Since signing with Sampdoria in January 2007, Gabriel Ferrari has come close to making his Serie A debut. Last season, having already come off the bench in a Coppa Italia game against Inter Milan, the young American was waiting to be introduced in a league game against AC Milan when the referee blew the final whistle. This season has been more of the same, with Ferrari making the squad for a few league games, but still no appearances.
Given the injuries to Sampdoria strikers Vicenzo Montella and Claudio Bellucci and the five-match ban for star striker Antonio Cassano, Ferrari thought his chance would come against Catania Calcio this weekend. It was not to be, however, as Bellucci made a surprising return to the squad after undergoing knee surgery barely two weeks ago. He came off the bench to seal a 3-1 win for the host with his 11 th goal of the season four minutes from time. Ferrari, meanwhile, didn’t make the bench, a disappointment considering that he’d been available for selection during Sampdoria’s 2-1 win away to Parma the weekend before.
This must have been a frustrating turn of events for the 19-year-old American, who prior to Sunday’s match told ESPN, “If there’s going to be a chance this year, this is definitely going to be it. It’s great to be on the bench in Serie A, which is something unbelievable for me, especially, but I mean, eventually I need to start playing. You need to participate.”