 Abate cried after seeing the message.His final appearance for the club came a week later, in a 3–2 away win over SPAL on 26 May.After playing at various levels of youth international football for Italy, at under-19 and under-20 level, Abate made his debut with the Italian under-21 side in a friendly against Luxembourg, coming off the bench during the second half, on 12 December 2006.