Ignacio "Nacho" Martín Scocco (Spanish pronunciation: [iɣˈnasjo esˈkoko]; born 29 May 1985) is an Argentine retired professional footballer who last played as a forward for Newell's Old Boys.
The Newell's Old Boys youth program quickly picked this young man up, and he was just nineteen when he made his debut in the Argentine top flight against San Lorenzo.
He scored 17 goals in 75 games and played alongside players such as Fernando Belluschi and Ariel Ortega in the championship winning team of Apertura 2004.
In the summer of 2006 Scocco signed for Pumas UNAM for a fee of $3.5m, but stated to the newspaper «Reforma» that one day he would return to Newell's Old Boys.
When Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti took over Pumas UNAM, and his main strikers Joaquín Botero and Bruno Marioni left he was willing to sign Scocco for $3.5m.
Scocco reinforces the Deportivo Toluca borrowed from the Pumas UNAM order by Americo Gallego in the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores 2007.
[2] Scocco was the fourth Argentine player of the club, alongside Sebastián Saja, Agustín Pelletieri and Ismael Blanco.
[7] On 16 September 2010, Scocco scored the third and final goal on AEK's first European match against Hajduk Split in a 3–1 home win.
[12] Due to financial problems, AEK Athens had to sell Scocco (cheaper than his buy-out clause, if necessary), to relieve itself of his expensive contract.
In the 2011-12 season, Al Ain won the championship and later he left UAE by not signing a new contract deal due to family reasons.
In August 2011, Scocco was loaned to Newell's Old Boys, and returned to Argentina and his family after a six-year absence from his home country.
Scocco returned to his homeland, Argentina, to join Newell's Old Boys, his first professional team, as well as other Argentine stars such as Gabriel Heinze and Maxi Rodríguez.
Scocco played an important role for his team, scoring 13 goals and became the top scorer of the league alongside Facundo Ferreyra of Vélez Sársfield.
His impressive performances in Argentine Primera División, Copa Libertadores and his two-goal debut in the national team against Brazil attracted the interest of Atlético Madrid.
The transfer procedures lasted for days, as Judge Fabián Bellizia, who runs the Newell's trust, rejected River Plate's first offer of $1,800,000.
The manager of River Plate wanted to have Scocco as soon as possible, as he would replace Sebastián Driussi, who had joined Zenit Saint Petersburg for €20 million.
[29] On 21 September 2017, he scored five goals for River Plate in their 8–0 comeback home 2017 Copa Libertadores quarterfinals win against Bolivian side Jorge Wilstermann.
[41] At 35 years of age, a club legend, Newell's announced his return with an instagram post with his 32-numbered shirt with the description "Nacho is back!
On 3 June 2005, Scocco was called up for another friendly for Argentina against Puerto Rico, but pulled a hamstring and was forced out for a couple of weeks and was not included in the match.