Luca Maniero

Luca Maniero had many obstacles to become the goalkeeper of Cittadella. Through many setbacks, he is finally getting the chance to prove his quality.

Luca was born in Padua, just down the road from where he plays. Born on June 12, 1995, Maniero did not have it easy getting into the professional game.

He started at his local team Padova, the near rivals of Cittadella. He played with the Primavera growing up, and had matches against the likes of Inter, Milan, and Atalanta. In 2012 he made two appearances with the Italian U17’s, in friendlies against the Czech Republic. The following year, Luca transferred to Inter Milan’s youth team.

He didn’t get to play at Inter as much. In the summer of 2014, a free transfer saw him land at Pordenone. In Serie C at the time, Maniero made his professional debut on August 31, 2014 in a 2-0 loss against Lumezzane. He started the first 5 out of 6 matches, but did not start again until March of next year.

Pordenone were relegated that season, which saw Luca go to Crotone. He didn’t make an appearance the whole year, which made Crotone loan the goalkeeper to Mantova. It wasn’t much different at Mantova for Luca. Starting only three matches, it was unclear where he should go next.

After the year loan, Crotone sold Maniero to Palermo for the 17/18 season. Once again as the backup keeper, Luca didn’t see the pitch for the entire season.

Cittadella bought Maniero in the summer of 2018, but was on the sidelines for the entire season. Under Roberto Venturato, he made one appearance that season in a Coppa Italia fixture against Benevento. The next season, however, would see Luca come to life.

Maniero was given an opportunity to play against Serie A side Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia. Though not playing in Serie B matches and being the second goalkeeper, the summer of 2020 saw everything change.

Venturato gave him a chance in a home match against Ascoli. He made his official Serie B debut on July 17, 2020, years after constant disappointment at his former clubs. He was then put in goal again in the last match of the season, this time against Virtus Entella. A man of the match performance was enough for Cittadella to win 3-2, putting them 5th in Serie B. After the match, Maniero cried on the turf, his long awaited matches and dreams came true.

The departure of Alberto Paleari saw Luca being given the starting keeper role. He started the first 11 Serie B matches, keeping four clean sheets. Before Christmas, he caught Covid-19, and did not play for about a month. The second half of the season saw him start 9 matches.

While only having played 21 Serie B matches at 26 years old, Luca Maniero is a great example of perseverance and hard work. With being on the sidelines for a large part of his career, he was patient, and when he got his chance, he grabbed it with confidence. As the 21/22 season begins, Maniero has his eyes set on improving from last year’s breakthrough season.