Fabio Quagliarella said he’s ‘so proud’ after having scored his 100th Sampdoria goal in the Coppa Italia last week and admitted he didn’t imagine playing at the highest level for so long.
The captain bagged his 100th goal in the Blucerchiati shirt against Alessandria in the first round of the Coppa Italia and revealed it’s a ‘source of pride’.
“I’m so proud to have reached 100 goals with Sampdoria,” Quagliarella told Sky Sport Italia. “In my first experience with Genoa I had only scored 13 goals, so it means that I have accelerated since I returned, and for me this is a source of pride.”
The former Juventus striker has turned 38 and admitted he didn’t expect playing at the highest level for so long.
“I didn’t think I would get that far in football at my age,” he said. “It’s a great satisfaction and the important thing is to get there well enough physically.
“I don’t know if this will be my last season: I thought about it in the summer, but I’ll decide later. I never looked at my numbers, the important thing is the team’s goal.”
He prepares to face Milan in the opening game on Monday and said he has not set a seasonal goal for 2021-22.
“I have never looked at the goal records I could reach in my career,” he added. “Because then you enter a loop from which it’s difficult to get out of and you would risk becoming selfish on the pitch.
“Of course, the double figures would always be a good target, but I would also be satisfied with scoring seven, if they were decisive and would bring home points.”
If Quagliarella reaches double figures in 2021-22, he will enter the podium of the club’s leading goalscorers, behind Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini.
“If they arrive, I would be very happy,” he admitted. “Otherwise, amen. In front of me there are people who made true history with this shirt: league titles, trophies, European finals.
“They really wrote history; I only made a contribution to this club by trying to take it as high as possible.”
Quagliarella said Sampdoria are not at their best ahead of the first game but expects his teammates to enter the match ‘having the right approach’.
“We won’t be at the top, but what matters is having the right approach,” Quagliarella told Sky Sport Italia.
A winner and a gentleman. This man can play with any team and is a success.
Congradulations , you deserve more accolades because you are and have always been a great player.
Bravo, Bravo, Bravo Fabio