Speaking of the team that was once very popular in Serie A, with many powerful players, but eventually escaped the doom of relegation, who will think of it? Was it Parma, who once won Serie A and won the Confederation Cup twice? Or Napoli and Sampdoria, who kept taking the Serie A title from the "Northern Triwizard" in the 1980s and 1990s? Or Provelcelli, who has won the Serie A title seven times and is now in serie A? Or chievo, who qualified for the League Cup as a promoted horse in 2001/02 and created the miracle of the "flying donkey"? If you think the glory days of the teams mentioned here are too old, let's talk today about an Italian team that played in Europe many times from 05/06 to 11/12, but now has been in the Third Division for many years - Palermo. See which stars this team has ever had!
Salvatore. Sirigu
Sirigu joined Palermo at the age of 18 and made his first-team debut for the team in that year's Coppa Italia at the age of 19. After several seasons on loan, Sirigu returned to Palermo in the 2009/10 season and soon became the team's number one goalkeeper. In the summer of 2011, Sirigu joined Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain for 3.9 million euros after two seasons of outstanding performances. During his time in Palermo, Sirigu made a total of 80 appearances for the team.
Fabio. Grosso
The "great Italian left-back" at the 2006 Fifa World Cup played for three seasons in Palermo from 2003 to 2006. Playing as a left-back, he is tall and technically delicate, while his excellent speed and assist ability allow Grosso to make a cameo appearance as a left-back. Grosso is also a free-kick expert, and occasionally uses free kicks to provide assists or help the team score.
In the 2006 World Cup, Grosso played well, stepped forward many times in the team's critical moments, and was one of the heroes of the Italian team to win the championship. After the World Cup, Grosso joined Serie A giants Inter Milan for 5.5 million euros, and since then, after no eye-catching performances.
While in Palermo, Grosso made 106 appearances for the team (including 21 in Serie B), scoring 2 goals.
Andrea. Balzagli and Christian. Zakardo
Both Barzagli and Zakardo joined Palermo in the summer of 2004, and the two played together as central defenders in Palermo for four years, and were also named to Italy's World Cup squad in 2006.
In the summer of 2008, Bundesliga side Wolfsburg spent $21 million to pack the duo to the Volkswagen Arena (1400 for Balzagli and 700 for Zakaldo), and although both won the Bundesliga title that season, Barzagli still had a good time. But neither of them' trip to Germany was a success.
During his time with the team, Barzagli made 165 appearances for the team and Zakardo made 161 appearances for the team, scoring 9 goals and assisting 4 times. The two of them can also be called the team's second general.
Simone. Barone
Number 17 Barone
Barone is Palermo's fourth international to contribute to Italy's World Cup in 2006. During his two years with Palermo, Barone Palace made 71 appearances for the team in Serie A, contributing five goals and was the team's absolute mainstay.
Luca. Tony
Tony is a late-bloomer in world football, and when he joined Palermo in the summer of 2003, the team was still working in the second division, and Tony was 26 years old that year. In his first season with the team, Tony, who scored 30 goals, won the Serie B Golden Boot and led Palermo back to the first division after 30 years.
In the 04/05 Serie A season, Tony scored 20 goals in 35 appearances and ranked third in the top scorers list, but was sold to Florent at the end of the season for 10 million euros. In two seasons, Tony scored 50 goals in 80 appearances for the team, very efficient.
Fabrizio. Mikoli
In 2007, Micoli, who became famous at a young age but failed to cash in on his talents from many teams, joined Palermo for 4.7 million euros, accompanied by 20-year-old Uruguayan striker Edinson. Cavani. In his first season on the franchise, Mikoli only made 22 appearances for his team in Serie A due to a calf injury, but contributed eight goals and five assists. In the 2008/09 season, Healthy Mikoli made 30 league appearances, scoring 14 goals and assisting nine times.
Mikoli exploded in 2009/10, scoring 19 goals and assisting eight times in 35 Serie A games, finishing third in the top scorers list and helping the team reach next season's Europa League fixtures; the Coppa Italia made three appearances, scoring three goals and contributing 1 assist. In the 2010/11 season, Mikoli delivered a double-double of 16 goals and 13 assists in the league and led the team to runner-up in the Coppa Italia, the closest Palermo has ever been to the title.
In the next two seasons, Mikoli, who is in his thirties, maintained a relatively good efficiency in goals and assists, especially when facing strong teams. Breaking Inter Milan five times in six seasons is arguably one of Inter's biggest sufferers. In his six seasons with Palermo, Mikoli made 180 appearances for the team, scoring 83 goals and assisting 48 times.
Edinson. Cavani
Many fans know that Cavani started with him at Napoli, but before that, Cavani in Palermo had already begun to show his killer talent. In the winter window of 2007, Palermo spent 5 million euros to sign Cavani, who was not yet 20 years old, from Uruguayan side Danubio.
Cavani, who came to serie A, quickly adapted to the rhythm of the game, and in the debut match against Florentia, Cavani, who had just passed his 20th birthday less than a month later, scored his debut goal with a wonderful volley and helped the team equalize. In Palermo's three and a half seasons, Cavani has moved steadily forward, scoring double-digit goals in both seasons in 08-10, except for his status as a substitute and the appearance of an unskilled winger position that led to him scoring only five goals in the previous season. In the summer of 2010, Cavani joined Napoli for €16 million, where he began his true journey to superstardom. During his three and a half seasons with Palermo, Cavani made 117 appearances in all competitions, scoring 37 goals.
Javier. Pastore
Italian teams have always been the first stop for South American players, especially Argentine players, to land in Europe. In 2009, the 20-year-old Argentine talent Pastore joined Palermo for 6 million euros. The tall Pastore is capable of playing in many positions in the front, and in his two seasons with Palermo, in addition to his steady contribution on the offensive end, he was able to deliver impressive data of averaging nearly 2 steals per game on the defensive end, and was the core candidate for the team's attack and defense ends. However, like Sirigu, in the summer of 2011, Pastore, who had performed well in Palermo, was spotted by Paris Saint-Germain and spent 42 million euros to take him from Palermo to the Stade du Prinz, by which time Pastore's price increase had increased by as much as 7 times, and he was also made the "Serie A top player" by the fans at that time.
During his time, Pastore made 82 appearances for the team in all competitions, contributing 16 goals and 16 assists.
Paul. Dybala
Another Argentine player who became famous in Palermo. In the summer of 2012, Palermo spent 12 million euros to recruit the "little magic fairy" who was not yet 19 years old at the time and only had experience in the Argentine Second Division, and the transfer fee also set the most expensive signing record in the history of the team.
But Dybala's memories of his first season in Palermo are not good, and although he opened his goal account early, his performance was as high and low as the team's. At the end of the season, Dybala made 27 appearances, scoring only 3 goals, and the team was unfortunately relegated to the second division. In the second division of the new season, Dybala, who suffered injuries, missed part of the team's matches, but still contributed 5 goals and 6 assists in 28 games to help the team return to the first division.
Finally, Dybala broke out in the 2014/15 Serie A season, with a double-double of 13 goals and 10 assists in 34 appearances to help the team successfully relegate, and he won the title of league assist king. At the end of the season, Dybala, who was interested in staying with the team, failed to agree on the details of the contract extension with the team, and then joined Juventus for 32 million euros. In three seasons, Dybala played in 89 games for the team, scoring 21 goals and assisting 16 times.
At the end of the 2016/17 season, Palermo, which had been in a pink storm in Serie A, was relegated to Serie B again, and was penalized in July 2009 for financial problems, and the team declared bankruptcy. Just like the Parma pair of that year, the bankrupt Palermo team restarted its entry into the Italian League under the name of SSD Palermo and successfully entered the C division after a season. Hopefully, this 122-year-old club will pick itself up soon and blow that pink storm again.