Prandelli for its2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches againstBulgaria andMalta.[50] He made his senior debut on 11 September during the same tournament against the latter opponent inModena, coming on as a substitute forAlessandro Diamanti.[51] On 14 August 2013, Insigne scored his first goal in a friendly againstArgentina, which ended in a 2–1 loss at theStadio Olimpico inRome.[52] Insigne was named in Cesare Prandelli's 30-man provisional squad for the2014 World Cup and was eventually picked in the final 23-man squad.[53] In Italy's last warm-up match, againstFluminense in Brazil ahead of their World Cup opener againstEngland, Insigne and his teammate Ciro Immobile scored five goals, with Insigne scoring two.[54] On 20 June 2014, Insigne made his debut in the World Cup in Italy's second group match, againstCosta Rica, replacingAntonio Candreva in the second half of the 1–0 defeat. However, this was Insigne's only appearance in the tournament, as Italy was eliminated in the group stage.[55] On 31 May 2016, Insigne was named toAntonio Conte's 23-man Italy squad forUEFA Euro 2016.[56] He made his first appearance of the tournament on 22 June, coming off the bench in Italy's final group match, which ended in a 1–0 defeat to theRepublic of Ireland, striking the post and later receiving a yellow card in injury time.[57] In the round of 16, at theStade de France inParis on 27 June, he came off the bench once again to help set-upGraziano Pellè's 91st minute volley to give theAzzurri a 2–0 victory against defending championsSpain.[58] On 2 July, he made a further substitute appearance in the quarter-final fixture againstGermany and scored Italy's first penalty in the resulting shoot-out, which ended in a 6–5 loss against the reigning World Cup champions.[59]
During Italy's goalless draw with Sweden on 13 November 2017, which resulted in Italy missing out on the World Cup for the first time since 1958, Insigne spent the entire march on the bench. Later in the match, midfielderDaniele De Rossi was asked to warm up, but refused and asked: "Why the hell should I go on? We don't need to draw, we need to win!", whilst inquiring why Insigne was not being prepared instead.[60][61]
In June 2021, Insigne was included in Italy's squad forUEFA Euro 2020 by coachRoberto Mancini,[62] and was later assigned thenumber 10 shirt.[63] In the opening match of the tournament on 11 June, he scored Italy's final goal in a 3–0 victory againstTurkey.[64] On 2 July, he scored Italy's second goal of the match in a 2–1 victory againstBelgium in the quarter-finals of the competition, with a curling right-footed effort from outside the box following an individual run;[65] for his performance, he was namedstar of the match byUEFA,[66] while the goal later placed second in UEFA's 2020–21 Goal of the Season, behind onlyMehdi Taremi's overhead kick goal forPorto againstChelsea in theChampions League quarter-finals.[67] On 11 July, after a 1–1 draw inextra-time, Insigne won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2penalty shoot-out victory againstEngland atWembley Stadium in thefinal. He started the match, but was replaced byAndrea Belotti in the second half of regulation time.[68]
Nicknamed "Lorenzo Il Magnifico" ("Lorenzo the Magnificent", in Italian),[69] Insigne is a fast, talented, skillful and diminutive right footedwinger, with an eye for the goal, who is usually deployed on the left in a4–3–3 or in a4–2–3–1 formation, which allows him to utilise his acceleration to cut inside andcurl shots on goal with his stronger foot, in particular from outside the penalty area.[70][71][72][73][74][75][76] Due to his penchant for scoring goals in his manner, which according to Insigne was inspired by his "idol"Alessandro Del Piero's trademark goals, in 2021, the neologismtiraggiro – derived from "tir a gir" ("tiro a giro", in Italian, or "curling shot", in English) in Insigne's native Neapolitan dialect – was coined and included in the Italian encyclopediaTreccani.[76][77] Although his preferred role is on the left flank, he is a hard-working, tactically intelligent, and versatileforward, capable of playing in any offensive position on eitherside of the pitch, or even through thecentre; he is also known for his defensive contribution and ability to cover a lot of ground during matches, in addition to his offensive capabilities, despite his lack of physicality.[76][78][79]
He has often operated in deeper, more creative positions, either in a free role in the centre as anattacking midfieldplaymaker behind the strikers,[80][81][82] or as asupporting forward,[75][76] due to his passing ability and vision, which enable him to link-up with midfielders, create chances, and provideassists for teammates.[83][84] Insigne stated in 2012 that he preferred assisting goals over scoring them himself.[85] He is also capable of playing in a more offensive central role as afalse 9.[86] In addition to his ability to set-up goals, he is also capable of scoring them himself,[71][83] and is an accurateset-piece taker.[4][72] Insigne's resulting lowcentre of gravity, combined with his creativity, quick feet and technical ability, make him extremely quick and agile in possession, and give him excellent balance and control of the ball, which, along with his flair, intelligent movement, speed, anddribbling skills, allows him to beat opponents and create space for his team in attacking areas, or make attacking runs off the ball into the box.[4][70][83][84][87][88][89][90] Regarded as one of Italy's most promising prospects in his youth,[4][70][71][83][87] due to his attributes, skill, pace and small stature, his former Napoli teammate and North Macedonia captainGoran Pandev has referred to him as the "ItalianMessi";[91] he was also compared to former Napoli playerDiego Maradona in his youth.[29] ManagerDelio Rossi also likened him to compatriotsFabrizio Miccoli – "for his turn of pace and cleverness" – andGianfranco Zola in 2012.[92] After scoring agoal, Insigne often celebrates by making a "heart" gesture with his hands.[93]
Lorenzo Insigne has three brothers, all of whom are footballers: his younger brotherRoberto, as well as Marco and Antonio.[94][95] Lorenzo married Genoveffa "Jenny" Darone on 31 December 2012;[96] they have two children together: Carmine, born on 4 April 2013,[97] and Christian, born on 13 March 2015.[98]
Insigne has contributed to popularising the termtiraggiro in Italy; following Insigne's goals and role in Italy's victorious Euro 2020 campaign, the word was subsequently included in theTreccani encyclopaedia in 2021, as a result of its recurring use as a reference to Insigne, or other players, using his trademark shooting technique, which usually involves him curling shots on goal from outside the box after cutting inside from the left flank onto his stronger right foot.[77][110][111][112] The definition of the neologism is "the curling shot, taken hitting the ball so as to curve it with an inward curl", "adaptation of the spoken Neapolitantir a ggir": excerpts of newspaper articles about Insigne are frequently cited as an example of the usage of this term.[113]
^"Lorenzo Insigne torna in biancazzurro" [Lorenzo Insigne returns to the white and blue] (in Italian). Delfino Pescara 1936. 30 January 2026. Retrieved30 January 2026.
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