The most recent season was an historic one in the Serie A, specifically for Roma captain Francesco Totti. The last true Italian fantasista, Totti has bagged 12 goals at the age of 36, moving him from fifth to second on the all time Serie A goal scoring charts past Jose Altafini (216), Giuseppe Meazza (216), and Gunnar Nordahl (224). Below is a list of the top 10 goal scorers in Serie A history.
Gabriel Batistuta; 184 Goals
Considered by Totti to be his strongest teammate ever, Batistuta made his mark in a big way with Fiorentina in the 1990s. Staying with La Viola when they were relegated during the 1992-1993 season, 'Batigol' will be forever endeared in Fiorentina. Also called the "greatest striker i've ever seen," by Maradona, his desire to win led him to transfer to Roma just before the 2000 season, and the move paid off as he team up with Francesco Totti to win the Scudetto.
Alessandro Del Piero; 188
Bandiera of Juventus for 19 years, Il Pinturicchio lives on in the hearts of Juve fans all across the globe, not only for his goal scoring exploits but for also for the ways in which he endeared himself to the club. One of a few who stayed with Juventus in the Serie B after Calciopoli, he gave his heart and soul to the club he loved and will be go down in history as one of the greats. Now playing in what may be his final season abroad in the A-League, his tally looks to be final.
Giuseppe Signori; 188 Goals
One of the greatest Italian footballers never to win a team trophy, Signori was a left footed striker with great pace who spent the majority of his career at Lazio. Scoring 107 goals in 152 matches with the club, he won three capocannonieri during his time before finishing his career with a very nice if unspectacular 6 year stint at Bologna.
Kurt Hamrin; 190 Goals
Also hailing from Sweden, Hamrin bounced from Padova to Juventus, before finally finding his home at Fiorentina where he spent the majority of his career. Known for his fantastic dribbling ability, Hamrin excelled at Fiorentina, but could not win a Scudetto until a transfer to Milan. However, he enjoyed his time in Florence so much that he elected to move back upon retirement.
Roberto Baggio; 205 Goals
Considered by many calcio enthusiasts to be the greatest Italian to ever grace the peninsula, his career was hampered early by an injury many doctors thought would end his playing days. Baggio not only proved them wrong, but did so to the tune of 205 goals, while playing with Fiorentina, Juventus, Milan, Bologna, Inter, and Brescia.
Jose Altafini; 216 Goals
The lone Brazilian on this list, Altafini also predominantly featured for the Milanese sides of the late 1950s and early 1960s. However, after bagging 134 goals in 8 seasons for Milan, he would go on to struggle later in the game once he transferred to Napoli and then Juventus. Altafini is now a commentator on Sky Sport Italia, and coined the term 'Golazzo.'
Giuseppe Meazza; 216 Goals
The namesake of Inter's stadium, Meazza was considered the best player in the world during the 1930's. In addition to playing 13 seasons with Inter Milan, including breaking into the side at age 17, he led Italy to two world cup triumphs. Meazza was known for scoring two different types of goals, one where he would dribble through countless defenders before rounding the goalie and slotting home; the other, the bicycle kick!
Gunnar Nordahl; 225 Goals
Nordahl, a member of the great Milan teams of the 1950's, is the top Serie A goal scorer among non-italians. Part of the great Gre-No-Li trio with Gunnar Gren and Nils Liedholm, Nordahl won the capocannoniere a record 5 times, on his way to scoring 225 goals in 291 appearances, an incredible game to goal ratio. The Swede is still revered in Milan for his goal scoring exploits.
Francesco Totti; 227 Goals
Totti, similar to Del Piero, has cemented himself in the hearts of Roma and Calcio fans alike for his loyalty to his club, and his prolific displays while there. The captain began the most recent campaign with 215 goals, Totti has seen himself jump 3 spots since the end of the 2012-2013 season. He has done all this despite playing many seasons in the trequartista role servicing other players. At 36 years of age, it is yet to be seen whether he can play long enough to overtake Piola. Many have chalked his goal scoring exploits this past season up to the tactics of one Zdenek Zeman, which would mean we can look for a drop in goals during the upcoming campaign. However, with Osvaldo linked with multiple moves away, and Destro failing to impress, many chances should remain. That being said, I am personally inclined to say no, Totti will not catch Piola. Despite the lack of a top striker, there is an influx of young attackers at Roma such as Lamela, Florenzi, Marquinho, etc. as well as a burgeoning midfield that can also score. All of this will make playing time hard to come by as he ages, and scoring another 48 goals would be a feat requiring him to play at a top level for another 4 years, something which is just not likely.
Silvio Piola; 274 Goals
Piola's mark has stood for nearly 60 years since he hung up his boots in 1954, and there it looks unlikely it will fall anytime soon. While his Serie A record is not as spectacular having played 537 games, 274 goals is still an incredible feat. Piola played the majority of his games for Lazio and Novara, and also had an incredible Nazionale record bagging 30 goals in 34 caps.
The future of Serie A goal scorers is intriguing as Mario Balotelli, Stephan El Shaarawy, Edinson Cavani, and Antonio Di Natale could all make a push for the list, as well as starlets Domenico Berardi, Ciro Immobile, Mattia Destro, Simone Zaza, Manolo Gabbiadini, Mauro Icardi, and Ishak Belfodil. The biggest question mark, however, is how long these players will remain on the Peninsula, and whether they will be able to maintain world class form for an extended period of time.