• Joined Juventus as a youth, eventually making his first-team debut on 12 May 2007 at the end of the club's Serie B-winning campaign.

• Upgraded to Serie A on loan at Empoli FC but despite a season of promise, which brought him six goals, he could not save the Tuscan team from relegation; represented Italy at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing before returning to Juventus.

• Made only sporadic Serie A appearances for the Bianconeri in the two seasons after his return, but did feature in back-to-back UEFA Champions League campaigns and starred for Italy at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Sweden.

• Released by Juventus to play on loan at Parma in 2010/11, he made 30 league appearances, scoring seven goals, three of them against his parent club; his renaissance earned him a senior debut for Italy − as a substitute in a friendly against Germany on 9 February 2011.

• Joined Parma permanently and scored 15 goals in 2011/12; made his competitive debut for Italy in their last UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier, and managed two substitute appearances in the tournament proper as Italy reached the final.