The Serie A over the years have often seen many veteran strikers have incredible seasons in the twilight of their careers. From legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo who at 33 moved to Juventus and scored 81 in 99 games. Or Swedish legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who on his return to Italy at the age of 38 played 64 times scoring 34. Helping AC Milan to a second place finish in 20/21 and a Serie A title in the following season. However these are legends of the game and not who this article is about. This flashback is on one of the lesser known strikers that bloomed late in the Serie A, Fabio Quagliarella.

Fabio Quagliarella is a name not many will recognise outside of Italy- and yet Between 2017 and 2019 he was arguably the best striker in the Serie A. The centre forward bloomed late and his two best seasons came in his late 30s in the 17/18 and 18/19 season.

During the 17/18 season Quagliarella helped guide UC Sampdoria to a 9th place finish, netting an impressive 19 goals and 5 assists, in what was at the time not the strongest squad. Then at the age of 36 the captain of Sampdoria went on to to record his best season yet. Winning the Serie A Golden Boot over the likes of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo. This 18/19 season saw him record 26 goals and 7 assists and during this season he was easily one of the leagues best players. During the winter period of this season the Italian went on to score 12 goals in 9 and equalled legend Gabriel Batistuta record of 11 straight games scoring. As he captained the side to another season in the top half of the table.

These two seasons have earned him a forever spot In Serie A history with his individual accolade of the 2018/19 top scorer. Since these two outstanding seasons however UC Sampdoria and Quagliarella have struggled. They slipped further down the Serie A. And in the captain’s retirement 22/23 season Sampdoria saw themselves relegated to the Serie B where they now languish in 9th. Perhaps if Quagliarella had been 5 years younger and could keep up his electric form from that two year period then Sampdoria would still be in Serie A.

The centre forward hung up his boots in November 2023 having played 586 Serie A matches, scoring 182 and providing 52 assists. These impressive numbers in what was a mid-table side put him deservedly up there as one of the best Serie A strikers of the 2010s. Since these two seasons he has fondly been remembered as a cult hero in Italy. The Italian, like many others who play in Serie A, most definitely aged like fine wine.