ROME • Only Luis Suarez has ever beaten Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo outright in the past 11 years to land the European Golden Shoe, which is awarded to the continent's top scorer at the end of the domestic season.
So after scoring his 36th goal as Lazio ended their Serie A campaign with a 3-1 loss at Napoli on Saturday, Ciro Immobile was delighted to be among rarefied company.
The Italy striker told Lazio Style Channel: "I'm super happy and proud of what I've achieved, especially when I look back to where I started and everything I went through.
"If you truly believe, sometimes, dreams do come true. I can only thank the coach and staff, my teammates, and I can assure you these records are for the whole team.
"I also thank the Lazio fans, who made me feel indispensable for this team, and I'm so proud of that.
"I want to be a living example that if you never give up, you can achieve any target. I'm so proud to have my place in the history of this sport. I am moved thinking of how my teammates greeted me in the dressing room after I scored a hat-trick at Verona (last week)."
This is the third time Immobile has finished the Scudetto's top scorer. He scored 22 goals with Torino in the 2013-14 season and 29 goals in the 2017-2018 term to share top billing with then Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi.
But this feat means more to the 30-year-old, who matched Gonzalo Higuain's record for the most number of strikes in a single Italian league season, which the Argentinian set in 2015-16 for Napoli.
This is because Lazio will be playing in the Champions League next season for the first time since 2007. His goal rush ensured they finished fourth in the league, although he conceded that reinforcements would be needed if they are to win only their third Serie A title on top of making an impact in Europe.
He added: "Our target is to improve, although it'll be very difficult with a whole other competition in the Champions League."
Ronaldo has yet to secure the top scorer award in his two terms with Italian champions Juventus, finishing second-best with 31 goals.
Barcelona's Messi scored 25 times to win La Liga's Golden Boot.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
