Angelo Palombo

Sampdoria and Inter loan Palombo moved to Sampdoria, then in Serie B, on a free transfer in the 2002 summer transfer window when Fiorentina declared bankruptcy and were forced to put their players on sale. said, however, that he had no intention to move unless the club wished to sell him and remained at the club, commenting: "I'll end my career with Sampdoria. I'm proud to have received some important offers and I thank the clubs who have come forward. However, I haven't thought about leaving here, not even for a moment. I think I have already demonstrated how tied I am to this shirt."

He spent the first half of the 2011–12 season in Serie B with Sampdoria, He made his club debut the following day, coming on as a substitute for Andrea Poli in a 4–4 home draw against Palermo. However, he only made three appearances for Inter in total, and returned to Sampdoria at the end of the 2011–12 Serie A season, who had secured a spot back in Serie A for the 2012–13 season. after no other offers, he remained with Sampdoria the following season, started to play regularly and managing to get his contract renewed twice until his retirement.

He announced his retirement from professional football in July 2017, after collecting 459 appearances for Sampdoria in his 15 years spent at the club.

International career Palombo was in the Italy U-21 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and achieved bronze medal of the 2004 Summer Olympics football tournament.

Palombo made his Italy national team debut in the 0–2 defeat to Croatia on 16 August 2006, He was a member of Italy's 23-man squad that took part at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. After a good 2009–10 season at club level, Marcello Lippi named him in the final 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Post-playing career After retiring from professional football, Palombo joined the coaching team of Marco Giampaolo for the 2017–18 season with his former club Sampdoria. He received his coaching licence on 15 December 2017.

Style of play Palombo was usually deployed as a defensive or box-to-box midfielder in the centre of the pitch, where he could effectively combine his defensive and athletic attributes, as well as his ability to break down opposition plays, with his ability to start attacking plays and create chances for teammates as a deep-lying playmaker; however, his energetic, hard-working style of play and his stamina allowed him to play anywhere in midfield, and he was also deployed as a winger on occasion. In addition to his ball-winning and passing abilities, he also possessed a powerful shot from distance. Palombo was a physically strong, tenacious, influential, and determined player, with good feet, who was also known for his passion and good quality of play on the pitch; however, he was also accused by certain pundits of inconsistency at times throughout his career. In his youth, Palombo cited Demetrio Albertini as one of his major influences.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours Italy U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2004