Brendan Rodgers' first signing as Liverpool manager did not work out at Anfield, but 10-and-a-half years after walking into Melwood, he is making waves in Turkey.
Fabio Borini joined Liverpool from Roma in July 2012, in a deal worth £10.5million. The Italian later revealed that fellow countryman Mario Balotelli was partly responsible for helping him to agree to the move after he told him that the Reds had the most 'exciting fans'.
But injury and loss of form saw the former Chelsea forward make only 25 appearances for the Reds scoring just three times over two seasons, with a season-long loan at Sunderland in-between. Eventually, he would join the Black Cats on a permanent deal, bringing his somewhat insignificant Anfield career to a close.
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But his time on Merseyside was not wasted off the pitch, as it was in Liverpool that he met his now wife Erin.
Borini's goal return since leaving Liverpool suggests that the Reds were right to cut their losses when they did, but as the Bologna-born attacker turns 32 today, he is in the form of his life.
After spells at AC Milan and Verona following his departure from the North East in 2017, Borini joined Turkish Super Lig side Fatih Karagümrük. Now into his third season, the arrival of former gli Azzurri hero Andrea Pirlo as manager appears to have taken his game to another level.
This season, Borini has scored 16 goals in 24 appearances for the Istanbul club, helping them to climb to ninth in the table. But when he moved to Turkey in 2021, he was joining a team with neither a permanent stadium or training base.
Having previously played for sides like Liverpool, Chelsea and Milan, in a recent interview with the Mail, Borini explained how he adapted to his new environment. He said: "It has taught me how to adapt to what you have. Don't moan about what you could have and don't have - which I was doing the first few months.
"You don't have a training ground? Ok, in my free time, twice a week I go to the park to do my extra training… if you need to do recovery, you go to a hotel or a pool. I needed probably more time than I expected to adapt because culturally it's very different. Here it is all a bit loose."
Despite being Italian, Borini thinks and talks in English, thanks to his time in England and Merseyside wife and children. The 32-year-old credits Pirlo with making changes to how the club operates, but admits that there is only so much even a footballing legend of his standing can achieve in Turkey.
Borini said: "He brought structure in the way we train and the way we work… in terms of discipline. There is only so much a manager can do, though. Culturally, priorities are different. For us Italians, how you eat and rest is very important, here not so much."
When asked about the priorities in Turkey, he added: "It's how little you do, sometimes!"
Borini is the Super Lig's second-placed goalscorer this season and tops the charts for assists with eight. He will be out of contract at the end of the season and would still love a return to England, but for now his focus is on Karagümrük.
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