Christian D’Urso

We have reached the half way point in this Player Insider series. That means we will talk about midfielder Christian D’Urso. The former Roma Primavera prospect has been a great signing ever since he joined Cittadella in 2019.

D’Urso was born on July 26, 1997 in Rieti. Not far from the capital, Christian was part of Roma’s youth academy until 2016. At Roma, D’Urso broke out onto the stage. During the 14/15 season, D’Urso played 39 matches, with 5 goals with that tally. A lot went on that season, as Roma was doing well on the academy level. Starting off with the Camionato Primavera, Roma won their league, only losing three times. D’Urso and co made a great run in the Viareggio Cup, losing to Inter in the semi finals.

Roma made an even better run in the Coppa Italia Primavera. Going on the way to the final, where they faced city rivals Lazio, Roma took the lead in a 1-0 first leg win. The second leg wasn’t as nice to them, as they lost 2-0, with D’Urso playing 55 minutes. Roma once again made a great run in the UEFA Youth League. Going to the semi finals again, the Giallorossi lost to Chelsea.

A rising midfielder, D’Urso also got an Italian national team call up in the 14/15 season. His debut came on March 4, 2015 against Hungary U18, when he came on for Nicolo Berella.

The next season was once again a successful one. He won his first trophy at Roma, when they beat Juventus in the Campionato Primavera Fase Finale. He got more call ups to the national team, and it was getting clear that he is ready for pro football.

His first professional experience was the 16/17 season at Latina. He made his Serie B debut on August 27, 2016 against Hellas Verona. Another half season loan came that winter, now loaned to Carpi, however, only made one appearance for the club.

Moving into the summer of 2017, D’Urso signed with Ascoli on a loan deal. He got a good amount of playing time, playing roughly half of the games in Ascoli’s Serie B season. He scored his first pro goal on Christmas Eve in 2017 against Spezia. The club faced Virtus Entella in a relegation playout. Tied at 0-0, D’Urso came on in the second leg for current teammate Enrico Baldini, and helped Ascoli grind out a 0-0 draw, meaning they were safe.

D’Urso came back to Roma that summer. The club tried the midfielder abroad, D’Urso went to Greece to play for Apollon Smyrnis in the captain, Athens. It was a season much needed for Christian. A starter for the Greek club, D’Urso played 28 league games. Unfortunately for the club, they were relegated after a hard season.

This is the part where Cittadella come in. The Veneto club signed D’Urso on a permanent deal. He broke through, showing his quality and what he can bring to the team. An important piece, D’Urso adds speed and creativity in the midfield. We are excited to what Christian can provide this season!