Empoli midfielder Riccardo Saponara admits being dumped by AC Milan left him in tears.

Saponara is now regarded among the best young players in Serie A.

“I am a firm believer in fate," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “If the talent scout Eldo Bencini hadn't got a flat tyre and my friend hadn't driven him to a pitch where I was testing out for a local side at the age of 16, perhaps I wouldn't be a professional football player now.

“If when at Milan I hadn't injured my knee, I wouldn't have gone home for two weeks for rehabilitation, I wouldn't have seen Giulia three or four nights in a row in my home town of Forlì or plucked up the courage to chat to her in a bar, we wouldn't be together today.

“Was it my destiny that it should go badly at Milan? I don't know, but it was a necessary step in my career and I don't regret a single tear I shed. I had been signed by the club I'd supported since childhood, how could I not shed tears?"