Ciro Immobile assures he does not need to ‘hit back at critics, because my statistics speak for me’ after his brace for Lazio to beat Salernitana 3-0.
The striker could easily have had a hat-trick, another attempt bouncing off the crossbar and then the line, while a late save also denied his header.
“I thank the team, who put me in a condition to do well,” Immobile told DAZN at the Stadio Arechi.
“We were precise, focused and brought home three important points. Salernitana were struggling due to missing so many players, I understand that, but they were well-organised and it would’ve been more difficult if we hadn’t broken through so early.”
While Opta point out Immobile has scored 140 goals in Serie A since joining Lazio in 2016-17, as many in Europe’s big five leagues during that period as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yet he remains the subject of scorn for many due to his comparatively poor record when representing Italy.
“I am Champion of Europe, my statistics speak for me and I don’t need to hit back at critics. My CV says I scored two goals at the Euros, I won the Golden Boot in 2020 as Europe’s top scorer and many other trophies, these things speak for themselves.”