The Violin Player is the title of a 1994 drama film directed by Charles Van Damme, based on the novel Le Joueur de violon (Musikant) by Andre Hodeir.

In Italy, however, it is probably not the first thing that springs to mind. It was Alberto Gilardino, a striker who bagged 232 goals in 643 appearances for clubs and country, that changed the meaning of the title in a sporting sense. The Biella-born striker became known as ‘The Violinist’ on the biggest stage of all, after his iconic celebration after scoring against USA in Kaiserslautern at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™.

In the 22nd minute of Italy’s second group game against USA, Andrea Pirlo swung a free-kick into the penalty area and Gilardino headed home. The AC Milan man got to his feet, calmly walked over to the corner of the pitch and knelt down to imitate a violinist.

“I’ve always been fascinated by violins,” Gilardino said. “It’s like scoring a goal. All you need is the right movements, a lot of effort, and the will and desire to conjure up something special.

“My celebration first came about when I was at Parma with [Marco] Marchionni, in my first year at the club. While I was having dinner with my team-mates, we agreed that if I scored I would pretend to play the violin and Marchionni would take a bow. That’s what happened and that’s how my celebration first came about.”

Along with his goal, Gilardino provided a crucial assist for Alex Del Piero’s iconic effort, which helped Italy overcome hosts Germany in extra-time in a seismic semi-final. That side, and ‘The Violinist’, went down in history.