He began to draw attention from larger Serie A clubs, and during the summer of 1991, he was purchased by Sampdoria. He made his Serie A debut with the club on 1 September 1991, in a 3–2 away defeat to Cagliari, although he was unable to break into the starting line-up, making 14 appearances in Serie A, and scoring 1 goal in a home victory over Parma on 1 March 1992, winning the 1991 Supercoppa Italiana with the club. He also made 5 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, as Sampdoria went on to reach the final, only to be defeated by Cruyff's Barcelona "Dream Team". The next season, he returned to his former club, Udinese, who had just achieved promotion to Serie A, making 29 appearances throughout the season.