Lorenzo Insigne was a key starter for Italy national football team when they won UEFA Euro 2020. After lifting the trophy, he went on to record 23 goal contributions in a single season for SSC Napoli, establishing himself as a constant danger to Milan’s rivals in Serie A.
At the height of his career, he chose to become the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer – until the arrival of Lionel Messi – by joining Toronto FC. From that moment, however, his career began to decline sharply.
The statistics alone do not fully reflect Insigne’s spell in Canada. Signed by Bill Manning as the figurehead of a “new era” for Toronto FC, he instead came to symbolise the club’s sporting collapse.
His partnership with Federico Bernardeschi, another high-profile arrival from Serie A, was marked by disappointing performances on the pitch and controversy away from it. According to several Canadian reports, the two Italians were alleged to have worked behind the scenes to push for coach Bob Bradley to be sacked.
With Insigne in the squad, Toronto became one of the weakest sides in MLS in recent years, and the midfielder never managed to guide the club into the play-offs. His relationship with supporters also deteriorated, with the Italian reportedly insulting fans during a match he was watching from the executive box.
Despite earning an enormous salary, Insigne remained in Canada until 2025, when he eventually agreed to terminate his contract. Following his disappointing spell in Toronto, he made what he described as a decision “from the heart” and signed for Pescara.
It was at Pescara, during the 2011/12 season, that Insigne first enjoyed a breakthrough campaign. He scored 20 goals and, alongside Ciro Immobile and Marco Verratti, helped the club secure promotion to Italy’s top flight before later moving to Napoli.
The “homecoming”, however, quickly turned sour. Although Insigne arrived in January, he did not begin receiving regular playing time until March. His numbers themselves were respectable – five goals and three assists in 13 appearances – but the final chapter once again ended in turmoil.
On 1 May came the incident the Italian press labelled “il rigore della discordia” – “the penalty of discord”. During a match against Calcio Padova, Pescara were awarded a penalty, but Insigne declined to take it. Young forward Flavio Russo stepped up instead and missed, before Padova snatched victory with a stoppage-time winner.
Insigne was then subjected to abuse from supporters, criticism in the media, and even comments from coach Giorgio Gorgone, who hinted at tensions within the dressing room after the match.
“To take a penalty, you have to pick up the ball and kick it. I’ve never seen anyone forced to take a penalty,” the manager said during his post-match press conference. He also stressed that Insigne had been the designated penalty-taker. The midfielder later stated that he was “perplexed by some of the comments made after the match”.
On the final day of the Serie B season, Pescara were relegated to Serie C alongside Spezia Calcio. At 34 years of age, Insigne had gone from the pinnacle of European football to a bitter and deeply disappointing conclusion to his career in the space of just a few years.
