Claudio Caniggia

Claudio Paul Caniggia (born 9 January 1967) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as forward or winger.

Caniggia played 50 times for the Argentina national team.

He appeared in three World Cups, and was a member of both rival clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors.

At club level, Caniggia played for River Plate (1985–88), Hellas Verona (1988–89), Atalanta (1989–92 and 1999–2000), Roma (1992–93), S.L. Benfica (1994–95), Boca Juniors (1995–98), Dundee (2000–01) and Rangers (2001–03).

In 1988, Caniggia moved to Serie A club Hellas Verona after accumulating 53 appearances and 8 goals for River Plate.

He then moved to Atalanta in 1989, where he would remain for three years and score 26 goals in 85 league games.

At the 1990 FIFA World Cup, Caniggia scored two goals to help Argentina reach the final but was suspended for the final against West Germany.

With Atalanta, he competed twice in the UEFA Cup, helping the club reach the quarter-finals in the 1990–91 edition.

Despite not winning any silverware, Caniggia later described his experience with Atalanta as "the best years in his career".

Caniggia was a key player in both the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, but was not picked under the strict regime of coach Daniel Passarella for France '98.

Caniggia was capped 50 times for Argentina, scoring 16 goals.

He played at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, scoring four goals in eight matches.

In Argentina, Caniggia was renowned for excelling for the national team despite not having a high-profile club career nor ever playing for big European teams.

Contrary to popular belief and largely due to loose interpretation, Caniggia was not a pure striker, but rather a playmaker or creative forward.

Caniggia was good friends with Argentina legend Diego Maradona; the duo once celebrated a goal with a kiss on the lips.

Claudio's wife at that time, model Mariana Nannis, said: "At times I believe Diego is in love with my husband. It must be the long hair and big muscles."

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 Cameroon in Milan, memorably being fouled three times in a single dribble as he carried the ball forward, the last, by Benjamin Massing earning the Cameroonian a straight red card (Massing kicked Caniggia so hard his own shoe came off).

Caniggia moved to Roma in 1992, a move both parties believed would help the club aim for the Scudetto, though Roma lost its momentum mid-season with only 15 points from 17 games.

After a 1–1 draw against Napoli on 21 March 1993, following a surprise doping test, Caniggia was handed a 13-month ban for taking cocaine; he has a history of enjoying the high life.

After his ban expired, he joined Benfica on a year-long loan financed by the Parmalat dairy company.

During his Benfica run, Valencia contacted him.

He played with the white kit during a friendly match where Valencia faced Brazil in Mestalla.

He played as a guest player in a team where Tenerife player Diego Latorre was also included in the squad.

Valencia had to pay 80 million pesetas for the inclusion of both players for that friendly, receiving only 66 million in ticket sales.

Argentine media mogul Eduardo Eurnekian then acquired the rights to Caniggia from Roma and Diego Maradona from Racing Club de Avellaneda, loaning them to Boca Juniors in exchange for matches played on his television stations.

At the completion of his one-year contract, Caniggia's outspoken wife refused to return to Argentina and he was heavily linked with clubs in England.

Caniggia also scored two goals at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in a first-round match against Nigeria.

As well as appearing for River Plate and Boca Juniors, his other clubs include Atalanta, Benfica, Dundee and Rangers.

Throughout his playing career, he played for clubs in Argentina, Italy, Portugal, Scotland and Qatar.

In September 1996 his mother committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of her building and Caniggia did not play in the 1996–97 season.

He returned to play for Boca in 1997–98 but his appearances were sporadic as he missed out on the 1998 World Cup squad.

After another season of inactivity he re-joined Atalanta in Serie B, helping the club achieve promotion to Serie A, but left after one season following a dispute with coach Giovanni Vavassori.

He then signed for Scottish club Dundee, managed by Ivano Bonnetti whom he knew well from their time together in Italy.

Quickly becoming Dundee's star player, he was then transferred to Rangers, becoming a fans favourite at Ibrox, after scoring against arch rivals Celtic in a cup final.

He has become a club legend and cult-hero at many of the clubs he has played at, for instance when scoring against Dunfermline in 2003 to help Rangers win the title.

In June 2012, he was one of several former professional footballers who agreed to join Wembley to play in their FA Cup campaign for the new season.

Caniggia and fellow former-internationals Ray Parlour, Martin Keown, Graeme Le Saux, Jaime Moreno, Danny Dichio and Brian McBride, plus David Seaman (goalkeeping coach) and former England manager Terry Venables (technical advisor), came out of retirement to play for Wembley who were featured in a television documentary as they endeavoured to help the club play at Wembley Stadium.

On 12 August 2012, he appeared in a preliminary round of the FA Cup.

Aged 45, he scored the first goal in a 3–2 win against Langford.