Though Fabio Quagliarella may not be revered as one of the greatest Italian footballers of all time, he could, undoubtedly, be celebrated as the scorer of some of the finest goals in Italian football history.
Forty years ago today – at a time when Italy were world champions and Roma were on their way to their second Scudetto – Quagliarella was born in Castellammare di Stabia, a small town just under 20 miles south-east of Naples.
Four decades on, and a professional football career that has spanned 24 years to date, Quagliarella is still playing in Italian football’s top tier, captaining Sampdoria.
Quagliarella’s career has included spells at Torino, his hometown club Napoli, and Juventus, where he won three consecutive league titles between 2012 and 2014. He has played for Sampdoria since 2016 and, during the 2018/19 Serie A campaign he scored in 11 consecutive games, a feat that had previously only been achieved by Gabriel Batistuta. That same season, Quagliarella was the league’s top scorer with 26 goals.
On his 40th birthday, what better moment to pay tribute to this fine professional by recalling five of his greatest goals:-
Sampdoria 3-2 Alessandria, August 2021
Fabio Quagliarella’s 100th goal for Sampdoria was a memorable one. A Coppa Italia first leg tie against Serie B side Alessandria may not have been the grandest occasion, but in the game’s 28th minute, Samp’s number 27 provided a moment to remember. Anticipating a cross, Quagliarella made a run to the near post and met Manolo Gabbiadini’s delivery with a deft backheel flick that flashed past the Alessandria goalkeeper into the net. The home side had fallen behind to the visitors, but Quagliarella’s goal restored parity and Samp went on to win the first leg 3-2.
Atalanta 0-2 Napoli, January 2010
Quagliarella got 2010 off to the perfect start as Napoli made the trip north to Bergamo for the first game of the New Year against Atalanta. Six minutes into the match, he received the ball 30 yards out with his back to goal. Quagliarella took a touch, turned, and unleashed an unstoppable right foot shot that crashed off the inside of the post before nestling in the Atalanta net. This was Quagliarella’s only season wearing the sky blue of Napoli, the club he had dreamt of playing for since his youngest days.
Pescara 1-6 Juventus, November 2012
Overhead kicks have been something of a Quagliarella speciality over the years, and perhaps the pick of a very impressive bunch came in a 6-1 win for Juventus at Pescara in November 2012. Under the close attention of a Pescara defender, Quagliarella met an Andrea Pirlo corner flush on the volley to send an acrobatic overhead kick flying into the net. What’s more, the strike completed his hat-trick in a 6-1 win for the Bianconeri. Quagliarella also found time to set up goals for teammates Kwadwo Asamoah and Sebastian Giovinco.
Slovakia 3-2 Italy, June 2010
Italy’s brightest moment of their 2010 World Cup campaign was virtually their last, and it came courtesy of Quagliarella. Losing 3-1 to Slovakia in their final group match, the Italians needed at least a draw to have any chance of qualifying for the knock-out stages. With the clock ticking past 90 minutes, Quagliarella received the ball 25 yards from goal and sent a delightful right foot chip over the head of Slovakia goalkeeper Ján Mucha, who was only two to three yards off his goal-line. Quagliarella’s most iconic moment on the international stage wasn’t enough for the Azzurri, however, as the World Cup holders crashed out at the first hurdle.
Sampdoria 3-0 Napoli, September 2018
A goal so stunning it’s almost impossible to describe accurately – a flicked, backheel volley is the best I can do. Quagliarella’s beloved Napoli were the victims of his greatest-ever goal, which was nominated for the 2019 Puskas Award. There were as many gasps of disbelief as cheers of celebration when Samp’s talisman sumptuously converted Bartosz Bereszyński’s cross to give the home side a 3-0 lead in the second game of the Serie A season. As befits a man of his character, Quagliarella’s celebrations were muted, he even offered Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina a wave of apology. The Colombian shot-stopper then hugged his adversary.
Although his on-field exploits are often spectacular, Quagliarella isn’t flashy, and as Stephen Kasiewicz highlighted in a recent article on Sampdoria’s All Time XI, the Blucerchiati fans ‘adore him for his passion, work-rate and humility’. In a 2017 interview with the Bleacher Report, Quagliarella opened up about the terrifying years when a stalker plagued he and his family. Thankfully, this frightening episode is now behind him and Quagliarella has found a home from home in Liguria, where, as Stephen Kasiewicz added, he is ‘one of the most iconic forwards’ to wear the Sampdoria jersey.
So, all that remains to be said is a very happy 40th birthday, Fabio, and let’s hope somebody is taking care of you the way Antonio Candreva did in his Sampdoria signing announcement video.