Stats by Simcav, updated by Interista93
Name: Massimo Palanca
Nickname: "L'imperatore", "Piedino d'oro"
Country:
ItalyClub: U.S. Catanzaro
Position: *SS, WF, CF
Side: LF/LS
Age: 24-28 years (21/08/1953)
Height: 171 cm
Weight: 61 kg
Attack: 82
Defence: 33
Balance: 72
Stamina: 77
Top Speed: 83
Acceleration: 83
Response: 81
Agility: 82
Dribble Accuracy: 80
Dribble Speed: 82
Short Pass Accuracy: 76
Short Pass Speed: 76
Long Pass Accuracy: 82
Long Pass Speed: 79
Shot Accuracy: 80
Shot Power: 86
Shot Technique: 86
Free Kick Accuracy: 85
Curling: 95
Header: 68
Jump: 77
Technique: 84
Aggression: 83
Mentality: 71
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 75
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 6
Weak Foot Accuracy: 5
Weak Foot Frequency: 3
Consistency: 5
Growth type: Standard/Lasting
CARDS:
S01 - Marauding
S04 - PK Taker
S05 - 1-touch Play
S06 - Outside Curve
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Reaction - Penalties - 1-touch Play - Outside
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Attack Minded
INFO:
Palanca is a former secondary striker, capable of playing as left winger or centre forward. He spent the majority of his career at Catanzaro, where he played from 1974 to 1981 and from 1986 to 1990, scoring 137 goals in 367 appearances. He was the most instrumental player in Catanzaro's promotion to Serie A in 1978, the semifinal of the 1978-79 Coppa Italia, and the 7th place in 1980-81 Serie A. Palanca played also for Frosinone, Napoli, Como and Foligno.
Undoubtedly the greatest player in Catanzaro's history, Palanca was particularly known for his outstanding curled set piece skills that enabled him to score 13 times from direct corner kick, many other times from free kick, and over twenty from penalty. A natural left-footed striker, he showed great potential since he was young, although he didn't have a notable physical power. Nonetheless, he possessed great sprint, good elevation, a tremendous, sudden and accurate shot. He was excellent in shooting first time, in acrobacy, when turning, with the outside of the foot, from difficult angles, and he shot with his left foot most of the times. Although, his attempts sometimes went quite high over the crossbar. Palanca had a lively style of play, moving everywhere along the forward line, dribbling the defenders, attempting to shoot, going wide to cross the ball in the box, looking for space to make a late run towards the goal, taking advantage of an opponent's mistake. However, his movements sometimes seemed to lead to nothing. While he was Catanzaro's most dangerous striker, he didn't have enough personality to drive the forward line by himself. He therefore needed support. Furthermore, he often vanished during the game. It's true that he could turn the match with one move, but he was easy to neutralise once the opposing defenders took the right measures to control him.
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