Italian soccer star Lorenzo Insigne signs with Toronto FC of MLS

Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne is the newest member of Toronto FC, the club announced Saturday morning.

“This is a historic and exciting day for our club,” Toronto FC president Bill Manning said in a statement. “Lorenzo is a world class attacking player in the prime of his career. He was a European champion with Italy and has performed on the biggest stages during his club career with Napoli. Lorenzo has the talent to change games. He plays the game with joy and passion, and our fans and supporters are going to love watching him as a member of our team.” 

Insigne, 30, made his Serie A debut with Napoli in 2010 and played in 321 matches for the club with 89 goals scored. He's also been a member of the Italian National Team since 2012 and has scored 10 goals in international play. Most recently, Insigne helped lead Italy to a win in Euro 2020 (which was postponed until 2021) with two goals in six starts.

The addition of Insigne is a huge coup for Toronto FC after the team finished second-to-last in the MLS Eastern Conference in 2021. The team finished 6-18-10 and scored only 39 goals while allowing 66. Jonathan Osorio and Jozy Altidore led the team in scoring with four goals each.