Matteo Darmian

AC Milan

In 2000, Darmian joined Milan's youth system. He made his first-team debut for the Rossoneri on 28 November 2006, aged only 16, in the Coppa Italia against Brescia, replacing Kakha Kaladze at half-time. He made his Serie A debut at the age of 17, in Milan's 3–2 defeat against Udinese on 19 May 2007, when he entered in the 67th minute to replace Giuseppe Favalli. During the 2007–08 season he became the leader and captain of the youth team, collecting another appearance for the first-team in the Coppa Italia. The following season, the 19-year-old defender collected an additional three league appearances. He ended his experience at Milan with four appearances in the top flight.

Padova (loan)

On 17 July 2009, Darmian moved to Serie B club Padova on loan until the end of the 2009–10 season. He made his official debut for the club on 28 November 2009, in a home loss against Vicenza. He went on to make 20 appearances and score one goal, as Padova finished the season in 19th place and subsequently won the relegation play-off against Triestina.

Palermo

On 11 July 2010, it was announced that Matteo Darmian would join Palermo's pre-season training camp in Austria, after Milan and the Sicilian Serie A club agreed in principle about a transfer move involving him. The move, unveiled as a co-ownership bid, was officially announced by Palermo the next day. The fee was €800,000. Darmian made his debut for the Rosanero on 16 September 2010, in a Europa…

After playing for Italy at under-17 and under-18 levels, he made his debut for the under-19 squad, led by Francesco Rocca, in June 2007. At the 2008 UEFA European U-19 Championship he played in the starting line-up, always in the role of a right-back. In 2009, he took part in the Mediterranean Games, playing seven games for the under-20 side. On 25 March 2009, he made his debut for the Italy under-21 side in a 2–2 friendly match draw against Austria, which was played in Vienna. From 10 to 12 March 2014, he was called up to the senior national team by coach Cesare Prandelli as part of an internship to evaluate young players ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and was also part of the next meeting between 14 and 15 April 2014. Given his excellent season with Torino, on 13 May 2014, he was included in the list of 30 provisional players for the 2014 World Cup. He made his debut for the Azzurri on 31 May 2014, at the age of 24, playing as a right-back in a goalless friendly match with Ireland which was held in London. The following day, he was included in the list of 23 players selected for the 2014 World Cup. On 14 June 2014, he made his debut at the World Cup, starting Italy's opening game against England, which Italy won 2–1. He also played the next two games against Costa Rica and Uruguay, both of which were 1–0 defeats for Italy who failed to qualify for the next round. In early 2015, he was awarded with the Pallone Azzurro as the best player of the national team for 2014. On…

Although he started his career as a centre-back, and has occasionally continued to be used in this role, and even played as a central or defensive midfielder for the Milan youth team, in recent years Darmian has predominantly played as a defensive-minded full-back or wing-back, or even as a winger on occasion; due to his ability with either foot, he is capable of playing on either flank, although he prefers to be deployed on the right side of the pitch. An intelligent, dynamic, hard-working, and versatile player, he is known for his good quality of offensive and defensive play, as well as his tactical awareness, pace, and stamina, attributes which allow him to cover the wing effectively and provide width to his team when attacking. His professionalism, as well as his promising and consistent performances in his youth, led him to be compared to several esteemed Italian former full-backs, such as Antonio Cabrini and Paolo Maldini. During the 2012–13 season, Darmian made the most tackles per game (5.3) across Europe's top five leagues.

Darmian grew up playing football in the main square in Rescaldina and was trained by his father, Giovanni, who was one of the coaches of Oratorio team, US CARCOR, where players such as Marco Simone and Luigi Pogliana also played. He often played as a central or defensive midfielder in his youth. His first real break came when he was spotted by Beniamino Abate, a former goalkeeper tasked with scouting Lombardy for young talent by AC Milan.