Daniele Rugani facts for kids
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Rugani lining up for Ajax in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniele Rugani | ||
| Date of birth | 29 July 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Lucca, Tuscany, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Juventus | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2013 | Empoli | ||
| 2012–2013 | → Juventus (loan) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013– | Juventus | 117 | (8) |
| 2013–2015 | → Empoli (loan) | 78 | (5) |
| 2020–2021 | → Rennes (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Cagliari (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | → Ajax (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Italy U17 | 13 | (3) |
| 2011–2012 | Italy U18 | 9 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Italy U19 | 11 | (0) |
| 2013 | Italy U20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2014–2017 | Italy U21 | 19 | (2) |
| 2016–2018 | Italy | 7 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:14, 11 May 2025 (UTC) | |||
Daniele Rugani (born on July 29, 1994) is an Italian professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back (a defender in the middle) or full-back (a defender on the side) for the Juventus club.
Daniele started his professional career with Empoli in 2013. He quickly helped them get promoted to Serie A, Italy's top football league. He was even named the best player in Serie B in 2014. The next year, he was chosen for the Serie A Team of the Year.
These achievements led him to join Juventus, one of Italy's biggest clubs. With Juventus, he won five Serie A titles in a row. He also won two Coppa Italia cups and two Supercoppa Italiana titles.
Daniele has also played for Italy's national teams. He represented the Italy U21 team in European Championships in 2015 and 2017. He made his first appearance for the senior Italian national team in 2016.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out at Empoli
Daniele Rugani was born in Lucca, Italy. He began playing football at age six with Empoli in 2000. He spent twelve years in their youth academy. In August 2012, he joined Juventus on loan.
At Juventus, Daniele played for the Primavera (under-19) youth team. He was a regular player and helped them win the Coppa Italia Primavera in the 2012–13 season.
After his successful time with Juventus's youth team, Juventus bought part of his player rights in 2013. He was then sent back to Empoli on loan for the 2013–14 Serie B season.
At just 20 years old, Daniele was a key defender for Empoli. He played 40 games and scored 2 goals that season. His first goal was on March 22, 2014, in a 4–0 win against Reggina. Empoli finished second in Serie B, earning promotion to Serie A.
In 2014, Daniele stayed with Empoli for their 2014–15 Serie A season. He made his Serie A debut on August 31, 2014. He scored his first Serie A goal on September 20, 2014, against Cesena. In February 2015, Juventus bought his full player rights. Daniele played in all 38 league matches for Empoli that season. He was never substituted and never received a yellow card. This was a remarkable achievement for a defender.
Playing for Juventus
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In the summer of 2015, Daniele Rugani officially joined Juventus. He played his first game for the club on September 30, 2015. This was in a UEFA Champions League match against Sevilla. He made his first start for Juventus on December 16, 2015. This was in a 4–0 win against Torino in the Coppa Italia.
His first league game for Juventus was on December 20, 2015. He came on as a substitute in a 3–2 win against Carpi. On April 24, 2016, Daniele received his first yellow card in Serie A. This was after playing 53 Serie A games without one. Juventus won the league title that season.
On September 21, 2016, Daniele scored his first goal for Juventus. It was in a 4–0 win against Cagliari. On December 7, he scored his first Champions League goal. This was in a 2–0 win against Dinamo Zagreb. He signed a new contract with Juventus that would last until 2021.
After Leonardo Bonucci left Juventus in 2017, Daniele got more chances to play. He played 22 Serie A games and 26 games overall in the 2017–18 season. He scored two goals. Juventus won both the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia again.
On March 30, 2019, Daniele extended his contract with Juventus until June 2023. He played his 100th game for Juventus on July 29, 2020. This was in a league match against Cagliari.
Loan to Rennes
On October 3, 2020, Daniele was loaned to Rennes in France for the season.
Loan to Cagliari
On February 1, 2021, Daniele joined Cagliari on a six-month loan. He scored his first goal for Cagliari on March 3, 2021. This goal helped his team win 1–0 against Bologna.
Return to Juventus
On February 25, 2024, Daniele scored an important goal for Juventus. It secured a 3–2 home win against Frosinone. This win also ended his team's four-game streak without a victory. On May 24, 2024, he extended his contract with Juventus until 2026.
Loan to Ajax
Daniele Rugani joined Ajax in the Netherlands on a loan from Juventus in August 2024. He played his first game for Ajax on September 18, 2024. This was in a 5–0 win against Fortuna Sittard. During the 2024–25 season, Daniele played in 26 matches for Ajax. His loan ended in June 2025.
International Career
Daniele has played for various Italian youth national teams since 2010. He first played for the under-21 team on March 5, 2014. He scored a goal in a 2–0 win against Northern Ireland.
In November 2014, he was called up to the senior Italy squad. This was for a match against Croatia and a friendly game against Albania.
He also played for the Italy U-21 team in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
Daniele made his first appearance for the senior national team on September 1, 2016. He came on as a substitute in a friendly match against France. In June 2017, he was part of the Italy under-21 squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Italy reached the semifinals but lost to Spain.
Playing Style
Daniele Rugani is a tall and strong defender. He is good at heading the ball, both when defending and attacking. He is known for being smart and good at marking opponents. He prefers to use his position to stop attackers rather than making risky tackles. He is also confident with the ball and can pass it well from the back. Many people consider him one of the best young Italian players of his time.
Personal Life
Daniele Rugani has been in a relationship with Italian journalist Michela Persico since 2015. They have a son who was born in September 2020.
On March 11, 2020, it was announced that Daniele tested positive for COVID-19. He did not show any symptoms. He was the first player in Italy's Serie A league to test positive for the virus.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Empoli (loan) | 2013–14 | Serie B | 40 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 42 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 38 | 3 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 3 | |||
| Total | 78 | 5 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 81 | 5 | ||||
| Juventus | 2015–16 | Serie A | 17 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 3 | |
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 22 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 | |
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 18 | 3 | |||
| 2024–25 | Serie A | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 117 | 8 | 13 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 149 | 11 | ||
| Rennes (loan) | 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | |
| Cagliari (loan) | 2020–21 | Serie A | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 1 | ||
| Ajax (loan) | 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | – | 26 | 1 | |
| Career total | 227 | 14 | 18 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 274 | 18 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2016 | 2 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
Juventus
- Serie A: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
- Coppa Italia: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2023–24
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2015, 2018
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2016–17
Individual Awards
- Serie B Footballer of the Year: 2014
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2014–15
See also
In Spanish: Daniele Rugani para niños
