Serie A top scorers: A look at last decade's Capocannoniere winners
The Italian league has always boasted some of the most iconic football players in the world. The likes of Maradona, Maldini, Platini, Zidane, Nesta, Zanetti, Cannavaro, Buffon, Pirlo and Del Piero were the crown jewels of Italian teams. These players helped usher in a new era of success that was never seen in Italy before. From the most prolific scorers to the most assertive defenders or the most skilful midfielders, the Italian league has always been a hub of great players.
Thus it's not a surprise that the race for the top scorer award or the - award is one of the most hotly contested battles of the season. There have been many incredible stories around the years for the top scorer race.
Though the Serie A lost some of its sheens in recent times, it still had many amazing goalscorers among its ranks. In this article, we'll get into the history books and have a look at the Capocannoniere winners over the last decade.
#1 Serie A top scorer 2018-19
With the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at the beginning of 2018-19 Serie A season, it was expected that he will easily roll over his opponents in the quest for the top scorer award. He was earmarked for the Capocannoniere award even before kicking a ball. Yet, despite his impressive performances in the league as well as the Champions League, Ronaldo was beaten for the top scorer award by certain Fabio Quagliarella. He found an unlikely competitor in the form of this 36-year-old Italian veteran.
Fabior Quagliarella was undoubtedly the biggest highlight of the Serie A season. He plundered a career-high of 26 goals to claim the Capocannoniere award. Five goals ahead of Ronaldo, Quagliarella also beat the likes of AC Milan hotshot Krzysztof Piątek and Atalanta hero Duvan Zapata.
We were expecting him to be crowned the top scorer but to go on and actually claim the award is truly remarkable.
#2 Serie A top scorer 2017-18
During the 2017-18 season, Juventus were once again the dominant force in Italy. The team wrapped up its 7th consecutive league title. But the top scorers for the season were part of the league winning side. The Capocannoniere award for the 2017-18 season was jointly won by Inter's Mauro Icardi and Lazio's Ciro Immobile. They both scored 29 goals each to claim the prestigious award.
Icardi had been prolific for Inter for the past few seasons. The 29 goals scored by him were the highest he ever scored in a single campaign. Immobile too, after a few years in the wilderness, showed the world his goal scoring capabilities. His form was similar to the one during his breakout season with Torino. Immobile also broke the record for the highest goals the highest number of goals scored by a Lazio player.
Moreover, it was during the 2017-18 season that the world was shocked by the untimely demise of then Fiorentina captain Davide Astori.