Fabio Quagliarella, who now represents Sampdoria, ended a two-year association with Napoli in 2011 when he secured a move to Juventus.

The 34-year-old striker has spoken out on leaving Napoli and the reason behind it.

“As I child I went to San Paolo with my dad, I watched hours and hours of videotapes of [Diego] Maradona. That shirt was everything,” he told Corriere della Sera, as reported by Football Italia.

“The Neapolitans welcomed me like a king, I’ll still be hearing the songs with my grandchildren.

“I dreamed of staying forever, becoming captain, winning… Sometimes I play Sliding Doors and see myself alongside beloved idols like Hamsik or Insigne.

“Could I still go to Napoli? I’m really happy at Samp, they’ve made me captain and the fans are magnificent, they understood the deep meaning behind my words about Napoli.

“Then at 34, it’s difficult. But with my people, I feel like I’ve won a Scudetto.”

His troubles began whilst playing for Udinese whom he initially joined in August 2005 before transferring to Napoli four years later.

“It started in Udine in 2008,” he explained.

“I got an envelope, inside were fake web pages saying I was going out with underage girls, that I took drugs, that I hung out with the Camorra.

“I thought it was the joke of a cretin. Then when I went to Napoli in 2009 it became a nightmare, my family and I even got death threats.

“The stalker, Raffaele Piccolo? He was a police officer who was first introduced to me by a friend, who later also became his victim.

“My phone had been bugged, Piccolo solved the problem and we stayed in touch.

“When I needed help, who better than a friend from the police? He assured me he’d solve everything. He told me not to talk to anyone, he pretended to take fingerprints on the letters.

“Then Napoli told me to go to a hotel. I didn’t understand, I was fine in my house with my family, I had no problems on the pitch.

“I understood later that the letters had also come to the club, who decided to intervene. I don’t blame them, in this story the only culprit is the stalker.”

The former Italy striker athletically flicked the ball into the far corner to complete Sampdoria’s 3-0 win over visiting Napoli on Monday.