Simone Branca

Continuing through the midfield, we have reached Simone Branca. Branca, who can play more on the sides of the pitch and as a six, joined Cittadella in 2018. Coming from Denmark, Simone is a hard working midfielder in the Cittadella squad.

Branca was born on March 25th, 1992 in Busto Arsizio, just northwest of Milan. A product of Novara’s youth academy, Branca played there as a teenager. He was on the bench for some of Novara’s Serie A season, but never came on as a substitute.

In 2012, Branca was loaned out to Südtirol in Serie C. After successful Primavera seasons with Novara, Branca turned professional, with his debut coming against AlbinoLeffe on September 2, 2012. Two months later on November 4, Branca scored his first pro goal against Reggiana. It was a great first season, and despite Südtirol losing their fight for promotion, Branca ended up playing 29 games.

Südtirol liked what they saw of him, and bought Branca for free the next transfer window. Branca and Südtirol made the promotion finals of Serie C. Up against Pro Vercelli, Südtirol lost over two legs. In the second leg while chasing the deficit, Branca was sent off in the second half after two yellow cards.

The next season at Südtirol, Branca played in 29 games once again. A poor finish to the season saw the club miss promotion playoffs. And after three seasons, Branca left, this time joining Alessandria.

At the club for the 15/16 season, Alessandria made a fairytale run in the Coppa Italia. The club kept winning, beating Palermo, Genoa, and Spezia through their run which saw them in the semifinals. It was the first time a Serie C club made it to the semifinals of the Coppa Italia since the 1983/84 edition.

Branca was a big part of Alessandria’s success in their cup run. He started every game, helping the club set up a semifinal tie against AC Milan. Their run came to an end, as Alessandria lost 6-0 on aggregate. It was however, a big highlight of Simone’s career. In edition to the Coppa Italia, Branca was also a regular starter in the Serie C season. Not bad for the first season in an Alessandria shirt!

The midfielder kept on improving. As an important part of Alessandria’s midfield, Branca played a total of 39 games in his second season. The club barley missed direct promotion into Serie B, with Cremonese topping them on head to head record. That meant playoffs. With the club not having been promoted in years, the great chance arose when Alessandria made the promotion finals. Up against Parma, a 2-0 loss saw Alessandria miss out. For Branca, it was his second playoff final loss of his career.

Another season in Serie C, Branca played for a lot of the season until January. During the winter transfer window, Branca was sold to Danish club Vejle. In his half a season with the club, Branca played in every game that he was available in. Vejle finished top of the league, meaning they were promoted to the first division of Danish football.

Branca’s time in Denmark was short, however. In the summer of 2018, Branca was signed by Cittadella, in Serie B. Back in Italy, Branca played for the first time in Serie B. In his first season with the club, Branca played in 40 games. Alongside legend Manuel Iori, Cittadella’s strength in the midfield was proven to be a huge advantage. He helped Cittadella reach the promotion finals. Citta lost in the second leg of the final 3-0 to Hellas Verona, which saw them miss out of Serie A promotion.

Two seasons later, Branca is still with the granata. An aggressive midfielder, Branca has been a starter for wherever he goes. His passing and ideas help make the Cittadella midfield. A sweeper in the midfield, Branca is eyeing promotion for Serie A!