Matteo Darmian facts for kids
Darmian lining up for Italy in 2015
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 2 December 1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Legnano, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Full-back, centre-back | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Inter Milan | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 36 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2007 | AC Milan | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2010 | AC Milan | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | → Padova (loan) | 20 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Palermo | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2015 | Torino | 133 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Manchester United | 60 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Parma | 36 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | → Inter Milan (loan) | 26 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2021– | Inter Milan | 107 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Italy U17 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Italy U18 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Italy U19 | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Italy U20 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | Italy U21 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2014– | Italy | 46 | (2) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 June 2024 |
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Matteo Darmian (born December 2, 1989) is a talented Italian footballer. He plays as a full-back or centre-back for Inter Milan. He also represents the Italian national team.
Matteo started his career at AC Milan when he was very young. He made his first team debut in 2006 at just 16 years old. In 2009, he went on loan to Padova. Later, he played for Palermo and then spent four seasons with Torino.
In 2015, he moved to the famous English club Manchester United. There, he won the FA Cup and the UEFA Europa League. After four years, he returned to Italy to play for Parma in 2019. In 2020, he joined Inter Milan on loan, and the move became permanent in 2021. That same season, he helped Inter Milan win the Serie A title, which was his first league championship!
Matteo first played for the senior Italian national team in 2014. He has represented Italy in major tournaments like the 2014 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2016, and Euro 2024.
Contents
Early Life
Matteo Darmian grew up playing football in the main square of Rescaldina, a town in Italy. His father, Giovanni, was one of his first coaches. He played for a youth team called US CARCOR. In his younger days, Matteo often played as a central or defensive midfielder.
His big chance came when a scout from AC Milan, named Beniamino Abate, noticed him. This scout was looking for young football talent in the Lombardy region of Italy.
Club Career
Starting at AC Milan
In 2000, Matteo joined AC Milan's youth academy. He made his first team debut for Milan on November 28, 2006. He was only 16 years old! This was in a Coppa Italia match against Brescia.
He played his first Serie A game on May 19, 2007, when he was 17. He played a few more games for Milan's first team over the next couple of seasons. He even became the captain of the youth team.
Loan to Padova
On July 17, 2009, Darmian went on loan to Serie B club Padova. He played 20 games for them and scored one goal. He helped Padova avoid being relegated to a lower league that season.
Playing for Palermo
On July 11, 2010, Matteo joined Palermo. He made his debut for Palermo in a Europa League game in September 2010. This was his first time playing in a major European competition. He played 16 games for Palermo in total.
Time at Torino
After Palermo, Matteo was loaned to Serie B team Torino on July 12, 2011. He made his debut for Torino in August 2011. He scored his first goal for them on October 30, 2011, helping his team win 2–1. At the end of that season, Torino was promoted to Serie A.
Matteo continued to play well for Torino. In the 2013–14 season, he played 37 games in Serie A. Torino finished 7th and qualified for the Europa League. Matteo was even named in the Serie A Team of the Year. He played his 100th game for Torino in May 2014.
In the 2014–15 season, he scored his first goal in a European competition. He also scored his first Serie A goal for Torino. He helped Torino reach the round of 16 in the Europa League. Overall, he played 151 matches and scored six goals for Torino.
Moving to Manchester United
On July 11, 2015, Matteo Darmian moved to the English club Manchester United. He signed a four-year contract. He made his first appearance for United in a friendly game on July 17. His Premier League debut was on August 8, 2015, against Tottenham Hotspur. His performance was so good that his manager, Louis van Gaal, called it the best of the match. In September, fans voted him Manchester United's Player of the Month.
First Season (2015–16)
In April 2016, Matteo scored his only Premier League goal for Manchester United. It was a powerful shot from outside the penalty area. He was named man of the match for that game. He also played in the 2016 FA Cup Final on May 21. Manchester United won the FA Cup, beating Crystal Palace 2–1.
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Second Season (2016–17)
Matteo's first game of the 2016–17 season was in the UEFA Europa League in September 2016. He played regularly in November and December, helping United stay unbeaten. In January 2017, he helped United reach the EFL Cup semi-final.
He played in both UEFA Europa League semi-final games in May 2017. Manchester United reached the final. On May 24, Matteo started in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final against Ajax. United won 2–0, and Matteo played the whole game.
Third Season (2017–18)
Matteo's first game of the 2017–18 season was against Real Madrid in the 2017 UEFA Super Cup. He played fewer league games this season. However, he did play in the UEFA Champions League. He also played in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, which United won.
Final Season (2018–19)
Matteo stayed at Manchester United for the 2018–19 season. He started the first game of the season against Leicester City. His playing time was still limited. In January 2019, he played as a centre-back in an FA Cup game. The caretaker manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, praised his performance.
Back in Italy with Parma
On September 2, 2019, Matteo returned to Italy and signed a four-year deal with Parma. He became Parma's main right-back and played 36 league games. He scored one goal for Parma in a 2-1 win against Brescia in July 2020.
Joining Inter Milan
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On October 5, 2020, Matteo joined Inter Milan on a loan deal. Inter Milan later made the transfer permanent in February 2021. In that season, Matteo helped Inter Milan win the Serie A title. This was his first league championship!
On December 30, 2023, Matteo extended his contract with Inter Milan until June 30, 2025.
International Career
Matteo played for Italy's youth teams, including the under-17 and under-19 squads. He also played for the under-20 team in the Mediterranean Games in 2009. In March 2009, he made his debut for the Italy under-21 team.
In May 2014, he was called up to the senior national team. He made his debut for Italy on May 31, 2014, in a friendly match against Ireland. The next day, he was chosen for the 23-player squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
He made his World Cup debut on June 14, 2014, starting in Italy's first game against England, which Italy won 2–1. He played in all three of Italy's games at the World Cup.
In 2015, he won the Pallone Azzurro award, which is given to Italy's best national team player of the year. On October 10, 2015, he scored his first goal for Italy. This goal helped Italy qualify for UEFA Euro 2016. He was part of Italy's squad for Euro 2016. In the quarter-finals, he missed a penalty in a shootout against Germany, and Italy was knocked out.
After some time away, Matteo returned to the Italian national team in 2023. He scored against North Macedonia in November 2023.
How He Plays
Matteo Darmian started his career as a centre-back. He also played as a central or defensive midfielder when he was younger. Now, he mostly plays as a full-back or wing-back. He can play on both the right and left sides of the field, but he prefers the right.
He is known for being smart, energetic, and hard-working. He is good at both attacking and defending. He is also tactically aware, fast, and has great stamina. These skills allow him to cover the wing well and help his team when they attack. Because of his consistent performances, he has been compared to famous Italian full-backs like Antonio Cabrini and Paolo Maldini.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AC Milan | 2006–07 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| Padova (loan) | 2009–10 | Serie B | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 22 | 1 | ||
| Palermo | 2010–11 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| Torino | 2011–12 | Serie B | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 0 | ||||
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 3 | — | 47 | 5 | |||
| Total | 133 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | 13 | 3 | — | 151 | 6 | ||||
| Manchester United | 2015–16 | Premier League | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 39 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 60 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 1 | ||
| Parma | 2019–20 | Serie A | 33 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 34!!1 | ||||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 37 | 1 | |||||
| Inter Milan (loan) | 2020–21 | Serie A | 26 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 33 | 4 | ||
| Inter Milan | 2021–22 | Serie A | 25 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 31 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Serie A | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 2 | ||
| Total | 133 | 10 | 15 | 1 | — | 31 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 185 | 12 | |||
| Career total | 398 | 16 | 32 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 66 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 510 | 21 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2014 | 9 | 0 |
| 2015 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 46 | 2 | |
- As of match played 24 June 2024. Italy score listed first, score column indicates score after each Darmian goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 October 2015 | Baku National Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan |
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UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 2 | 17 November 2023 | Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy |  Macedonia |
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UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Awards and Honours
Manchester United
- FA Cup: 2015–16; runner-up: 2017–18
- EFL Cup: 2016–17
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2020–21, 2023–24
- Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2021, 2022, 2023;runner-up: 2024
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23
Italy U20
- Mediterranean Games runner-up: 2009
Individual
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2013–14, 2014–15
- Pallone Azzurro: 2014
Records
- Guinness World Record for the most goals scored from a corner in one minute: six goals (shared with Antonio Valencia)
Images for kids
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Darmian in action with Inter during the 2023-24 pre-season friendlies against Red Bull Salzburg
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Darmian playing for Internazionale in UEFA Champions League group stage in 2023
See also
In Spanish: Matteo Darmian para niños
