Sporting Lisbon striker Valeri Bojinov, who angered fans in a controversy over a penalty, has rejoined Serie A club Lecce on loan until the end of the season, the Bulgaria international said on Tuesday.

Bojinov, who turns 26 next month, incurred the wrath of Sporting fans when he shoved aside his team’s usual penalty-taker and insisted on taking the injury-time shot himself, only to see it saved, in a Cup game with lower-tier Moreirense on Jan. 19.

The Bulgarian made his debut in Serie A, playing for Lecce at the age of 15 years 11 months in 2002, to become the youngest foreign player to appear in the Italian top flight.

He was sold to Fiorentina for a fee of some 13 million euros in 2005.

“Yes, I’m already a Lecce player,” Bojinov, who also played for Juventus, Manchester City and Parma, told local media. “There’s even a possibility of playing against Udinese tomorrow.”

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