Claudio Caniggia

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Claudio Caniggia
Personal information
Position(s)
Forward
Team information
Current team
 retired in 2004

Claudio Paul Caniggia (born

football forward, who played for the Argentine national team in two World Cups, and was a member of both rival clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors
.

Nicknames

There are Cani fans all over the world. His Argentine nickname is El Pájaro (The Bird). In China, Caniggia is known as "El Hijo del Viento (the son of the wind)". These are largely due to his sheer, raw speed to burn past defenders toward the goal that forwards covet the most. Some people also call him "Axl" since he looks more like a hard-living rock star than a world-class athlete.

International career

Caniggia was

1994 World Cups, scoring 4 goals in 8 matches. Contrary to popular belief, largely due to loose interpretation, Caniggia was not a striker, but rather a playmaker forward. Throughout the Copa América 1991, Caniggia asserted his dominance and was the most dynamic player. He scored 2 goals and made 4 assists in the tournament. To Argentines, Claudio has always been a strange footballer, a globetrotter. That is why it is impossible to associate him with a single club. Instead he holds a unique place in their affections. Because when they think of El Pajaro, it is always in the "celeste and blanca" colours of the national team. Claudio is synonymous with World Cup games, winning goals and triumphs in the Argentinian jersey. [1]

1990 World Cup

File:Caniggia.jpg
Caniggia celebrating a winning goal with teammates in a game against Brazil in the 1990 World Cup.

At the 1990 World Cup, Caniggia scored two key goals to help Argentina reach the final. He came off the bench in the inaugural match against

Taffarel
; Caniggia dribbled past him and scored on the empty goal, giving Argentina the victory and eliminating Brazil from the tournament.

Argentina then beat

penalty kicks, advancing to semifinals, where they played against Italy. The Italians had not allowed any goals in five matches, and were up 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, Caniggia headed a cross into the net of goalkeeper Walter Zenga, ending his record streak at 517 minutes without conceding a goal, and sending the match into extra time. After no change in the score, penalty kicks were taken, and Argentina won again through this method, advancing to the final. Caniggia had been cautioned in one of the first round matches, and then received another yellow card against Italy, which earned him a suspension. He had to watch the final between his team and Germany
from the stands, which Argentina lost 0-1.

1994 World Cup

Caniggia scored another two goals in the 1994 World Cup, both of them in the first round match against Nigeria, the second one on a service by Diego Maradona, the last goal in which Maradona would be involved during his World Cup career.

Absence from the national team

After refusing to cut his long hair despite the rules of national coach

Sweden
.

Club career

At the club level, Caniggia, nicknamed El Pájaro (The Bird), played for

SL Benfica (1994-95), Boca Juniors (1995-98), Dundee (2000-01) and Rangers
(2001-03).

Trivia notes

Caniggia is great friends with Argentine superstar Diego Maradona; the duo once celebrated a goal with a kiss on the lips. Claudio's wife, model Mariana Nannis, said: "At times I believe Diego is in love with my husband. It must be the long hair and big muscles."

References

  1. ^ (Citation: Natasha Woods, "Phoenix from the flames; His flight path may have taken him far from", The Sunday Herald, Apr 7, 2002)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Claudio_Caniggia&oldid=143835750"