Player Profiles: Alberto Gilardino

Fiorentina fans have become more accustomed to the violin celebration that Gilardino often performs after scoring a goal of late, leaving the Milanista wondering why on earth he could not perform his musical celebration more often in the company of the thousands that gather at the San Siro when Milan are in town. But one thing is for certain, Gilardino is back in business big time. The hitman came to light at Parma where he punched out back to back 23 goal seasons leaving Parma in 2005 having hit the back of the net 50 times in just 96 appearances. But he first came on the scene in Verona where he learnt his trade under his current coach Cesare Prandelli with Hellas, who incidentally was also his coach at Parma. Clearly the two work well together, and the omission of Prandelli in Gilardino's transfer to Milan perhaps unsettled the man who had been so prolific in the seasons gone by at Parma.

Gilardino: The Milan years
The transfer to Milan was one of great promise for both parties. With Shevchenko on the wane 'Gila' was sought after to take over the mantle. In the first year arguably he did. 17 goals alongside Sheva made for a respectable return at a club where Gila was part of the team rather than the focus of it as he was in Parma. But, the goals began to dry up and 17 was followed by 12 in the 2006/2007 season, and just seven in 2007/2008. The performances in Europe were not great either for Gilardino, with him registering just twice in the Champions League for Milan, albeit one rather crucial strike against Manchester United in a 3-0 romp for AC which lead in the end to a Champions League title. Still, with a certain Pato arriving Gila was often found on the bench, prompting a 15 million euro fee to Fiorentina, allowing him to reunite with Prandelli.

Batistuta's hunting ground
And, its so far it has been a successful move for Gila. 19 goals last season showed that it was money well spent for Fiorentina and he had no trouble linking up with either Adrian Mutu or Stefan Jovetic. 5 goals in Europe as well followed and a return to prominence in the Azzurri fold has occurred. This season he has simply carried on from where he started. 7 goals so far in Serie A, 3 in the Champions League including one against Liverpool and four for Italy including a hatrick against Cyprus have highlighted what an important player Gilardino has become for not only Fiorentina but Italy also. The question remains, how much further can he go? With Fiorentina ready to do battle in the Champions League knockout stages, it would seem the stage is set.

Image credited to Roberto Vicario.