Fabio Quagliarella | Sampdoria's adopted son

Not even a stalker could stop him becoming one of Serie A's most memorable strikers

After 20 seasons, eight different clubs and 182 goals in 556 Serie A appearances, Fabio Quagliarella finally hung up his boots in November.

The 40-year-old has been one of Italian football’s most recognisable figures in recent years, and sits 14th in the league’s all-time top goalscorers list.

Though born in Naples, Quagliarella became most famous for his eight seasons with Sampdoria, a relationship that began in 2015 and saw him enjoy the most fruitful of his entire career.

That was despite what had looked to be a dream move when he secured an €18 million move from Udinese to Napoli back in 2009. There, he would forge a deadly partnership with Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marek Hamsik, scoring 11 goals in his first season back home. 

“As I child I went to the San Paolo with my father, I watched hours and hours of videotapes of [Diego] Maradona. That shirt was everything.”

But it was soon to turn sour. That love from the Partenopei supporters became hatred, as he moved on to bitter rivals Juventus after just one season with Napoli.