At international level, Inzaghi earned 57 caps for the Italy national team between 1997 and 2007, scoring 25 goals. He represented his country at three FIFA World Cups, winning the 2006 edition, and he also took part in UEFA Euro 2000, where he won a runners-up medal.
His younger brother, Simone Inzaghi, is also a football manager and former Italian international player.
Inzaghi's favourite footballers as a child were Paolo Rossi and Marco van Basten.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The elder brother of fellow footballer Simone Inzaghi,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he got his start playing for hometown club Piacenza as a teenager in 1991, but made only two league appearances before being loaned to Serie C1 side Leffe, with whom he scored an impressive 13 goals in 21 matches. In 1993, Inzaghi moved to Serie B club Hellas Verona and scored 13 goals in 36 league appearances. Upon his return to Piacenza, he scored 15 times in 37 games helping his team win Serie B and proving himself to be an exciting young prospect.<ref name="FACTBOX">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Filippo Inzaghi - UEFA">Template:Cite web</ref>
Inzaghi made his Serie A debut when he transferred to Parma in 1995, but scored only twice in 15 league matches. One of these two goals came against one of his former clubs, Piacenza, literally "making him cry". He added another two goals in European competitions that season. In the following season, he moved on to Atalanta, finishing as the Capocannoniere (Serie A's top scorer) with 24 goals after scoring against every team in the league. He was crowned Serie A Young Footballer of the Year and served as team captain in the last game of the season.<ref name="FACTBOX" /><ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /><ref name="Filippo Inzaghi - UEFA" />
Inzaghi, however, was soon on the move once again to his sixth team in seven seasons, this time to Juventus for a reported 23 billion lire.<ref name="Inzaghi2001">Template:Cite news</ref> He formed a formidable attacking partnership along with Alessandro Del Piero and Zinedine Zidane, a tandem which would last for four seasons, under managers Marcello Lippi, and subsequently Carlo Ancelotti, marking Inzaghi's longest stint with one team at the time. During his time with the Bianconeri, he scored two Champions League hat-tricks – against Dynamo Kyiv and Hamburger SV – becoming the first player to do so.<ref name="Gli eroi in bianconero: Filippo INZAGHI">Template:Cite web</ref>
The 1998–99 season was less successful for Juventus, as they were defeated in the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana by Lazio and finished the season seventh place in Serie A. Inzaghi still managed 20 goals in all competitions, finishing the season as the club's top-scorer;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Six of his goals came in the Champions League, as Juventus were eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champions Manchester United. During the second leg of the semi-finals in Turin, Inzaghi scored two goals in the first ten minutes, but Manchester United eventually managed to come back and win the match 3–2.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Inzaghi helped Juventus win the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, scoring five goals in the semi-finals against Rostov, and two in the finals against Rennes, qualifying Juventus for the UEFA Cup that season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inzaghi scored 15 goals in Serie A as Juventus narrowly missed out on the title to Lazio, defeated on the final matchday. The following season, Inzaghi managed 11 goals in Serie A as Juventus finished second in the league for the second consecutive season; he also scored five goals in the UEFA Champions League, including a hat-trick in a 4–4 draw against Hamburger SV,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> although Juventus were eliminated in the first round. With 16 goals in all competitions, he was Juventus's top goalscorer for the third consecutive season. However, his once-effective partnership with Del Piero had become less effective in recent seasons, due to their lack of understanding, individualism, and their strained relationship both on and off the pitch.<ref name="blob" /><ref name="feeling" /><ref name="tale" />
Despite scoring a high 89 goals in 165 games for the Bianconeri, Inzaghi was soon benched in favour of David Trezeguet and on 2 July 2001 signed for AC Milan<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> for a reported 70 billion lire,<ref name="Inzaghi2001" /> or 45 billion lire cash plus Cristian Zenoni<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> (Sky Sports reported a smaller total figure, £17 million<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>) for the 2001–02 campaign by coach Fatih Terim. Juventus announced that the sale of Inzaghi produced a capital gain of €31.1 million to the club, making the actual transfer fee much exceed that figure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inzaghi, however, suffered a knee injury and missed the first half of the season. Upon his return, he was able to forge a strong goalscoring partnership with Andriy Shevchenko, and he soon earned many trophies with the Rossoneri under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, among them the 2002–03 Champions League (in which Milan defeated his previous team, Juventus, in the final on penalties), along with the 2002–03 Coppa Italia (scoring in a 2–2 draw in the second leg),<ref name="Al Milan anche la Coppa Italia">Template:Cite news</ref> the 2003 UEFA Super Cup, the 2004 Supercoppa Italiana, and the 2003–04 Scudetto.<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi - UEFA" /> In the 2002–03 Champions League campaign, he scored his record third Champions League hat-trick against Deportivo de La Coruña in the Group Stage and a decisive goal in quarter-finals against Ajax, totalling 12 European goals in that season. In November 2004, he signed a contract extension with the club.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Inzaghi fully recovered from the persistent knee injuries that had dogged him for two years and regained his predatory goalscoring form by scoring 12 goals in 22 Serie A matches in 2005–06, along with four goals in five Champions' League appearances; two against Lyon in the quarter-finals and another two against Bayern Munich in the first knockout stage. He scored the decisive goal against the Bavarians in the 2007 quarter-finals, helping Milan to reach the semi-finals of the competition. On 23 May 2007, in the 2007 Champions League final in Athens, he scored both of Milan's goals in their 2–1 victory over Liverpool in a rematch of the 2005 final. He declared after the match:<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi - UEFA" />
It's a dream since I was a child to score twice in the final, and the ones I scored yesterday evening were the most important in my life. It was an unforgettable game. It's something that will stay with me all my life and two goals in the final speaks for itself.
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At the start of the 2007–08 season, he picked up where he left off in Athens, scoring the equalizer in the Super Cup in Milan's 3–1 victory over Sevilla. Inzaghi capped off the year by scoring two goals in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup final, helping Milan win 4–2 against Boca Juniors to take revenge for the defeat on penalties in 2003.<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi - UEFA" />
On 24 February 2008, Inzaghi scored the match-winning goal in Milan's 2–1 win over Palermo with a diving header after coming into the game from the bench; it marked his first Serie A goal in over a year. This was followed by ten more goals in the league, the last against Udinese. This strike against Udinese was his 100th goal for the club in official games. But despite incredible form, Italy national team manager Roberto Donadoni declined to call him for Euro 2008. In November 2008, Inzaghi agreed to a contract extension with Milan until June 2010.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
In the 2009–10 season, under manager Leonardo, Inzaghi was relegated to the role of backup player with his contract set to expire in June 2010. On 21 May 2010, he was offered a new one-year contract which would last until 30 June 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 3 November 2010, in the UEFA Champions League 2010–11 Group Stage campaign, with Milan trailing by 1–0 to Real Madrid, Inzaghi came off the bench in the second half and scored a brace to give Milan a 2–1 lead. Pedro León, however, equalized in the 94th minute, with the final score ending 2–2. On that occasion, he became the new all-time top scorer of all European club competitions with 70 goals. He also became the second-oldest player to score in the Champions League, aged 37 years and 85 days, behind only Manchester United's Ryan Giggs, now surpassed by Inzaghi's compatriot Francesco Totti. With these two goals, Inzaghi went ahead of his idol Marco van Basten on the club list of the all-time top goalscorers with 125 goals.
On 10 November 2010, Inzaghi suffered a serious injury while playing for Milan against Palermo. A statement on the official Milan club website confirmed that Inzaghi had suffered a lesion of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and an associated lesion to the external meniscus of the left knee. It was thought he would be out for the rest of the season.<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi - UEFA" /> Due to his age, this injury could have ended his career; nonetheless, Inzaghi was optimistic. On 7 May 2011, with Inzaghi still out recovering from his injury, Milan won the 2010–11 Serie A title. After being sidelined by injury for six months, he came off the bench for the first time since his injury on 14 May, with Milan defeating Cagliari 4–1. He extended his contract till June 2012 during the 2011–12 pre-season.
Just like with Andrea Pirlo in 2011, Milan decided not to renew the contracts of several veteran players at the end of the season and Inzaghi was one of those, along with Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta and Gianluca Zambrotta.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He played his final game for Milan against Novara on 13 May 2012 and marked his performance by scoring the winning goal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 24 July 2012, Inzaghi announced his retirement from professional football to start a coaching career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
European competition records
With 70 goals, Inzaghi is the sixth-highest scorer in European club competitions, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Raúl and Karim Benzema. He became the first player to score two Champions League hat-tricks – both with Juventus – when he netted a treble during a 4–4 group stage draw with Hamburger SV on 13 September 2000; his first was in a 4–1 victory over Dynamo Kyiv during the 1997–98 quarter–finals. Inzaghi scored a record third Champions League hat-trick in a 4–0 win against Deportivo de La Coruña in the 2002–03 season, while playing for Milan. This record would later be tied by Michael Owen, who scored two hat-tricks for Liverpool and a third for Manchester United.
International career
Between 1993 and 1996, Inzaghi made 14 appearances for the Italy under-21 team, scoring three goals; he was also a member of the Italy under-21 squad that won the 1994 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Inzaghi earned his first senior cap for Italy in the Tournoi de France,<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi - UEFA" /> against Brazil on 8 June 1997, under his former under-21 manager Cesare Maldini, and provided an assist to goalscorer Alessandro Del Piero. Italy went on to draw 3–3.<ref name="Nazionale in cifre: Inzaghi, Filippo">Template:Cite web</ref> He scored his first goal for Italy on 18 November 1998, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Spain;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he has since scored 25 goals in 57 appearances.<ref name="Nazionale in cifre: Inzaghi, Filippo" /> He was called up for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup and the 2006 World Cup.
Although Inzaghi went scoreless throughout the 1998 World Cup, as he was mainly deployed as a substitute, he came off the bench to set up a goal for Roberto Baggio in Italy's final group match against Austria, which ended in a 2–1 win, and allowed Italy to top their group;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Italy were knocked out in the quarter-finals on penalties to hosts and eventual champions France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At Euro 2000, he was one of Italy's starting strikers under the new Italy manager Dino Zoff. He scored two goals throughout the tournament; his first came from a penalty, in Italy's 2–1 opening group win over Turkey,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in which he was named man of the match,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while his second came in a 2–0 win over Romania in the quarter-finals of the competition;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> he also set up Stefano Fiore's goal in a 2–0 win over co-hosts Belgium in his nation's second group match of the tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His performances helped Italy reach the final, where they were defeated by France once again, on a golden goal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Along with Francesco Totti, he was Italy's top-scorer throughout the tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Under Zoff's replacement, Giovanni Trapattoni, Inzaghi was Italy's top goalscorer during the qualifying rounds of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> scoring his first and only international hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Wales on 6 September 2003,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> although he missed the latter tournament due to injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He went scoreless throughout the 2002 World Cup, making two appearances, as Italy were controversially eliminated in the round of 16 to co-hosts South Korea;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Italy's 2–1 loss to Croatia in their second group match, Materazzi played a floating ball over the top from just over halfway to Inzaghi in the 90th minute, but everyone missed the ball and it rolled into the back of the net, although the goal was disallowed after referee Graham Poll claimed that Inzaghi had grabbed an opponent's shirt.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inzaghi also had a goal wrongly disallowed in Italy's final group match against Mexico, which ended in a 1–1 draw.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Inzaghi's persistent knee and ankle injuries put a halt to his international play for almost two years before his resurgence at club level, which resulted in being called up by Italy coach Marcello Lippi for the 2006 World Cup final tournament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Due to the abundance of other top strikers such as Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni, Inzaghi made his only appearance – subbing on for Alberto Gilardino – in Italy's final group stage match against the Czech Republic on 22 June 2006, scoring his only goal in the tournament, rounding Petr Čech in a one-on-one encounter to net Italy's second goal, which made him the oldest player to have scored for Italy in a World Cup, after Daniele Massaro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Italy went on to win the tournament, defeating France on penalties in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Following Italy's fourth World Cup victory, Inzaghi made six appearances under new manager Roberto Donadoni in Italy's UEFA Euro 2008 qualification campaign, scoring three goals, two of which came in a 2–1 away win against the Faroe Islands on 2 June 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was not called up for the final tournament, however, where Italy were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals on penalties, and he made his last appearance for Italy on 8 September 2007, in a 0–0 draw against France in Milan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Inzaghi was an intelligent, extremely fast, agile, and opportunistic player, with excellent reactions and a lanky, slender physique;<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /><ref name="Omaggio a Filippo Inzaghi">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="DizionarioCalcioItaliano">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="interruzioni.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="corsera">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="glance">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="details">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Ciao Pippo Inzaghi">Template:Cite news</ref> although not very technically gifted,<ref name="tecnicailgiornale">Template:Cite web</ref> he was known for his great skill in taking advantage of the carelessness of his opponents, his excellent positional sense in the area, and his eye for goal,<ref name="tecnicailgiornale" /> making a name for himself as a "goal poacher", due to his style of play and tendency to operate mainly in the penalty box,<ref name="details" /> as well as his timing and ability to find spaces and anticipate opponents to get on the end of passes.<ref name="pronto">Template:Cite news</ref> These qualities, along with his finishing ability with both his head and feet, made him one of the most prolific strikers of the past decades.<ref name="corsera" /><ref name="glance" /> Inzaghi was described as a player who lived on the offside line.<ref name="DizionarioCalcioItaliano" /><ref name="interruzioni.com" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
When he was first called up to the national team, the other Italian players were surprised at his lack of technical accomplishment,<ref name="Ciao Pippo Inzaghi" /> but came to accept him because he scored so frequently.<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /> Johan Cruyff described this contrast—"Look, actually he can't play football at all. He's just always in the right position."<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /> Fans nicknamed him Superpippo,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Italian name for Super Goof, the superhero alter ego of cartoon character Goofy (Pippo being a common hypocorism of his first name Filippo). Tactically, Inzaghi was noted for his vision and ability to read the game,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as his outstanding offensive movement off the ball, ability to play off the shoulders of the last defender, and to time his attacking runs to beat the offside trap,<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /> which allowed him to get on the end of passes, but also to provide depth to his team,<ref name="pronto" /> leading long-time Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson to quip: "That lad must have been born offside."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Although in the past, due to his poor defensive work-rate and lack of notable technical skills, strength in the air or long range striking ability, he was initially accused by some in the sport for being a limited striker or a "lucky" player,<ref name="tale">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Omaggio a Filippo Inzaghi" /><ref name="Ciao Pippo Inzaghi" /> and also drew criticism at times for being selfish,<ref name="tale" /><ref name="Ciao Pippo Inzaghi" /><ref name="blob">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="feeling">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Seven-up Inzaghi back on selfish streak">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> for not participating in the build-up of plays,<ref name="cinquantamila">Template:Cite web</ref> and for going to ground too easily,<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /> he has been praised by several of his former managers and teammates for his prolific goalscoring.<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /><ref name="Omaggio a Filippo Inzaghi" /><ref name="Ciao Pippo Inzaghi" /> Despite his lack of significant talent, Inzaghi and others attribute his success, aside from technical prowess, to personal drive, intelligence, and determination.<ref name="Filippo Inzaghi, FourFourTwo (blog)" /><ref name="Ciao Pippo Inzaghi" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Due to his opportunistic playing style, Inzaghi was frequently compared to Paolo Rossi throughout his career.<ref name="tale" /><ref name="cinquantamila" /> Despite his prolific goalscoring, Inzaghi was often considered injury-prone throughout his career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Inzaghi started his coaching career at the beginning of the 2012–13 season, signing a two-year deal as the manager of AC Milan's Allievi (under-17) team.<ref name="Allievi">Template:Cite news</ref>
On 9 June 2014, Inzaghi was named manager of Milan's first team after the dismissal of his former Rossoneri teammate Clarence Seedorf.<ref name="AC Milan: Filippo Inzaghi replaces Clarence Seedorf">Template:Cite news</ref> In Inzaghi's first match as a manager in Serie A on 31 August, Milan defeated Lazio 3–1 at the San Siro.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Inzaghi then led Milan to a second consecutive win in a match that ended with a 5–4 Milan win against Parma.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 4 June 2015 Adriano Galliani, the CEO of Milan, announced that Inzaghi would not be the coach for next season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was officially dismissed on 16 June 2015.
Venezia
On 7 June 2016, Inzaghi was appointed as the new coach of ambitious Lega Pro club Venezia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 19 April 2017, after beating Parma to top spot, he won promotion to Serie B as champions.<ref name="thesetpieces.com">Template:Cite web</ref> He also won the Coppa Italia Lega Pro in the same season.<ref name="thesetpieces.com" />
During the 2017–18 season, Inzaghi guided the Venetians to a fifth-place finish in Serie B, finishing in the playoffs positions to earn promotion to Serie A. After eliminating Perugia (coached by his former teammate Alessandro Nesta) in the preliminary round, his team was defeated by Palermo in the semi-finals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bologna
On 13 June 2018, Inzaghi was announced as the new head coach of top-flight Bologna, taking over from Roberto Donadoni.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He faced a Lazio side coached by his younger brother Simone in an eventual 0–2 defeat on 26 December.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following a record of two wins in 21 games, he was dismissed on 28 January 2019 and replaced by Siniša Mihajlović.<ref name="inz">Template:Cite web</ref>
Benevento
On 22 June 2019, Inzaghi was appointed manager of Benevento in Serie B.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 30 June the following year, his club achieved promotion as champions with seven games remaining, reaching Serie A for the second time in their history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On his Serie A debut for the team, they won 3–2 at Sampdoria on 26 September, having been losing 2–0.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Benevento ended the 2020–21 Serie A season in eighteenth place, being relegated back to Serie B after only one season; as a consequence of the events, Inzaghi was not offered a new contract and left Benevento afterwards.
On 23 March 2022, Inzaghi was dismissed by club chairman Massimo Cellino, leaving the club in fifth place in the league table.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After his successor Eugenio Corini was eliminated in the promotion playoff semifinals by Monza, on 25 May 2022 Cellino formally reappointed Inzaghi as head coach, due to a clause that was legally forbidding his sacking if Brescia were placed in one of the top eight league places.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Reggina
On 12 July 2022, Inzaghi was appointed manager of Reggina in Serie B, signing a three-year deal with the Calabrians.<ref name="REGG">Template:Cite web</ref> After guiding Reggina to a spot in the promotion playoffs, he was released together with all players and staff as Reggina were excluded due to financial issues, thus finding himself without a job by the beginning of the 2023–24 season.
Salernitana
On 10 October 2023, relegation-struggling Serie A club Salernitana announced the appointment of Inzaghi in place of outgoing Paulo Sousa. He was sacked on 11 February 2024 and replaced by Fabio Liverani.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pisa
On 3 July 2024, Inzaghi signed for Serie B club Pisa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In his debut season with the club, Inzaghi led Pisa to promotion to Serie A, marking their return to the top flight after a 34-year absence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He left Pisa on 13 June 2025.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Palermo
On 17 June 2025, Inzaghi was confirmed as the new head coach for Palermo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2015, the arcade game company Konami announced that Inzaghi would feature in their football video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 as one of the new myClub Legends.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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