Raffaele Palladino had been on the verge of retirement, but scored the goal that put Crotone into Serie A. “It’s a unique feeling.”

The striker was considered a bright hope for Italian football when he was at Juventus, but went on to spells at Salernitana, Livorno, Genoa and Parma.

He was without a club following Parma’s bankruptcy in July 2015 and in November signed a contract for tiny Calabrian side Crotone.

Raffaele Palladino had been on the verge of retirement, but scored the goal that put Crotone into Serie A. “It’s a unique feeling.”

The striker was considered a bright hope for Italian football when he was at Juventus, but went on to spells at Salernitana, Livorno, Genoa and Parma.

He was without a club following Parma’s bankruptcy in July 2015 and in November signed a contract for tiny Calabrian side Crotone.

This evening the 32-year-old converted a penalty for the 1-1 draw in Modena, securing promotion for the first time in their history.

“It’s a unique feeling,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “It has been a marvellous journey beyond all expectations. This crowd, the team, we sweat so much to reach this moment.

“Crotone is a small club, but we proved that even the little guys can crown a dream nobody expected if they have hard work and determination.

“I was also on a personal level glad to prove some sceptics wrong about me this year. I relaunched my career. I came here to Crotone in order to play in Serie A.”

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