Giorgio Chinaglia, Rest in Peace. (1947-2012)

He was a legend for the New York Cosmos. He was a legend for Lazio. But beyond his brilliance as a player, few could match his personality and aura on and off the pitch.

Chinaglia was the NASL’s all-time leading scorer (193 goals, 213 games).
Chinaglia won four NASL titles with the Cosmos, joining the team in 1976 and retiring in 1983.
With his native Italy, Giorgio featured in the 1974 World Cup, and also spent 1969 to 1976 with Lazio, scoring 98 goals in 209 appearances.

But stats only can tell us so much about who Giorgio was as a man and a player. He scored some truly unbelievable goals in his career, and gained many friends off the pitch as he became a soccer analyst later in life. Italians and New Yorker adored Chinaglia, and it’s not difficult to see why.