Vincenzo Iaquinta, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI , (born November 21, 1979 in Cutro, Crotone) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. He is a tall, strong striker who possesses a good and powerful shot and is great in the air. He can also play on the wing.
Like many Calabrians in the 1980s, his parents emigrated to Emilia-Romagna, in Northern Italy, because of better job opportunities. Prior to joining Udinese in 2000, Iaquinta played with his brother in the lower divisions for Reggiolo (1996-97), Padova (1998), and Castel di Sangro (1998-2000). In 2005, for the first time he was called up for the Italian National Team. In his, and Udinese's first ever Champions League game, he scored 3 goals, which was quite a start to his European season. Iaquinta also clashed with Udinese management over his salary and him moving to another club. However, he remained in Udinese for 2006-2007 season.
Owner of Udinese Calcio Giampaolo Pozzo recently revealed that FC Barcelona had sought the player in January 2006, but Juventus F.C. signed Iaquinta on a five-year contract in the summer of 2007 for a fee reported to be €11.3 million.
He was a member of the Italian squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored Italy's second goal in their opening match against Ghana. He played in 5 out of 7 of Italy's matches including the semi-final and final.
He married with his wife Arianna and is a father of two. His wife is 5 years older than him.
