Giampaolo Pazzini

He combined well with Antonio Cassano up front, forming arguably one of the most effective partnerships of the season in Serie A, and drawing comparisons with Sampdoria's former Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini strike-pairing of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

At the time, Pazzini was considered the best Italian striker.

On 26 September, he scores the winner-goal in a match against Inter.

Giampaolo Pazzini (born 2 August 1984), nicknamed Il Pazzo ("The Madman") after his surname, is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a striker.

He spent most of his career in Serie A with Atalanta, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Inter Milan and AC Milan, and Hellas Verona, also playing in Serie B for the first and last of those clubs.

He is well known for his eye for goal and movement off the ball, especially in the penalty area, as well as his aerial prowess and excellent ability to score headed goals.

Winning this game, Sampdoria can lead the table for the first time since 1991.

Born in Pescia, Pazzini started his career at Atalanta, with whom he made his professional debut in 2003, and quickly emerging as a promising youngster.

He spent two seasons with Atalanta, playing 51 league games and scoring 12 goals (of which 3 of them at Serie A level).

He switched from a left back to a striker.

Pazzini joined Fiorentina from Atalanta for around €6 million in January 2005.

During his first season, he scored ten goals in four appearances.

but did not find space in Cesare Prandelli's plans as the latter preferred Luca Toni as the main striker, with Pazzini and Valeri Bojinov acting as second strikers.

With the arrival of former Milan striker Alberto Gilardino, Prandelli opted for Adrian Mutu and Gilardino to form a striking partnership, reducing Pazzini to a backup role.

As a result of limited first team opportunities, Pazzini agreed a move to Sampdoria in January 2008 for a €9 million transfer fee.

After his first match, against Palermo, in the next matchday Pazzini found the back of the net for the first time with the blucerchiati against Udinese in the Coppa Italia.

He scored his first goal in Serie A with his new team on 1 February 2009 in the match against Chievo, which finished in a 1–1 draw.

His rejuvenated form continued when he hit his first brace with Sampdoria in a 3–0 hammering against Italian champions Internazionale in the Coppa Italia, and his second consecutive brace arrived in the Serie A encounter against Roma (2–2).

A former Italian international, Pazzini earned a total of 25 caps and represented his nation at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Pazzini joined Italian champions Inter Milan on a four-and-a-half-year deal on 28 January 2011, with Jonathan Biabiany heading in the opposite direction as part of the deal; Pazzini was valued €19 million whilst Biabiany was tagged for €7 million.

Pazzini scored a brace on his debut, a 3–2 home win over Palermo, and scored another goal in his second game against Bari.

He also scored the winner in a 1–2 win against Fiorentina on 16 February 2011.

On 30 April 2011, he scored 2 in a 2–1 win over Cesena, both in stoppage time.

On 22 May 2011, he scored a further two goals in Inter's 3–1 victory over Catania.

Pazzini began the 2011–12 season on a weak note, failing to score until the fifth matchday in a 3–1 victory over Bologna.

He then scored in the next match after a dribble from teammate Yuto Nagatomo in a 3–2 away victory against CSKA Moscow.

He later suffered a three-month goal drought until he scored Inter's opener in a 2–0 victory against Fiorentina.

Owing partially to the excellent form of his teammate Diego Milito and partially due to a lack of consistency in managerial preferences and squad selection, Pazzini made a majority of his appearances for Inter during the 2011–12 season as a substitute off the bench.

As such, Pazzini was only able to score five goals in Serie A for the season and was often frustrated in front of goal in European competition as well.

Pazzini also added another goal later that month against Lecce and scored in Inter's opening match of the 2012 calendar year in a 5–0 victory against Parma.

After being transfer listed by the Nerazzurri, Pazzini joined AC Milan on 22 August 2012, in exchange for Antonio Cassano and a €7.5 million compensation in favour of the Nerazzurri.

(Pazzini tagged for €13 million and Cassano for €5.5 million.)

On 24 August 2012, Pazzini told La Gazzetta dello Sport of what occurred at Inter: "I dream about being a deciding factor in a derby and in many other matches. I could say some things but the row would go on for days and I just don't feel like it. The night before the summer training camp I had a phone call telling me I was out of the team," he revealed, "and the following day I was told: 'You won't be playing in any of the friendlies', but it wasn't Stramaccioni. I was getting bad vibes, but now I'm looking to the future."

I'm really motivated because I'm coming out of a negative year," explained Pazzini. "I really want to get things together and get back to being the player I was five months ago, at international level too.

I dream of getting a call from Prandelli." Regarding the swap that brought Cassano to Inter, Pazzini stated, "Antonio and I have been friends since our days at Sampdoria.

When I read about this deal on the front page of a paper I called him and joked: 'See, these days you need me to get your name onto the front page...' But during the training camp at Inter, it was Pazzini who announced his imminent departure to the fans.

"It wasn't an outburst of any kind, I was calm and cool. I made a few statements," he explained, "because I already knew all about it. I read that I had been thrown out of the squad after that statement, but it isn't true. I had already made up my mind, and that statement was spontaneous. I hadn't been expecting it, but they made the decision and I accepted it. AC Milan are the best and I can hold my head up high."

On 1 September, on his second appearance but first full-debut, Pazzini netted a hat-trick in Milan's 3–1 victory over Bologna, with his style of play drawing comparisons with Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi, who had retired a couple of months earlier.

On 3 November 2012, Pazzini ended his eight-game goal drought when he scored the final goal in stoppage time in Milan's impressive 5–1 win over Chievo.

It was the first time Pazzini had found the back of the net since his hat-trick back in September.