At the turn of the century, Serie A was the strongest championship of the Old Continent, where many leading stars played, from Shevchenko to Nedved. Therefore, football todays games attracted increased attention at that time. All the more surprising is the fact that in the season 2001/02 the top scorer of the Italian championship was Dario Ubner, a player who cannot be called a star. He scored 24 goals in a year and shared his title with David Trezeguet.
In general, Ubner was already known as a good scorer but at the lower divisions level. He also scored consistently in Serie A but never got close to 24 goals before.
Ubner’s achievement looked especially surprising given:
- His age. At that time, the attacker was already 35. Even at such a solid, by sporting standards, age, he showed great performance and amazing stability. Dario was useful to his team throughout the entire tournament season.
- The team in which he played. Ubner established his achievement at Perugia. This team was never a star club. All the more surprising is the achievement of the forward, who, even in such a team, was able to become the best scorer in Serie A.
- Competitors’ level. At that time, Shevchenko, Crespo, Del Piero, Vieri and many other attackers were in their prime. But the 35-year-old striker confidently outplayed them in the scorers race.
That season, Ubner’s goals helped Perugia finish in a high — for its level — 8th position in the standings. Unfortunately, after the 2002/03 campaign, in which the striker scored quite a few goals too (14 goals), he left the team and began to explore even more modest Italian teams. Moreover, he had offers from stronger teams, but for various reasons, Ubner always turned them down.
Strong points of the Italian forward
The Italian was a classic battering striker. He stood out for his assertiveness and good head play. Due to this, he often pushed opponents and completed attacks with his accurate strikes. Unfortunately for the fans of Perugia, today the team doesn’t have a forward of such a level, which, of course, doesn’t help it in football games.
Ubner revealed himself late enough. In addition, the striker deliberately refused to move to the major clubs of Italian football at the time. That is why we have not been able to fully assess its potential.
At the same time, the season 2001/02 and the title of top scorer in Serie A are something that will forever remain in the fans’ memory. This is why the striker can be happy with his career. By the way, it was very long and rich. He finally hung the boots on a nail only in 2011, when he was already 44. And even at such a venerable age, Ubner continued to score, even if he did it in lower divisions.
