Lorenzo Insigne

BIOGRAPHY

Lorenzo Insigne was born June 4, 1991 in Naples, Italy. He is a winger in Major League Soccer.

Insigne began his professional career with Napoli, his hometown club, in 2009 and made his Serie A debut at the age of 19 on January 24, 2010, in a 2-0 win against Livorno. He played the remainder of the season on loan at Cavese (Serie C, Italy), making 10 appearances. In the 2011-12 season, Insigne was loaned to Foggia (Serie C) where he made 33 appearances and registered his first professional goal on August 14, 2011. Insigne went on a short loan spell to Pescara (Serie B) during the 2011-12 season, where he made 37 appearances and scored 19 goals, before returning to Napoli. 

Internationally, Insigne has earned 53 caps and scored 10 goals with the Italian National Team (Azzurri). In 2021, he won the European Championship with Italy after winning 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out against England. He received his first call up to represent Italy in September 2012 for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. He made his debut for the Azzurri on September 11, 2012, when he came on as a substitute against Malta, and scored his first goal on August 14, 2013, in a friendly match against Argentina. He also represented his country at the youth level with the U-20 and U-21 teams.  

On 8 January 2022, Insigne signed a pre-contract to join Major League Soccer club Toronto FC as a designated player on a free transfer and four-year contract that began on 1 July, with a reported annual salary of $15 million, making him the highest paid player in MLS. He made his debut for the club on 23 July, in a 4–0 home victory against Charlotte FC, only featuring in the opening half, but setting up club captain Michael Bradley's second goal of the match with a back-heel pass. 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 against Nashville SC.