The last time Italy qualified for the World Cup knockout round was in 2006, when they sang triumphantly and finally won the French crown led by Zidane in the penalty shootout stage. In the final four, Italy once fought Germany to extra time, and it was Fabio Grosso, the protagonist of this article, who helped Italy in the bitter battle to win.
Fabio Grosso's playing career was not a very outstanding player, compared to his national team teammates Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Marco Materazzi and Gianluca Zambrotta, who were much less famous. He played early in his career for renato Curi in non-league teams, then played for Chieti in Serie C, until he was 24 years old (2001) when he was recruited by Serie A side Perugia to play in the top flight.
In Perugia, Fabio Grosso's impressive performances have gradually given him a foothold in Serie A, scoring 91 appearances in two and a half seasons, handing over seven goals and two assists; in 2003, he led the way to win the UEFA Intertoto Cup, the first major tournament title award of his career. This led to his acquisition of veteran team Palermo in January 2004, during which fabio Grosso became the team's promoted minister and led the team to win the Serie B title.
After the promotion, he remained the main force in Palermo and was watched by the national team manager Lippi, who called him into the squad. The Silver Foxes are bullish on the unknown left-back player, and Fabio Grosso has gradually become italy's main force, with Zambrotta each taking a wing. At the 2006 World Cup, Fabio Grosso repeatedly delivered excellent performances on the offensive end, first scoring penalties for the team in the match against Australia, allowing Totti to beat Australia to reach the quarterfinals with one goal. In the final four against Germany, the two armies played seven in seven and seven out, the game needed to enter extra time; at the end of overtime, when fans thought that the two armies needed to decide the victory and defeat with a penalty shoot-out, Fabio Grosso stepped forward again, scoring a killer goal in the 119th minute to help Italy beat Germany, which had the advantage of home, to advance to the final.
Fabio Grosso was also the unquestionably starter in the World Cup final five days later, with France scoring a penalty to lead with Zidane, but Italy also tied with Materazzi's header. In the penalty shoot-out stage, Fabio Grosso scored a crucial fifth round, leading a long way to lift the Hercules Cup for the fourth time.
Fabio Grosso then moved to Inter, and although he won the Serie A title with the team, his personal performance was only mediocre; Lyon, who was sold to Ligue 1 after one season, gradually disappeared from the fans' vision. He also returned to Serie A, joining Juventus, who was still in the rebuilding period, for three seasons; in the third season, Conte finally brought the team out of the haze of the "phone gate" to regain the long-lost Serie A title; Fabio Grosso also chose to hang up his boots this year to end his playing career.
Fabio Grosso's playing career is not bad, but compared to the national team teammates next to him, the difference is certain. But in the 2006 World Cup, he delivered more critical performances than anyone else, helping the team to get out of the predicament repeatedly, which can be said to be the absolute hero of the team's championship. Although Fabio Grosso's club career lacked highlights, the key contribution made on the way to the World Cup has been talked about by Italian fans for a lifetime.