A seriously talented combined XI of players the old Palermo gave football

Not too long ago, U.S. Città di Palermo looked destined to become a major player in Italian football.

The most successful period in the club’s recent history occurred just over a decade ago, when straight after achieving promotion to Serie A they secured three consecutive top-six finishes in the top flight, consequently bringing continental football to the Stadio Renzo Barbera for the first time ever.

Now, technically speaking at least, they don’t even exist anymore. U.S Citta di Palermo were declared insolvent in October 2019 after being kicked out of Serie B on 12 July, 2019, thanks to financial irregularities.

Fear not, though, a phoenix club – Palermo FC – has been formed in their wake and now compete in Serie B, taking all their history and honours along with them. They are also now part of City Football Group, joining the likes of Girona, Troyes and, of course, Manchester City.

While the Rosanero certainly overachieved during their heyday, their team had more than a sprinkling of star quality. Luca Toni led the line expertly, netting 20 goals in 2004-05 (their first season back in the big time) before moving on to Fiorentina, while four of their players – Cristian Zaccardo, Fabio Grosso, Andrea Barzagli and Simone Barone – all lifted the World Cup in 2006 with Italy.

Given their success, Palermo became a feeder club to bigger teams across Europe.

Initially, they succeeded in replacing their top stars by signing young, unproven players from relatively untapped talent pools around the world who flourished in Serie A. But eventually, their success in the transfer market began to diminish until, after a mixture of sharp and steady declines, they reached the point they’re at today.

Just look at some of the players they had on their cards at one point or another…

Goalkeeper: Salvatore Sirigu

Palermo apps: 81

Current club: Palermo

Salvatore Sirigu progressed through Palermo’s youth ranks and established himself as the club’s No.1 shot-stopper during the 2009-10 season.

The Italian international only played regularly for two years but his performances attracted the attention of PSG, who made him one of their first acquisitions after being taken over in 2011.

In Paris, Sirigu lifted 13 trophies but after losing his place in the side he joined La Liga strugglers Osasuna following an unproductive six-month stint at Sevilla. Sirigu then went on something of a journey across Italy and Europe, representing Torino, Genoa, Napoli, Fiorentina, Nice and Fatih Karagumruk. But in the summer of 2024, Sirigu returned home, re-joining Palermo in Serie B as a backup goalkeeper.

Centre-back: Andrea Barzagli

Palermo apps: 165

Current club: Retired

It took a while for Andrea Barzagli to make his mark in professional football and it was with Palermo that he truly began to blossom into one of Italy’s best defenders during a four-year spell.

He won his first international cap for Italy while donning Palermo’s colours and after helping them consolidate as a top-half team in Serie A, he left for Wolfsburg in 2008. There he won the Bundesliga (alongside Cristian Zaccardo) in his first season.

From 2011, Barzagli became a mainstay of Juventus’ all-conquering team, forming a virtually impenetrable defensive unit alongside Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. But he called time on his footballing career in 2018-19, retiring and eventually moving into coaching.

Centre-back: Kamil Glik

Palermo apps: 4

Current club: Cracovia

The towering Polish defender spent a year with Real Madrid’s C team in his younger days but it was while playing for Piast Gliwice in his homeland that Kamil Glik came to the attention of Palermo’s scouts.

Strangely, though, Glik struggled to make an impression in Sicily, featuring in only four games for the club, which led to a permanent move to Torino just a year later, following a loan spell at Bari.

During a five-year spell in Turin, Glik became one of Serie A’s most dominant defenders, leading to a move to ambitious Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

He was Ligue 1’s top-scoring defender in 2016-17 with six goals, helping Monaco win the title. Glik spent three years back in Italy with Benevento before returning to his native Poland in the summer.

Centre-back: Simon Kjaer

Palermo apps: 65

Current club: Free agent

Another big, powerful, beast of a defender, Palermo spotted Simon Kjaer’s potential before anyone else, signing him from the progressive Danish club FC Midtjylland in 2008 when he was a teenager.

Replacing Barzagli was a daunting task but it was one that the Danish international relished, immediately impressing at the heart of Palermo’s defence and becoming one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe in the process – as well as Danish Player of the Year in 2009.

Coincidentally, he made the same move as the man he replaced by joining Wolfsburg and he has since worn the colours for Roma, Lille, Fenerbahce, Sevilla and AC Milan. Kjaer finished 18th in the 2021 Ballon d’Or, and recently called time on his spell at AC Milan.

Right-midfield: Matteo Darmian

Palermo apps: 16

Current club: Inter Milan

Matteo Darmian graduated from AC Milan’s Primavera side in 2006 but given the world-class quality the club possessed in their ranks at the time, he was unable to force his way into the first-team reckoning.

Eventually, he decided to move on to pastures new, joining Palermo in 2010 where he made 11 Serie A appearances in his debut campaign. Just as with Glik, though, he was allowed to join Torino after just one year.

While at Torino, Darmian developed into one of Serie A’s most effective full-backs, earning international recognition with Italy as well as a transfer to Manchester United.

It’s safe to say his time at Old Trafford was a total failure and he’s now back in his homeland with at Inter Milan where he lifted two Serie A titles.

Central midfielder: Javier Pastore

Palermo apps: 82

Current club: Free agent

Palermo’s scouting network was noticeably enhanced after they had consolidated their status as a Serie A club, with South America, in particular, becoming a region increasingly targeted by the club for top young talent.

In 2009, they secured the services of the little-known Javier Pastore, who had impressed while playing for small Argentine clubs Talleres and Huracan. An extremely gifted playmaker possessing exceptional vision, Pastore adapted seamlessly to Italian football, becoming the star of the Palermo team.

Unfortunately for them, Palermo could only hang on to Pastore for two seasons as he became the first big-money signing made by PSG after their takeover, travelling to Paris at the same time as Sirigu. Pastore won a raft of trophies for the Ligue 1 giants but never truly established himself in the first team, eventually departing for AS Roma in 2018. The Argentine remained in Roma for three years before leaving in 2021, later joining Elche. Pastore is without a club, leaving Qatar SC last year.

Central midfielder: Franco Vazquez

Palermo apps: 109

Current club: US Cremonese

A year after selling Pastore, Palermo once again looked to the Argentine top flight for his replacement, landing Franco Vazquez from Belgrano in a similarly under-the-radar deal.

Initially, Vazquez struggled to fill the Pastore-shaped hole in midfield and strikingly there were no real suitors for his signature when Palermo suffered relegation in 2014.

However, he flourished upon their return to the top tier the following year and was eventually sold to Sevilla in 2016, where he was a regular, helping them win the Europa League. Vazquez called time on his stay in Sevilla in the summer, returning to Italy with Parma and then Cremonese.

Left midfielder: Josip Ilicic

Palermo apps: 107

Current club: Maribor

Palermo’s search for undervalued players has led them to scour the Slovenian league for signings and undoubtedly the most successful recruit from Italy’s neighbouring country is the talented forward, Josip Ilicic.

Possessing a hammer of a left foot, Ilicic starred for Palermo for three seasons, scoring 25 goals and registering 18 assists in just over a century of appearances.

The powerful forward’s form didn’t go unnoticed and in 2013, he moved on, joining Fiorentina, where he became an integral member of the team before moving to Atalanta in the summer of 2017. The Slovenian played a key role as La Dea became Champions League football regulars. He is now playing in Slovenia with Maribor, after taking a brief break from football while at Atalanta due to mental health concerns.

Forward: Paulo Dybala

Palermo apps: 93

Current club: Roma

Palermo’s pursuit of Paulo Dybala was a protracted one but, eventually, they managed to complete his capture in the summer of 2012, spending a club-record £10m to sign him from Argentine second division club Instituto.

The club’s eccentric chairman Maurizio Zamparini labelled his new signing the ‘next Sergio Aguero’ but initially Dybala struggled with the weight of expectation on his young shoulders.

Similarly to Vazquez, he found his top form in Serie B before carrying that into Serie A, where his goalscoring prowess and intelligent displays convinced Juventus to sign him in 2015. Dybala went from strength to strength at Juventus and was arguably their most important player under Massimiliano Allegri. It was a sad moment when he left the club, joining Roma.

Forward: Edinson Cavani

Palermo apps: 117

Current club: Boca Juniors

Yet another player who arrived at Palermo from South America, this time from Uruguay. Edinson Cavani made the move to European football in January 2007, signing from Danubio where he had first made his name.

It took Cavani a while to settle in Italy as he scored only seven goals in his first 40 Serie A appearances. However, the following two seasons saw him net 27 in the league, which prompted a move to Napoli.

He played a key role in re-establishing Napoli as a force in Italian football and after scoring 104 goals in 138 matches at the San Paolo side, he joined Paris Saint-Germain in a then-club-record £55m deal.

The Uruguayan eventually became the French side’s all-time top scorer, condemning Zlatan Ibrahimovic to second on the list. But he himself has had to drop to second, behind Kylian Mbappe. Cavani left PSG for Manchester United, spending two years in England before leaving for Valencia. Cavani is now captain of Boca Juniors, aged 37.

Forward: Luca Toni

Palermo apps: 83

Current club: Retired

Luca Toni represented a lot of clubs during his career. Fifteen to be exact. During that time, Toni scored over 300 club goals and 16 for the Italian national team, winning the 2006 World Cup with them. Two of Toni’s 22-year club career was were spent in Palermo, between 2003 and 2005.

Toni joined Palermo when they were in Serie B and scored 30 goals to help them secure promotion to the top flight. In his next season, Toni scored 20 league goals as Palermo finished sixth in Serie A. As a result, they qualified for the Uefa Cup for the first ever time. Toni was a huge part in Palermo taking that step.

Toni’s time at Palermo ended on a sour note, leaving for Fiorentina in a move that did not go down well with the fans. But Toni’s career trajectory continued to grow, also representing the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus. He retired in 2016.

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