FLORENCE – Polish footballer Krzysztof Piatek will return to Italy, this time to play for Fiorentina, sports sources announced. The move is described as an attempt to resuscitate his career after his previously exceptional talent as a striker left him at AC Milan.

 

  "The gunslinger is back." These were Piatek’s words on his return to Italy, reviving the nickname given to him after his style of goal celebration, which involves sliding to his knees with arms crossed and fingers pointing like two guns.

 

 In 2018, Piatek appeared to be the most powerful striker in the world. At that time, he made a positive impression in a soccer community, playing for the Genoa team. He used to be compared with two other valued Polish footballers – Lewandowski and Milik. 

 

 During his first match for Genoa, he scored four goals (two with his head) in just 37 minutes. Moreover, at the beginning of the championship, he achieved remarkable success. In each of the first seven Series A matches he scored a goal, equaling the record set by Enzo Pasciutti. He consequently won the AIC award for best football player of September.

 

 Piatek's goals became more complex with each match, which proved his special football ability. He scored the goal effectively and he can position himself very well on the pitch. His talent was also appreciated by AC Milan, which decided to buy him. Called “Robocop” by trainer Gattuso he continued his offensive game. “With Milan he scored nine goals in 18 games, one every two, and even if he failed to keep up the unreal averages he’d had with Genoa, he confirmed that he could also function at a higher level, surrounded by greater pressure.”

 

 However, when Giampaolo replaced Gattuso, Piatek had some adaptation problems with his new football strategy, because the Polish footballer preferred a simple style of play. In an interview, Piatek said, “at Milan we play more with the ball on the ground. Sometimes you should think about playing in a simpler way, as a striker I miss those long balls.”

 

 In addition, Piatek was under a big pressure to receive the T-shirt with number nine, dedicated to the best strikers and surrounded by kind of a curse. His skill on the pitch began to decrease.  He couldn’t cope with the responsibility of number nine and lost the rivalry for a place in the squad to Zlatan Ibrahimović, who fit better with Giampaolo’s style of play. As a result, Piatek was transferred to Hertha Berlin in Germany.

 

 Now 26 years old, the  Polish footballer has come back to Italy to play for Fiorentina. Will this be the team where he can spread his wings again? He will play alongside esteemed Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović.  So far, Piatek scored a goal during extra time in a frenetic debut match at Diego Armando Maradona – a promising start.

 

 

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