Domenico Criscito celebrated his return to the Azzurri after he was dropped from Euro 2012.

“I hope to wear this jersey for a long time,” he said, according to football-italia.net.

The Zenit defender had been part of the squad for the tournament, but was removed after police raided the training ground in the betting investigation. He has since been cleared of all wrongdoing and was never formally charged with anything.

“I felt good, as returning to the Nazionale gave me immense joy,” said Criscito after a 3-1 victory over Armenia on Oct 12.

“We played a good game and started out very well in the opening 20 minutes with plenty of scoring opportunities. I missed the Azzurri jersey a great deal and watched Euro 2012, though of course there were regrets at not being there in Poland and Ukraine. Now I focus on the present and the future.”