AC Milan forward Gianluca Lapadula says his dream has come true after he opened his account for the Rossoneri in their 2-1 win at Palermo on Sunday.
Lapadula, 26, has not featured regularly for Milan since arriving in the summer from Pescara, for whom he scored 30 goals in Serie B last season, but he says his first goal in Serie A was worth the wait and hopes many more will follow.
"It's a dream come true but I'm 26 and I've still got a long way to go," he told Mediaset. "Sometimes I don't even get to touch the ball when in the area, but I always give it a go. I now hope to find some continuity.
"This is not a circle which closes but rather the start of a new, important journey. I will do all I can to get more action, but in a club as big as this one, even playing for just three minutes is important."
Non arrenderti fino a quando non avrai raggiunto il tuo obiettivo,fino a quando non avrai in pugno la vittoria! @acmilan #forzamilan #seriea pic.twitter.com/HOBzHLTZC3
- GLapadula (@G_Lapadula) November 6, 2016
Lapadula's goal earned the Rossoneri all three points just minutes after the hosts had equalised and appeared set to deny Vincenzo Montella's side victory.
Montella was delighted with the reaction from his team to that equaliser, insisting it was not down to luck.
"As coach, I am proud of the reaction," he said. "In the second half, we played with the intensity I wanted to see. There are people who claim I am a lucky coach but luck is the consequence of your convictions.
"Fortunately after the equaliser we woke up. We wanted to win this game and it's a big, deserved win."
It kept them five points behind league leaders Juventus and in third place, which would mean Champions League football next season. That is where Lapadula wants to be, and where he feels Milan belong.
"Above all the primary aim is to take Milan back where they deserve to be, on Europe's biggest stage," he said.