Federico Macheda lives in one of the rare positions where his footballing career has flattered to deceive, but he will always be remembered by pretty much every single football fan around in 2009, as he scored a goal which ultimately handed Manchester United the Premier League title.
His injury-time strike against Aston Villa saw him burst onto the scene, and whilst a tap-in at Sunderland a week later only furthered his momentum, the Italian has admitted he found it hard to move to Sampdoria, as the club expected him to be their saviour as he was arriving from Manchester United.
"Those six months spoiled my career, because they tried to kill me as a footballer. They thought because I was coming from United, I was going to save them," Macheda explained in an interview with The Daily Mail.
"I started to doubt myself, we fought not to be relegated but people started attacking me.
"I wasn't ready, I was young. It wasn't working and I shouldn't have been the one chosen to make it work."
Cristiano Ronaldo's wonderful Manchester United career was coming to an end in 2009, with Real Madrid signing him at the end of the 2008/09 season, and whilst Macheda was tipped to take the mantle from the Portuguese star, the Italian didn't feel any initial pressure.
"The day before [Aston Villa goal], I was talking to my friends in Rome, I told them that something was going to happen and that Old Trafford would erupt," he added.
"It was crazy, I entered that match with a lot of confidence knowing something magical was going to happen, it was better than I expected. I didn't stop seeing the goal for weeks."
Now aged 29, Macheda has found a home in Greece with Panathinaikos, where he has scored 28 goals in 74 appearances, and despite the fact he feels he wasted his opportunity at United, he is happy to have bounced back in Europe.
"I could have done more, I worked with an incredible team and I feel like I failed myself in the way I played, the way I took care of myself, my life. I didn't play and looked for excuses instead of working harder," he confirmed.
"Panathinaikos are the perfect club; they're big and have a lot of history. They needed me because they weren't in the best condition, and I was looking for a chance like that. It has been good for everyone."
Source: m.allfootballapp.com