Federico Macheda

Federico Macheda was born in Rome on August 22, 1991.

Source Wikipedia

He joined Lazio at the age of 9 showing a lot of promise as a forward. At 16 he was offered to sign a professional contract by Manchester United. The Biancocelesti could not sign him professionally because against Italian rules to put minors under contract so he went off to North England with his family.

He debuted at the age of 17 in a Man U vs Aston Villa match on April 5, 2009, replacing Nani. The score was 2-2 but in the last minute a wonderful curling shot from Macheda gave Man U a vital win. Six days later he scored again coming on from the bench against Sunderland.

In two and a half seasons he made 27 appearances with 4 goals before he was loaned to Sampdoria in January 2011. Samp were in a bad shape and got relegated at the end of the season, Macheda made 16 appearances with one goal in Coppa Italia. Back at Manchester and six appearances later with one goal in the League Cup he was loaned to Queens Park Rangers but he hardly ever played in his six months there. After a half season with Man U he was loaned to Stuttgart where he did play more, 18 appearances, but never scored. What followed was a year in the Championship, first with Doncaster (15 appearances, 3 goals) and then with Birmingham City where he played 18 games and scored regularly for the first time in his career (10 goals).

His contract with Man U was not confirmed and he signed with Cardiff City. In a year and a half, he made 33 appearances with 8 goals. He then left for a few months to play with Nottingham Forest before signing for Novara in Serie B in 2016. He stayed for two seasons making 52 appearances with 11 goals.

In 2018 he joined Panathinaikos. Finally, he found a place to settle where he could play regularly and also score. He stayed for four years making 116 appearances with 40 goals winning a national cup in 2021-22.

In 2022 he moved to Turkey to play for Ankaragücü. After six months he was loaned to APOEL in Cyprus but came back in 2023. In 2024 he signed for Asteras Tripolīs in Greece.

Federico Macheda remains a memorable figure in Premier League history because of the dramatic impact of his first goal for Manchester United. While his career did not reach the heights predicted in 2009, he has maintained a long professional career across Europe and continues to be remembered for one of the most iconic debut goals in English football.

Sources

Wikipedia