Igor Protti, the top scorer in Serie A in 1996, has died
Corriere dello Sport reports on the death of Igor Protti.
Igor Protti passed away on the night of 18–19 June 2026.
According to Italian media reports, the former footballer had been battling bowel cancer for some time. It was this illness that caused his death.
What is Igor Protti known for?
The 1995/96 season was the most memorable of Protti’s career. At the time, he was playing for Bari and unexpectedly became Serie A’s top scorer.
He shared this title with Giuseppe Signori.
What makes Protti’s achievement unique is that Bari were relegated from Serie A at the end of that season. Nevertheless, the striker himself became the only forward in the history of the Italian league to win the top scorer title whilst playing for a team that had been relegated from the top flight.
Throughout his career, Igor Protti played for Rimini, Livorno, Atalanta, Messina, Bari, Lazio, Napoli and Reggiana.
Livorno held a special place in his career. It was whilst playing for this club that he became the top scorer in Serie C1 in 2001 and 2002, as well as in Serie B in 2003.
Igor Protti is one of only two footballers to have been top scorer in the three top divisions of Italian football.
Apart from him, only Dario Hübner has achieved this feat.
Italian football has bid farewell to one of the most prominent strikers of the 1990s and early 2000s. Protti is remembered not only for his goalscoring prowess, but also for setting individual records whilst playing for teams that were not among Serie A’s top sides.
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