The striker revelled in his memorable 2019-20 campaign in which he struck more than any other player across Europe
Lazio star Ciro Immobile said “dreams do come true” after equalling Serie A’s goalscoring record and claiming the European Golden Shoe for 2019-20.
Immobile tied Gonzalo Higuain’s record for most goals in a Serie A season with 36 after scoring in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Napoli.
The 30-year-old Italy forward matched the feat achieved by Higuain in 2015-16, while also collecting the coveted Golden Shoe award for the highest goalscorer in European football.
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Immobile outscored the likes of Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski (34), Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (31) and Barcelona captain Lionel Messi (25).
— Goal (@goal) August 1, 2020
“I am super happy and proud of what I’ve achieved, especially when I look back to where I started and everything I went through,” Immobile told Lazio Style Channel .
“If you truly believe, sometimes, dreams do come true. I can only thank the coach and staff, my team-mates, and I can assure you these records are for the whole team.
“I also thank the Lazio fans, who made me feel indispensable for this team, and I am so proud of that. I want to be a living example that if you never give up, you can achieve any target.
“I’m so proud to have my place in the history of this sport. I am moved thinking of how my team-mates greeted me in the dressing room after I scored a hat-trick at Verona. That’s what the sport is about.”
Lazio, who qualified for the Champions League, ended the season in fourth position, having challenged for the Scudetto prior to the coronavirus-enforced break.
Immobile is hopeful the club can continue to make strides in the league next season but admits their participation in the Champions League will present a challenge.
“Our target is to improve, although it’ll be very difficult with a whole other competition in the Champions League,” he said.
Immobile has been linked with transfer interest in the Premier League but is contracted to Lazio until 2023 having joined the club from Sevilla in 2016.
Lazio will be desperate to keep their star striker with his goals this season proving crucial as they improved upon an eighth-place finish in the 2018-19 Serie A campaign.
