Giampaolo Pazzini

Giampaolo Pazzini (born August 2, 1984 in Pescia) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Internazionale and the Italian national team. Fans call him Il Pazzo ("the Madman").

Club career

Early career

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.

Fiorentina

Pazzini joined Fiorentina from Atalanta for around € 6.5 million in January 2005. During his first season he scored 3 goals, including a fine strike against Juventus (the match finished 3–3) but did not find space in Cesare Prandelli's plans as the latter preferred Luca Toni as the main striker, with Pazzini and 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 player role.

Sampdoria

As a result of limited first team opportunities, Pazzini agreed a move to Sampdoria on January 2009.

After his first match versus 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 February 1, 2009 in the match against Chievo, finished in a 1–1 draw....
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