Sampdoria’s Duvan Zapata has vowed not to celebrate if he scores against Udinese but is disappointed his former club did not do more to keep him.
Zapata scored 27 goals in two seasons at Udinese, but the Zebrette were unable to secure the striker on a permanent basis and Napoli ultimately sold him to Samp.
“I won’t celebrate if I score. I played for them and Udine is in my heart,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Saturday’s clash between the two sides in Serie A.
Sampdoria’s Duvan Zapata has vowed not to celebrate if he scores against Udinese but is disappointed his former club did not do more to keep him.
Zapata scored 27 goals in two seasons at Udinese, but the Zebrette were unable to secure the striker on a permanent basis and Napoli ultimately sold him to Samp.
“I won’t celebrate if I score. I played for them and Udine is in my heart,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Saturday’s clash between the two sides in Serie A.
“Still, I thought they’d do more to buy and keep me. Napoli? They didn’t consider me.
“I came back from my best season in Italy and thought I could do my bit. Instead, I was marginalised for two months and trained alone.
“Ferrero luckily popped up, and he did so much to take me [to Samp]. Among other things, he wanted me two years ago, when Zenga was the Coach.
“I’ve been through some tough times: when I was 20, I missed my mother while I was away with [Colombia’s] Under-20 national team.
“Football helped me concentrate elsewhere, but as soon as I got to Estudiantes, I broke my leg and I was out for four months.
“Being away from my family and everything else, it wasn’t easy. Still, I went forward and broke my record of goals in a season, 10, in Udine and I’m always improving.
“I am who I am: I’ve learnt something from every Coach I had.
“Objectives for this season? The Champions League is a dream, but the Europa League is more realistic.
“I understand after talking to my teammates that we can take a leap in quality in games like the one on Saturday [against Udinese].
“Winning against big teams count, but it’s against the medium-sized and smaller ones that you can make the difference.”