Ciro Immobile described as the best striker in Europe after record-equaling Serie A feat

Lazio striker Ciro Immobile has been hailed “the best striker in Europe” by his agent after matching a 61-year-old Serie A record for scoring 25 goals in his opening 21 games.

Indeed no player has netted more in that timeframe, with Antonio Valentin Angelillo the man to set the benchmark for Inter Milan in 1959.

Is Immobile “the best striker in Europe”? Five things to know… 

• Immobile has been in stellar form since joining Lazio from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, netting 114 goals in 162 games.
• He currently leads the Serie A top-scorer charts this season with 25 goals, six more than second-place Cristiano Ronaldo.
• The 29-year-old is also top of the charts in the race for the European Golden Shoe, ahead of Robert Lewandowski.
• On top of that, Immobile has contributed to 48% of Lazio’s total scoring output in Serie A this term.
• He is also the first player to be directly involved in 30+ goals this season across Europe’s top five leagues (25 goals, six assists).

Such has been the form of Lazio’s primary goal-getter that he has scored nearly half of the club’s total Serie A output this campaign, with his half-century of finishes taking up a huge chunk of their 52 goals.

Simone Inzaghi’s side are in full stride this season and could leapfrog Inter Milan into second when they play host to Verona on Wednesday night, with the capital club boasting a superior goal difference courtesy of Immobile.

The 29-year-old is currently leading the pack in the hunt for the European Golden Shoe and has outshone a certain Cristiano Ronaldo on domestic soil this campaign, leading to immense praise from his representative.

“I think he is the best striker in Europe right now, let alone in Italy,” agent Alessandro Moggi told TMW Radio.

“Seeing Lazio so high up the table is not a coincidence, it’s down to hard work and director of sport Igli Tare has done a great job for several years using inferior resources to many other clubs, building a competitive team that is even challenging for the Scudetto.”

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Could Immobile break Gonzalo Higuain’s all-time Serie A record?

Among the scoring triumphs Immobile has already reached this season, he will no doubt have one eye on breaking Gonzalo Higuain’s all-time Serie A record of 36 goals for Napoli in a single season (2015/16).

The Italy international has clinched the Capocannoniere (the award for the Serie A season’s top scorer) on two occasions, once in 2013/14 (22 goals) and a second time in 2017/18 (29 goals) alongside Mauro Icardi.

Immobile will no doubt have his sights set on adding another individual gong to his illustrious collection, but he is certainly under no illusions about the scale of the task at hand, in having to net a further 12 goals from now until the end of the campaign to surpass Higuain.

”Certainly, it would be really wonderful, but it’s tough,” Immobile said about the record. ”But with these teammates and this crowd, we can continue doing well.”

So, can Immobile go on to make history? It’s a tall order, but certainly he is on the right track to win a third Serie A top scorer award. William Hill gives him odds of 1/4* to outscore Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku come the end of the season.

*18+ only and BeGambleAware.