Diego De Girolamo

Diego Raymond De Girolamo (born 5 October 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Buxton.[4]

Diego De Girolamo

De Girolamo playing for York City in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Diego Raymond De Girolamo[1]
Date of birth	5 October 1995[2]
Place of birth	Chesterfield, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[3]
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current team	Buxton
Youth career
2002–2012	Sheffield United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2016	Sheffield United	2	(0)
2014	→ York City (loan)	4	(3)
2014–2015	→ York City (loan)	4	(1)
2015	→ York City (loan)	4	(0)
2015	→ Northampton Town (loan)	6	(0)
2016–2018	Bristol City	0	(0)
2017	→ Cheltenham Town (loan)	5	(1)
2017–2018	→ Chesterfield (loan)	16	(0)
2018	Macclesfield Town	0	(0)
2018–	Buxton	40	(20)
National team^‡
2013	Italy U18	5	(3)
2014	Italy U19	1	(1)
2014	Italy U20	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:10, 13 February 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:13, 23 March 2018 (UTC)

De Girolamo came through the youth system at Sheffield United before signing a professional contract. He had three loan spells with League Two club York City during the 2014–15 season. He finished the season on loan with another League Two club, Northampton Town. After being released by United, De Girolamo joined Championship club Bristol City in July 2016, spending the second half of 2016–17 on loan at League Two club Cheltenham Town. Qualifying to represent Italy through his father, he was capped for the under-18, under-19 and under-20 teams.

Early and personal life

De Girolamo was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.[5] His father is Italian, hailing from Naples, thus providing De Girolamo with his eligibility to play for Italy.

Club career

Sheffield United

De Girolamo came through the youth system of Sheffield United from the age of seven, and despite interest from Manchester United and Manchester City, he signed a three-year professional contract with the club at the end of October 2012.[6] At the start of the following December, he made his first-team debut in the quarter-final of the Football League Trophy against Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena.[7] De Girolamo's first league appearance for United came in a victory over Colchester United in February 2013, where he replaced Ryan Flynn as a last minute substitute, providing an assist for Dave Kitson to score the final goal in a 3–0 victory.[8] After one further appearance for United, De Girolamo picked up a knee injury whilst playing for Italy under-18s in March,[9] which kept him out of first-team contention for nine months, not returning to full training until early December 2013.[10] De Girolamo returned to United's first team on 7 October 2014 as they won 2–1 away to Hartlepool United in the Football League Trophy.[11]

De Girolamo playing for York City in 2015

De Girolamo joined League Two club York City on 9 October 2014 on a one-month youth loan deal,[12][13] and scored on his debut two days later with the opening goal of a 3–1 away defeat to Newport County.[14] On 4 November 2014, De Girolamo was recalled early from his loan spell at York City having scored three goals in four matches, so he could be available for United's two upcoming cup fixtures.[15] He made three appearances for United before rejoining York on 26 November 2014 on another youth loan, with the deal expiring on 4 January 2015.[16] De Girolamo scored one goal in four appearances before returning to United,[14] who wanted to strengthen their striking options before considering letting him return to York.[17] He scored his first goal for United as they drew 1–1 away to Preston North End in the fourth round of FA Cup on 24 January 2015, earning a replay at Bramall Lane.[18]

De Girolamo declined a new contract with Sheffield United on 31 January 2015.[19] On 16 February 2015, United manager Nigel Clough confirmed that De Girolamo would be leaving United at the end of the 2014–15 season stating that "he's rejected his contract offer and the chance to stay here... We've got Matt Done who has come in and Marc McNulty is a better player than Diego and he can't get on at the moment."[20] The following day he was loaned to York again, this time for the remainder of 2014–15.[21] Having made four appearances in his third spell with York,[14] he left the club to join their League Two rivals Northampton Town on 19 March 2015 on loan for the rest of 2014–15, explaining that "Northampton play attractive football and express myself by getting on the ball a lot".[22] He made his debut in Northampton's 2–1 away defeat to Bury on 21 March 2015, and finished the loan spell with six appearances.[14] Despite having expressed his desire to leave United, he was offered another new contract by the club in May 2015.[23] De Girolamo signed a new two-year contract with the club on 13 July 2015, having initially rejected a new offer.[24]

Bristol City, loans and Macclesfield Town

De Girolamo was transfer listed by United manager Chris Wilder in May 2016,[25] before leaving by mutual consent in June.[26] On 7 July 2016, he joined Championship club Bristol City to play in their development squad, signing a one-year contract with the option of another year.[27] On 1 January 2017, De Girolamo joined League Two club Cheltenham Town on loan until the end of 2016–17, having struggled to break into the team at Bristol City.[28] He scored his first goals for Cheltenham when he scored a hat-trick in an EFL Trophy tie against Leicester City Under-23s on 10 January 2017.[29]

On 30 August 2017, De Girolamo joined League Two club Chesterfield on loan for 2017–18.[30] His contact with Bristol City was terminated by mutual consent On 31 January 2018.[31] On 22 March 2018, he signed for National League club Macclesfield Town on non-contract terms for the rest of 2017–18.[32]

Diego currently plays for Buxton FC. He won Supporters’ Player of the Year 2019–20.

International career

De Girolamo is eligible to represent both England and Italy at international level, prompting a tug-of-war between the England and Italy under-18 sides for his services. De Girolamo opted for Italy after Italian football legend Arrigo Sacchi personally rang him in a plea for him to represent Italy.[33] In January 2013 De Girolamo was called up by the Italian under-18 team for the Granatkin Memorial,[34] and made his debut as a 68th-minute substitute in a 1–0 victory over Belgium on 6 January 2013.[35] He went on to play in every game in the tournament, scoring twice in two starts during the knock-out phase against Iran and the Czech Republic.[36] De Girolamo earned his second call-up to the under-18s in a friendly match against Austria U-18s on 6 March 2013. De Girolamo scored in the 2–1 defeat, but also sustained suspected ligament damage to his knee, ruling him out for the remainder of the season.[37]

Following his recovery from injury, he was called up to the Italy under-19 squad for a friendly against Germany under-19s in March 2014, scoring in a 1–1 draw.[38] In September 2014, De Girolamo was called up to the Italy under-20 squad for a four-team friendly tournament to be played that month,[39] appearing against Poland on 9 September.[40]

Career statistics

As of match played 8 February 2020

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sheffield United	2012–13[41]	League One	2	0	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	3	0
	2013–14[42]	League One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2014–15[14]	League One	0	0	4	1	0	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	6	1
	2015–16[43]	League One	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		2	0	4	1	1	0	3	0	10	1
York City (loan)	2014–15[14]	League Two	12	4	—		—		—		12	4
Northampton Town (loan)	2014–15[14]	League Two	6	0	—		—		—		6	0
Bristol City	2016–17[29]	Championship	0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	2017–18[44]	Championship	0	0	—		0	0	—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
Cheltenham Town (loan)	2016–17[29]	League Two	5	1	—		—		2[lower-alpha 2]	3	7	4
Chesterfield (loan)	2017–18[44]	League Two	15	0	0	0	—		3[lower-alpha 2]	1	18	1
Macclesfield Town	2017–18[45]	National League	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
Buxton	2018–19[46]	NPL Premier Division	14	2	—		—		4[lower-alpha 3]	2	18	4
	2019–20[47]	NPL Premier Division	26	18	2	1	—		3[lower-alpha 3]	3	31	22
	Total		40	20	2	1	0	0	7	5	49	26
Career total			80	25	6	2	2	0	15	9	103	36

1. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
3. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy and NPL Challenge Cup

References

1. "Diego De Girolamo". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
2. "Diego De Girolamo". ESPN FC. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
3. "Sheffield United FC player profiles: Diego De Girolamo". Sheffield United F.C. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
4. http://nonleaguedaily.com/the-buck-stops-here-for-ex-blade-diego-new-buxton-mans-big-ambition/
5. "Diego De Girolamo". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
6. https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/sheffield-united-curious-case-diego-de-girolamo-62536
7. "Future hope". Sheffield United F.C. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
8. "Blades back in promotion picture". ESPN FC. 16 February 2013. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013.
9. "Disappointment for Diego". Sheffield United F.C. 11 March 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
10. "Diego back in training". Sheffield United F.C. 5 December 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
11. "Result: Hartlepool United 1, Sheffield United 2 – Jamal Campbell-Ryce seals United's passage to the next round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy". Sheffield Star. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
12. "York City sign Sheffield United forward Diego de Girolamo". BBC Sport. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
13. Flett, Dave (1 November 2014). "York City hang on to Cheltenham match-winner Diego De Girolamo". The Press. York. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
14. "Games played by Diego De Girolamo in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
15. "Diego De Girolamo recalled by Sheffield United from loan at York City". The Press. York. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
16. "Diego De Girolamo returns". York City F.C. 26 November 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016.
17. Flett, Dave (5 January 2015). "On-loan Peterborough keeper Bobby Olejnik joins York City with view to permanent move". The Press. York. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
18. McMath, James (24 January 2015). "Sheffield United's Diego De Girolamo grabs Cup draw at Preston". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
19. "Sheffield Utd: Jamie Murphy and Terry Kennedy sign new deals". BBC Sport. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
20. "Sheffield United: Diego De Girolamo to exit club in summer". BBC Sport. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
21. "Diego De Girolamo: Sheffield United forward returns to York". BBC Sport. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
22. Flett, Dave (19 March 2015). "With new video: York City boss Russ Wilcox on Diego departure: "Nothing surprises me anymore in football"". The Press. York. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
23. Shield, James (16 May 2015). "Sheffield United: Two more leave the Lane". Sheffield Star. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
24. "Diego De Girolamo: Sheffield United forward signs two-year deal". BBC Sport. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
25. "Sheffield United: The curious case of Diego De Girolamo". Sheffield Star. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
26. "Diego departs". Sheffield United F.C. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
27. "Bristol City sign Diego De Girolamo, Jack Challis, Kodi Lyons-Foster and Shabazz Omofe". Bristol Post. 7 July 2016. Archived from the original on 9 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
28. "Diego De Girolamo and Emmanuel Onariase: Cheltenham Town sign duo on loan". BBC Sport. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
29. "Games played by Diego De Girolamo in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
30. "Diego De Girolamo: Chesterfield sign Bristol City striker on loan". BBC Sport. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
31. Baker, Adam (31 January 2018). "De Girolamo ends City contract". Bristol City F.C. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
32. "Macclesfield sign striker Diego De Girolamo". Macclesfield Town F.C. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
33. "Sheffield United: Italy legend wins duel for Diego". Sheffield Star. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
34. "Diego call up". Sheffield United F.C. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
35. "Belgium – Italy 0:1 (0:0)". Valentin Granatkin Memorial. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
36. "Caps to come as Diego scores in 'perfect game'". Sheffield Star. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
37. Shield, James (8 March 2013). "Mixed news on injury front". Sheffield Telegraph. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
38. Martini, Peter (9 October 2014). "York City sign Italy U19s striker on loan". York Press. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
39. "Further call-ups for Blades youngsters". Sheffield United F.C. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
40. Paoli, Alessandro (9 September 2014). "14° Torneo "Quattro Nazioni" – Italia U20 vs Polonia U20 1–3" (in Italian). Tutto Nazionali. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
41. "Games played by Diego De Girolamo in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
42. "Games played by Diego De Girolamo in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
43. "Games played by Diego De Girolamo in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
44. "Games played by Diego De Girolamo in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
45. "D. De Girolamo". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 23 March 2018.

External links

• Diego De Girolamo at Soccerbase