A forward who thrived in the penalty area with an insatiable hunger for goals, Igor Protti became synonymous with Livorno, yet his journey took him through several Italian clubs before he was truly embraced as a legend.
PART ONE
Born on September 24, 1967, in the coastal town of Rimini, Protti took his first steps in professional football with his hometown club. He made his Serie C1 debut as a 16-year-old on May 27, 1984, an early indication of his precocious talent. However, Rimini was only a stepping stone, as his career soon took him to Livorno in 1985.
Livorno at the time was a club of modest ambitions, far removed from the days when they would be competing at the highest levels of Italian football. Protti, still a young and raw forward, honed his craft there for three seasons before moving to Virescit Bergamo. While this move was not one that would dominate headlines, it was another crucial step in his footballing education.
After his brief stint with Virescit, the young striker landed at Messina in 1989. It was in Sicily where Protti began to gain real recognition. Playing in Serie B, he notched an impressive 31 goals over three seasons. His ability to anticipate defensive mistakes, coupled with a clinical finishing touch, made him a valuable asset. Accordingly, his performances attracted the attention of Bari, who signed him in 1992.
At Bari, Protti continued to refine his predatory instincts, and after two solid campaigns in Serie B, he played a pivotal role in securing promotion to Serie A. Finally, at the age of 27, he had arrived in the top flight. He did not waste time making an impression, scoring his first Serie A goal against Napoli and later grabbing his first hat-trick against Lazio. However, it was the 1995–96 season that truly defined his time at the club.
Protti finished as Serie A’s joint top scorer with 24 goals, sharing the honour with the prolific Giuseppe Signori. Yet, in a cruel twist of fate, despite his heroics, Bari were relegated. It was an unprecedented occurrence – never before had the league’s top scorer suffered the ignominy of relegation. Consequently, the summer of 1996 saw him move to Lazio, a club with aspirations of challenging at the top of the table.
PART TWO
However, his time in Rome was anything but successful. Expectations were high, but Protti struggled to replicate his Bari form, netting only a handful of goals. In truth, he was never a natural fit in a team loaded with technical and creative talent, and he often found himself on the periphery. A loan spell at Napoli followed in the 1997–98 season, but by then, his stock had fallen, and his dream of establishing himself as a force in Serie A seemed to be slipping away.
In 1998, Protti joined Reggiana in Serie B, and while he played a role in their promotion push, it was clear that the magic of his Bari days had faded. That was until 1999, when he made a decision that would ultimately define his career – a return to Livorno, the club he had left over a decade earlier.
By now, Livorno were languishing in Serie C1, far from the glitz of Serie A, but Protti saw an opportunity to reignite his career. And so he did. In his first season back, he scored 11 goals, quickly becoming the heart and soul of the team. But more importantly, he rediscovered his confidence and his love for the game.
Protti’s goals propelled Livorno to the Serie C1 title in 2001–02, and remarkably, he finished as the division’s top scorer. A year later, he repeated the feat in Serie B, as Livorno continued their ascent. What’s more, in the 2003–04 season, the unthinkable happened – Livorno, led by their inspirational captain, secured promotion to Serie A. It was a fairy tale of persistence and redemption.
For a club of Livorno’s stature, merely surviving in the top flight was an achievement. However, with Protti’s leadership and knack for scoring crucial goals, they exceeded expectations, finishing a remarkable ninth in the 2004–05 season. It was at this juncture that Protti decided to hang up his boots, knowing that he had guided Livorno from the depths of Serie C1 back to the promised land.
In recognition of his contributions, Livorno retired his iconic number 10 shirt. However, in a move characteristic of his selfless nature, Protti later requested that the number be reinstated so that future generations could aspire to wear it.
Post-retirement, Protti took on various roles in football management, including a spell as Livorno’s club manager. He remained deeply connected to the club, a reminder of the impact one player could have on a community.
Undoubtedly, Protti’s career was unique. He was the only player to have won the top scorer’s award in Serie A, Serie B, and Serie C1, an achievement that speaks volumes about his adaptability and longevity. He may never have been a superstar in the traditional sense, but he was a player who left an indelible mark on every club he played for.