Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini has explained why he quit Fiorentina last week.

"Things changed in Florence and it wasn't just the fact that I wasn't playing much," Pazzini told Sky Sport Italia. "There were no reasons to continue there. The most painful farewell was to my teammates because I had a great relationship with them.

"I miss the Della Valle family, who I owe a lot, and Riccardo Montolivo."

It seems the 24-year-old striker was still haunted by his startling close-range miss against Siena last season.

"I carried that miss with me for a year because everyone made fun of me," he lamented. "That was not a good moment and I took full responsibility for the result that day."