The best and Worst of Paolo di Canio

Paolo di Canio has always been a live wire. In 2000, he scored his greatest goal when he was playing for West Ham United against Wimbledon. But di Canio has a dark side, notably the incident in 1998 when he pushed referee Paul Alcock to the ground after a red card when playing for Sheffield Wednesday.

Let’s start with the good stuff. He scored BBC’s Match of the Day Goal of the Season in 2000 with this volley against Wimbledon, certainly one of the best goals in Premiership history. In this season he was also voted Hammer of the Year by the club's fans. The goal came from a cross from the right, floating well wide of the box, but di Canio took it in stride and leapt while he struck the ball with the outside of his right boot sending the ball across goal into the right side of the net. Incredible goal:

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The push came after an altercation with Arsenal players when di Canio kicked out at a Gunner while in an argument. Alcock saw the incident and di Canio was sent off. When the red card emerged, di Canio himself went red and sent the referee sprawling to the ground. I always wondered how much of a meal Alcock made of the push, but regardless, after the incident, di Canio left England for Italy and refused to return, claiming Wednesday refused to support him. The incident forced his sale to West Ham, where he scored that beauty above.

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