‘The best is in front of us right now’: Lorenzo Insigne officially unveiled as a Toronto FC player

“He wears the captain’s armband for Napoli. Napoli is arguably one of the top-10, 20 teams in the world – very famous club – and he is their captain. … We’re incredibly excited to have a player who is the captain of Napoli choose to join Toronto FC.”

The most expensive signing in Major League Soccer history was formally introduced as a Toronto FC player Monday afternoon at BMO Field.

Italian national team star Lorenzo Insigne, who signed a pre-contract to join TFC in January, spoke to the media for the first time with the help of an interpreter alongside team president Bill Manning, as well as head coach and sporting director Bob Bradley.

"We've been here just a few days, but both for me and my family I think that it's a great city, and we still have a lot to see,” said Insigne, who arrived in Toronto on Friday afternoon. “It's been a very good impression [of] the people, the culture, and the lifestyle."

Toronto’s new face of the franchise dressed for the occasion, sporting a pearl white suit, with his initials – ‘LI’ – embroidered by his left chest. He wore a pair of white Prada shoes, and a pair of sparkling diamond earrings that one couldn’t miss – an outfit fitting for the biggest signing in franchise history.

“The minute we signed Lorenzo, our profile was raised,” said Manning. “We’re seeing interest in our club from abroad in some ways that we’ve never seen before and that’s with agents, with players, with other clubs, with media. This is a player that was a European champion less than a year ago, a big player in Italy, and has played many Champions League games. We’ve had a lot of very good players sign with this club, but no one of his magnitude. When you do that, it raises your profile.”

Insigne will reportedly make roughly $15 million (U.S.) annually in salary, almost twice the amount that the league’s current highest-paid player, Xherdan Shaqiri of the Chicago Fire, makes ($8.2 million, according to Major League Soccer’s Players Association). The 31-year-old winger will have far and away the largest salary in league history, with his annual salary likely to be more than the payroll for all but a handful of MLS clubs in 2022.

With that sort of investment comes big expectations, as he’ll be tasked with being the main piece to help revive a TFC side that finished second-last in the Eastern Conference a year ago and remain fourth from the bottom through 16 matches this season. Expectations are sky-high, though when asked how he’ll handle the pressure, Insigne was as cool as a cucumber.

"I played for 10 years with Napoli and the Italian national team, I won the Euros. So I don't have any problem with being under pressure,” Insigne said. “And I'd rather have my actions speak for me on the pitch, so I can't wait to practice and be there for the team."

Insigne insisted on Monday that his decision to join Toronto wasn’t financially motivated, but rather for his family and their well-being. He understands that the project with TFC will be a challenge but assured that his goal was to win a championship with the club.

"I could've stayed in Europe,” said Insigne. “I'm 31, so I still have many years in front of me. But I wanted to choose the happiness and wellbeing of my family. I won a lot with Napoli, and I lost as well, but I wanted a change and more importantly a challenge."

Insigne won’t be eligible to play for TFC until July 9 against the San Jose Earthquakes, but Bradley’s wheels have already been turning, thinking about how to best deploy his new lethal weapon. The TFC manager believes Insigne is a player that you have to get on the ball, close enough to goal. Bradley wants to ensure that Insigne gets into good positions with options to look forward so that he can make passes and create chances.

Reflecting on the press conference on Tuesday from the BMO Training Ground, Bradley said that he could feel Insigne’s burning desire to get on the pitch with his new teammates – something that may happen as soon as July 1.

“I thought it was a great day. I thought Lorenzo shows again his commitment, his personality, and handled everything really well,” said Bradley. “We all have the responsibilities on days like [Monday] to be there and speak, and he handled his end great, but I know from the conversations that I had and just by watching him that he’s really excited to get on the field.”

Insigne won’t be the only new player making his debut next month. Good friend Domenico Criscito will also be joining Toronto FC as his arrival will be officially announced by the club later this week. Furthermore, speaking to TSN, Manning confirmed that more help is on the way.

“I still think we need two, three, maybe four other pieces,” he said. “It’s going to be a busy next week. We anticipate we’re going to announce a signing next week and anticipate potentially two more – and it’s going to change the future of our club."

As previously reported, The Parleh has learned that there is mutual interest between Canadian international and free agent Junior Hoilett though no agreement has been struck, while Richie Laryea remains a real option should Toronto find a way to move up the MLS Allocation Order without giving up too many assets.

Toronto have won their last two games heading into Wednesday’s match against a struggling Columbus Crew side. There’s a buzz and energy around the club right now that fans haven’t felt for years. The team is starting to round into form with the debuts of Insigne – and others – right around the corner.

Manning emphasized on Monday that it’s been a tough two years for Toronto FC, stating that things went ‘in a really bad direction’ with the club in 2021. The first massive step to getting the club back on track was the appointment of Bradley as head coach. The second happened on Monday.

“We have a lot of ambition at our club, and we’re really looking over these next four-five years for Lorenzo to be a foundational piece,” said Manning. “We’ll make sure we put good players around him and I think we have the right coach that the best is in front of us right now.”