Some great goalscorers never really find favour with a big club or their country. Giancarlo Rinaldi pays tribute to one such player – Igor Protti – who has passed away aged just 58.

In amongst the superstars, there are sometimes unfashionable footballers who can do a great job without ever really getting the credit they deserve. Through misfortune, misjudgement or maybe choice, there are players who do not get the limelight despite stringing together an impressive career. For the best part of two decades, from the mid-1980s to mid-2000s, Igor Protti was one such goalscorer across all levels of the Italian game.

Tribute to ex-Serie A star Protti

His peak came in a remarkable 1995/96 season where he finished joint top scorer in Serie A with Beppe Signori despite his team, Bari, ending up getting relegated. Among the players he outscored that astonishing year were Enrico Chiesa, Oliver Bierhoff and Gabriel Batistuta. At a time when Italy enjoyed a wide range of attacking options, he was scarcely considered for inclusion in their squad at the European Championships in England that summer.

That was the pinnacle of his powers that he had spent 10 years honing in some low key places. Hometown Rimini was where it all began, followed by Livorno and Virescit Bergamo before getting the chance to step up to Serie B at a club desperately seeking a goalscorer. Messina had just sold Salvatore Schillaci to Juventus and they saw, in Protti, the right man to fill his power-packed boots.

He delivered double-figure returns in two out of his three seasons in Sicily before Bari came calling. He helped to take them to Serie A and, in a team whose star foreign imports were Swedes Klas Ingesson and Kennet Andersson, delivered his record-breaking season as they tumbled back down to the second tier.

It earned him his move to a big side at last to keep him in the top flight – with Lazio – but he never really settled or seemed at home. A move to Napoli did not work out much better and he decided that, perhaps, he was better off moving down the divisions once again.

That would mean Reggiana and, then, a very special mission to Livorno. He would help them move up from Serie C to Serie B and – after the arrival of club legend Cristiano Lucarelli – into Italy’s top division. He would have one last campaign in Serie A with the Tuscan club before saying goodbye to his playing days.

Protti, in his prime, was a joy to watch. He mixed agility, hard work and opportunism to great effect and was a threat to some of the best defences in the world when at his peak. His trademark long, curly locks made him one of the most easily identifiable footballers in an era when Italy could still attract some huge names.

The news of his passing came as no huge shock – he had been ill for some time – but was still tragically premature. It sent many minds scampering back to the days when he lit up the Italian game – most notably with Bari and Livorno – and club after club paid tribute to the man.

He had one standout season, for sure, but delivered a whole lot more than that during his playing career. Trophies were in short supply – an Italian Super Cup with Lazio is all the history books will show – but the thousands who turned out to say their goodbyes in Livorno underlined that the game can be about more than silverware. Igor Protti gave fans of clubs which do not always have that much to cheer about a source of celebration. His contribution to their cause will surely not be forgotten for some time to come.