While playing for Torino the previous season, he attended a match that saw Livorno emerge victorious and earn promotion to Serie B, and he was among a throng of fans who rushed the pitch afterwards in celebration.

He made an immediate impact in Livorno's return to Serie A in the 2003–04 season, scoring 29 goals in 38 matches and instantly winning a place in the hearts of Amaranto fans.

[7] Lucarelli's seemingly perfect relationship with the team soured after a conflict with club president Aldo Spinelli arose over the firing of coach Daniele Arrigoni in March 2007, during which he openly stated his desire to leave.

It became permanently damaged a month later when Lucarelli received a frosty reception from supporters after a sluggish 1–1 home draw with Reggina, with many fans going as far as to accuse Livorno of match-fixing.

He replied to the furore at a press conference, "I am going, but I didn't hold a gun to anyone's head... Shakhtar signed me for a figure that was below the buy-out clause of my contract.

"[citation needed] Lucarelli scored his first European goal for Shakhtar in their 3–1 third qualifying round return game of the 2007–08 Champions League against Red Bull Salzburg on 29 August 2007.

His time at Parma did not prove to be particularly successful, as he scored only four goals in 16 matches in the remaining half of the 2007–08 season, with his side being ultimately relegated to Serie B after a long struggle with results.

[16] Lucarelli was capped six times for the Italy senior squad between 2005 and 2007, scoring 3 goals;[17] he was also a member of the team that took part in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

[18] His aforementioned debut was during a 2005 friendly tournament in the United States and Canada, where he scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw against Serbia and Montenegro at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on 8 June.

[27] He left Parma in June 2013 to accept an offer to become the new head coach of ambitious Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Perugia, only to be sacked before the start of the season due to disagreements with the board.

[42] He was removed from his coaching post just a few months later, on 7 March 2024, after failing to improve the team results, leaving Catania just above the relegation playoff zone, despite having successfully led the Rossazzurri to qualify for the Coppa Italia Serie C finals.

[47] The May 2005 issue of Calcio Italia reported that he had paid for a bus that brought a cadre of travelling Livorno fans back to the city after they had been arrested for rioting.

He has the Livorno logo tattooed on his left forearm and his jersey number, 99, was an homage to left-wing ultras group Brigate Autonome Livornesi, which was founded in 1999.

[48] He was also of an increasingly rare breed of Italian footballer who openly brought his politics onto the pitch; his goal celebration consisted of a dual clenched-fist salute, a gesture made famous by the Communist party.