Lorenzo Insigne, future Toronto FC star, equaled Maradona's legendary mark in Napoli vs Salernitana match

In today's Napoli vs Salernitana Serie A game, Lorenzo Insigne, future Toronto FC star, matched a legendary mark set by Diego Armando Maradona, a perennial star of the Italian club.

What was Maradona's legendary mark that the Italian striker reached today?

With his fourth goal of the match in a 4-1 win over Salernitana, Lorenzo Insigne reached 115 goals for Napoli, a record previously held by Maradona, who is considered the greatest idol ever to wear the Azzurri uniform. 

Insigne did not start the match and in fact, came on until the second half to replace Hirving "Chucky" Lozano. 

During a Napoli attack in the 50th minute of the second half, Frederic Veseli tried to block Insigne's shot on goal but mistakenly blocked the shot with his hand, prompting the referee to award a penalty. 

In addition, Frederic left his team without an element as the referee decided to send him off for trying to block Insigne's shot with his hand. 

Once the penalty was awarded, the 30-year-old Italian striker stood in the penalty area and, with determination and confidence, struck the ball and scored, beating goalkeeper Vid Belec. 

In this way, the Salernitana goalkeeper could only be one more spectator of Lorenzo Insigne's achievement today, whose days in Serie A are numbered, as he will play for Toronto FC in the summer. 

What are the differences between Lorenzo Insigne's achievement compared to Maradona?

The main difference is undoubtedly the number of games in which both reached 115 goals for the Azzurri. While it took Insigne 11 seasons to equal the mark, Maradona did it in 8. 

Moreover, in that same time, "Pelusa" with his magic took Napoli to the firmament of Serie A by making them win the Scudetto not once, but twice and perhaps therein lies the biggest difference between the two, as Insigne so far has not been able to be crowned with Napoli. 

But unlike many players who live in the shadow of other players' records, Insigne is a great admirer of Maradona, so much so that he has a tattoo of the Argentine star on one arm. 

He got the tattoo as a posthumous tribute to Diego Armando Maradona, who passed away on November 25, 2020. 

With the Italian striker's goal, the team coached by Luciano Spalletti won the match against Salernitana and has now overtaken Milan momentarily, who will play against Juventus.

When will Lorenzo Insigne arrive at Toronto FC?

The contract that the player signed with Toronto FC establishes that Insigne will be part of the institution starting next July 1, and will be playing in Major League Soccer for 4 years. 

The transfer of the European player to MLS is the most important move in the history of the league, which is preparing to receive its first player from the big leagues who arrives at the peak of his abilities. 

As such, the player will be the highest-paid player in the league and will receive more than $12 million per season.