A prolific goalscorer, some sources state that he is the highest scoring Italian player in all professional competitions, with 398 goals, ahead of Silvio Piola, although this claim is also disputed, as the NASL did not abide to certain FIFA regulations at the time.

[4] He is also the Italian player with the best goalscoring ratio in domestic championships, with 319 goals scored in 429 league matches played across both Italy and the United States.

[6] Chinaglia was born in Carrara, Tuscany in 1947, but in 1955, he moved to Cardiff, Wales with his father Mario, mother Giovanna and his sister Rita, because of unemployment in Italy following World War II.

At age 13, Chinaglia was spotted scoring a hat trick for Cardiff Schools, and joined Swansea Town in the Football League Third Division as an apprentice in 1962.

[11] In 1966, because of the lack of interest from British clubs and his compulsory Italian military service, Chinaglia, then age 19, and his family moved back to Carrara.

[13][14] In Rome, Chinaglia's family faced abuse from opposing fans and threats of kidnap by terrorist groups, and he voiced frustration at Italian tax and corporate laws that he said led to business failures.

He also became a close associate of Warner Brothers president Steve Ross, part-owner of the franchise, and was known to thoroughly enjoy the cultural diversions that New York provided.

[16] In 1984, Cosmos, facing mounting losses and having never turned a profit, sold 60 percent of the club's ownership to Chinaglia, with no money exchanging hands.

[22] Chinaglia's play with Lazio earned him a place on head coach Ferruccio Valcareggi's shortlist for the Italy squad in the 1970 FIFA World Cup.

In 1971, after Lazio were demoted to Serie B, Chinaglia became the first Italy national team player in modern history to be selected from a second-tier division club.

In the 86th minute, Chinaglia beat English defender Bobby Moore and sent in a cross that was tapped in by Fabio Capello, helping Italy to its first win over England at Wembley Stadium.

[23] Along with his teammates Re Cecconi and Wilson, Chinaglia took part in 1974 FIFA World Cup in Germany, although he was used scarcely by Italy manager Ferruccio Valcareggi.

Chinaglia became notoriously famous for his strong verbal reaction when he cursed upon being substituted by Valcareggi for Anastasi during his nation's opening match of the tournament against Haïti, which ended in a 3–1 victory to the Italians, although they would later suffer a first round elimination from the competition.

[26] Regarded as one of the top and most prolific Italian strikers of all time, Chinaglia was a large, strong, fast, and powerful player, with a keen eye for goal.

[27] Often described as one of the first true old fashioned centre-forwards in Italy, his physical, determined, and opportunistic style of play was initially seen as unorthodox, but he developed into a prominent and prolific goalscorer.

[3][6] He also drew negative attention to himself in the press due to his lifestyle off the pitch,[31] which included certain legal problems throughout his career, as well as accusations of criminal activity.

[3][24] In 1979, Chinaglia became a naturalized American citizen, telling The New York Times Magazine reporter Diane Ackerman that he proudly kept his citizenship papers in his locker next to his bottle of Chivas Regal.

[3] In October 2006, Chinaglia was also accused of extortion and manipulation and an arrest warrant was issued by the Guardia di Finanza, but he remained a fugitive due to him residing in the United States.

[37] In November 2007, Chinaglia was fined €4.2 million by the Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa for the alleged intention of a Hungarian chemical-pharmaceutical group to acquire the majority stake in S.S.