According to Opta data, the MVP for matchday 26 of Serie A goes to Fabio Quagliarella. He was able to drag Sampdoria to victory thanks to a splendid brace that made him only the second Sampdoria player after Roberto Mancini to reach 100 goals in Serie A. The experienced Sampdoria captain had scored only once (from the penalty spot against Udinese) by the seventh matchday, as he ultimately struggled to find form in front of goal in the opening stages of the season. He scored two goals against the Tuscan outfit, who failed to turn up in their last league game in March 2020 against Verona. The Sampdoria striker has become just the eighth player in Serie A history to have scored in 18 consecutive calendar years (he joins an elite group alongside Altafini, Rivera, Mancini, Baggio, Del Piero, Totti and Pellissier).

Against Empoli, Fabio Quagliarella scored his 16th brace in a Sampdoria jersey in Serie A with two of his three shots finding the back of the net in the game. He also created two goalscoring opportunities (with proved to be the best in Sampdoria’s ranks, with only Zurkowski among those on the pitch capable of doing better). In particular, Empoli have always been a favourite for the Sampdoria captain. In fact, he has been involved in five goals in his last four Serie A appearances against Empoli (four goals, one assist).

After four consecutive away goals, Quagliarella's last four Serie A goals came in the opening exchanges and exclusively in home games. The Sampdoria forward last scored in an away league match way back in May 2021, converting a penalty against Udinese at the Dacia Arena.

 

His match stats against Empoli
Goals: 2
Total shots: 3
Shots on target: 2
Chances created: 2