Daniele Donnarumma

An explosive left back that was signed last year, Daniele Donnarumma raised a lot of eyebrows this past season, impressing a lot of people with his performances.

Donnarumma was born in Gragnano on April 12, 1992. Growing up near Naples, he played for Napoli’s Primavera until 2011. He was a regular starter in the 2010/11 Primavera season, appearing in 26 matches.

The left back was ready for professional football. He was loaned in the summer of 2011 to Nocerina in Serie B. His pro debut came on November 1, 2011 against Empoli. Halfway through the season though, Donnarumma was loaned to Carpi, where he only made one appearance.

The next season saw him at Como, and it was there where he scored his first pro goal. It came on the last day of the season, when Como played Daniele’s last club, Carpi. The game winning goal secured a win on the final day.

Another year at Como saw him get injured, which sat him out for a chunk of the season. Next season’s loan was this time at Messina. Playing 30 games that season was great for him, however the team was in free fall. Messina entered the relegation playout against Reggina. He came up against current teammate Amedeo Benedetti. Reggina got the best of their rivals, and Messina were down.

That summer, Donnarumma was released by Napoli, making him a free agent. In November of 2015, Daniele found his club, Cavese, in Serie D. Playing in Serie D was tough, but he stayed focused and helped Cavese to a 3rd place finish. Pushing all the way to the finals, Donnarumma scored the eventual game winning goal in extra time, winning 3-2. Donnarumma and co were going back up!

He was signed by Lecco who were in Serie D before the start of the season, but only stayed there for half a season. Leaving the club in December of 2016 as a free agent, Donnarumma looked for Serie C football, and got his wish as Mantova signed him. Playing in every game from January to May, Mantova stayed up, and his performances were watched by Monopoli.

Monopoli proved to be Donnarumma’s long term club. Playing for three seasons, all in Serie C, Daniele made 92 appearances, scoring 5 and assisting 9. Over 7,000 minutes played, it was what Donnarumma needed. There was still one thing to be checked off, and that was Serie B.

That changed in 2020. Donnarumma returned to Serie B with Cittadella. After nearly 9 years, he was back in the second division. Many people did not expect him to break through so greatly, though he impressed his first year, starting a large majority of games and providing 9 assists. Despite a brave fight in the promotion playoffs, where Cittadella made it all the way to the finals, Donnarumma is a one to watch. Very technical and quick, Daniele can continue to be a fantastic player to watch this season.