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Miccoli's 40-metre goal worthy of Maradona

Miccoli, whose admiration for Maradona has extended to paying $25,000 for an ear-ring which once belonged to the Argentine and to naming his son Diego, opened his account in the 4-1 win over Chievo by curling a free-kick around the wall in the 13th minute.

His second came just before the hour when he collected the ball on the edge of the area with a first touch which took him away from two defenders. He then evaded another marker and scored with a low shot inside the near post.

But the best from the player sometimes known as "the pocket rocket" was to yet to come.

"It is one of my best days," he said. "This is my sixth season in Palermo and every time I feel as if I have to start from scratch and prove I'm not old, or just good enough to play the last half-hour."

"Fabrizio can still improve," he said. "He's not going to score three goals every time but he's a very important player and has an important role to play.

"He's our special ingredient."