With the World Cup looming on the horizon, Alberto Aquilani’s hat-trick performance in the thrilling 3-3 draw with Genoa on Sunday night will have acted as a timely reminder to Italian coach Cesare Prandelli of exactly what the midfielder can bring to a side when on form.
However, the former Liverpool man, as always, has been a bit of an enigma at both club and country level. Often failing to consistently produce such performances which many feel his natural footballing ability can and, at 29-years-old, those concerns will ultimately see him miss his last opportunity to represent Italy on international footballs biggest stage.
Before his unsuccessful spell in the Premier League the midfielder had received widespread acclaim for his play at childhood club Roma and, as a Roman native, having significant standing amongst the Giallorossi faithful. Yet despite being destined for stardom their willingness to allow the then 25-year-old to leave indicates they were equally unsure of his ability to improve further.
Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, and possibly Aquilani himself, he was welcomed as the man who would transform them from league runners-up to champions replacing the Real Madrid bound Xabi Alonso and failed spectacularly.
The Italian’s fondness for stunning goals and aesthetic passing game had initiated hours of YouTube material highlighting such strikes and wonderful raking balls like his predecessor. Even the statistics proved misleading with 15 goals in 147 appearances in five seasons for the Romans.
To be fair he joined Liverpool after suffering some significant injuries during final years in Rome and was still recovering on arrival. However, witnessing first-hand the majority of his 26 outings for the Merseyside club there was always that worrying feeling that he did not possess the drive that really top players have not only to make it to the top echelons but regularly decide a match in their sides favour.
Attractive to watch with an undoubted technical ability a somewhat fragile disposition can often see him overwhelmed by an opponent in one of the most important areas of the pitch. You could argue that a similarly steely determination, as former teammates Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, would have seen him still with the club now, but is a characteristic you cannot always alter.
In an attempt to recover form and confidence or, more likely, recoup a significant chunk of the sizeable transfer fee, he was loaned to both Juventus and AC Milan, yet despite significant playing time both were unconvinced he should remain.
The Bianconeri were vindicated in their decision by winning the Scudetto the following season after the arrival of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, both providing more substance than the former Roma-man.
Seemingly heading for a journeyman ending to his career shifting from club to club his arrival at Fiorentina in the summer of 2012 appeared to transform the Italian, forming an impressive trio alongside Borja Valero and David Pizarro.
The move inspired the Viola as they fought Milan virtually to the last kick of the season for a Champions League place and playing some of the most attractive football in Italy, Aquilani contributing 7 goals in 25 Serie A outings.
However, with injuries again playing their part (indicating a fragile physique as much as mentality) many wondered what could have been had the trio had a full season in the Viola engine room.
To this extent it has been the performances of Valero and Pizarro that have claimed most of the plaudits and rightly so. When the chips are down they have been the players to drag Fiorentina through on more than one occasion, not Aquilani.
With the Azzurri one of the favourites heading to Brazil this summer they can hardly afford to carry a player that Prandelli probably realises they cannot count on come the knock-out stages.
While he may compete technically with Pirlo and Riccardo Montolivo as someone capable of pulling the strings in the Italian midfield, whether he would put his body on the line in the closing stages of a game is probably not even open to question.
Despite the inexperience of the equally technically adept Marco Verratti the dogged way the Paris Saint-Germain youngster undertakes his defensive duties makes him a far more suitable candidate as reserve to the pair.
Unfortunately, despite the moments of ‘YouTube gold’ Aquilani will have provided over the years, his style over substance approach will ultimately leave him remembered as one of those players that fans at international and club level will continually wonder ‘what if’.
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Aquilani is a lying crying mommys boy who robbed Liverpool and wouldn’t play but made sure to get as much money as he could while he missed his mommy, moped and hardly kicked a ball. He should be banned and in jail for all the deciept and lies.
Aquilani will go down as a wasted talent but not for his attitude.
Unfortunately his body has been too fragile for professional football and although he showed glimpses of talent at Roma, he has been at his best for Fiorentina.