On This Day: Lombardo lifts Eagles in final Palace appearance

On this day 27 years ago, the flair-fuelled Italian played his last match in Palace colours – a 2-2 draw against Stockport County in Division One.

In keeping with Lombardo’s time in South London, the backdrop to the fixture had proven as dramatic as the match itself.

Prior to signing, the Italian’s reputation went before him thanks to Channel 4’s Football Italia, the programme which broadcast his lanky stride, lethal instincts in front of goal, and trophy-laden spells with Sampdoria and Juventus.

After arriving at Palace in the summer of 1997, said reputation was only bolstered further.

With some hailing Lombardo as the club’s most exciting transfer ever, the Italian did not disappoint, scoring on his debut against Everton – a 2-1 win at Goodison Park on the opening day of the 1997/98 season.

In what eventually proved a topsy-turvy season back in the Premier League, Lombardo provided multiple moments of inspiration, including goals at Leeds United and, of course, Wimbledon, to see his side sit tenth in November.

Speaking in 2018, Lombardo told Palace TV: “I loved the fans, I loved the job in the moment, and I put everything on the pitch everything for this team.

“For me, it was my first experience out of Italy. When I came here, it was not easy because of the change in my life. My attitude was good, but I didn’t know the language, my teammates, I didn’t understand Steve Coppell, my manager…

“It was difficult in the first moment, but I thought it didn’t matter if I didn’t understand – what mattered was that I put everything into football.”

Injury while on international duty would disrupt his – and subsequently Palace’s – campaign; the Eagles were tenth at the time of Lombardo’s injury, but bottom of the Premier League upon his return.

Lombardo remained a Palace icon, even taking the reins for a short spell as player-manager at the end of the season, but he could not prevent relegation.

Ever-confounding expectations, Lombardo remained in SE25 despite Palace’s drop in division, scoring three goals in the first half of the 1998/99 season as the Eagles sought an immediate return to the top-flight.

But off-the-field troubles continued and, on Saturday, 16th January 1999 – 27 years ago today – one of the more remarkable Palace stories played out its final chapter.

With manager Terry Venables resigning the day before the visit of Stockport to Selhurst Park, the visitors took full advantage of the uncertainty to race into a 2-0 lead after just 23 minutes.

Then, the Bald Eagle took flight.

Just before half-time, with some clever movement from Lombardo leading to him heading Sun Jihai’s cross down for Clinton Morrison to pull one back.

Moments after half-time, Lombardo was at it again, curling an inviting free-kick into the box for Fan Zhiyi to grab the equaliser.

The last of Lombardo’s 49 appearances in a Palace shirt saw him replaced by Sara Curcic later in the second-half, but the point prevented back-to-back Division One defeats and - with momentum on the Eagles' side - manager Steve Coppell was able to guide them to a mid-table finish.

Several days after that draw, Lombardo departed for an S.S. Lazio side managed by future England boss Sven-Göran Eriksson; he would win further major domestic and continental trophies.

But such was his impact in a relatively brief stint, the Italian was voted by supporters into a Centenary XI in 2005 – despite having played far fewer games than his peers.

“I stayed [after relegation] because I wanted to bring Crystal Palace up again,” Lombardo noted. “For me, leaving Palace after they got relegated was not in my character.

“I lived well here and I wanted to stay. I played only for four or five months in Division One before the chairman, Mark Goldberg, said it was the moment to leave Crystal Palace – they were having problems financially – so I had to choose to come back to Italy.

“It had been a fantastic time [in South London]. When I came to London and worked for the fans, they remember me as being a good player. I put my heart every time into the game, and it was a very nice thing for the fans.”

That last game was a timely reminder that, wherever he would later soar, The Bald Eagle remained one of the Selhurst faithful’s own.

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