West Ham cult hero Alessandro Diamanti has played in Italy, China, returned to the PL and is now in Australia

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West Ham signed Alessandro Diamanti from Livorno in the summer of 2009 for around £6 million (BBC).

The Italian went on to be somewhat of a cult hero in east London, before leaving for Brescia a year later for around £2 million (BBC).

The now 36-year-old scored eight goals in 30 games for the Hammers (Soccerbase). And he scored some absolute worldies during his time in east London.

And since leaving West Ham, Diamanti has been a real journeyman.

The Italian left Brescia for Bologna, before making the move to China in 2015, joining Guangzhou Evergrande.

A brief loan spell with Fiorentina preceded a move back to the Premier League. Diamanti joined Watford in the summer of 2015, before returning to Italy for spells with Atalanta, Palermo and Peruggia.

The 36-year-old made his last move in in the summer of 2019, when he joined Australian A-League outfit Western United FC. He was also made captain at the start of the season.

The former West Ham man has experienced quite the career. Maybe it won’t go down as an incredibly successful career, but it has been a well-travelled one nevertheless.

Diamanti was never a truly elite player. But his passion and spirit on the pitch was rivalled by few. And West Ham fans loved him for that.