Paolo Di Canio arrived in England with Sheffield Wednesday from Celtic in 1997 with the reputation of being a fiery character who possessed bundles of natural ability.
In truth, it did not take the Italian too long to show both of those characteristics. A year after he had signed on at Hillsborough, Di Canio was suspended for 11 matches for pushing referee Paul Alcock to the ground, while in March 2000, having joined West Ham United, the frontman scored one of the Premier League's most memorable goals with a volley against Wimbledon.
He would go on to make the headlines again 13 years ago today during West Ham's trip to Everton's Goodison Park, once more for the right reasons.
In terms of the match itself, it was by no means a classic. Neither side were able to find the net during the opening 45 minutes, although the hosts did break the deadlock in the 75th minute courtesy of Danny Cadamarteri, who headed in from close range to score his third goal in as many home encounters.
The visiting East Londoners ensured that the spoils would be shared seven minutes from time, though, when Di Canio played in Frederic Kanoute to fire in the equaliser.
However, the Hammers could have easily left Merseyside with all three points. Deep into stoppage time, Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard raced off his line to deny Kanoute. In doing so, he dislocated his knee, which left him crumpled on the floor.
That did not deter West Ham winger Trevor Sinclair as he crossed the ball from the right flank towards a waiting Di Canio. It was a difficult chance to convert, but one that the Rome-born centre-forward could well have acrobatically taken advantage of. Instead, with Gerrard stricken, Di Canio caught the ball to allow the keeper to receive medical attention.
It was an act that saw him receive a standing ovation from all four corners of the ground, while a number of Everton players also showed their appreciation.
At time his manager, Harry Redknapp, said: "It was the most fantastic bit of sportsmanship I have ever seen but I didn't know whether to laugh or cry!"
A few months later, Di Canio was awarded the FIFA Fair Play award.
Liam Apicella
