Gianluca Gaetano (Italian pronunciation: [dʒanˈluːka ɡaeˈtaːno]; born 5 May 2000) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a left winger for Serie A club Cagliari, on loan from Napoli.
 Gaetano with Napoli in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 May 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Naples, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Cagliari (on loan from Napoli) | ||
| Number | 70 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2011 | Future Boys di Cimitile | ||
| 2011–2019 | Napoli | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019– | Napoli | 21 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | → Cremonese (loan) | 49 | (8) |
| 2021–2022 | → Cremonese (loan) | 35 | (7) |
| 2024 | → Cagliari (loan) | 11 | (4) |
| 2024– | → Cagliari (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Italy U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2015 | Italy U16 | 6 | (1) |
| 2016 | Italy U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2018 | Italy U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | Italy U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2022 | Italy U21 | 3 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 August 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 June 2022 | |||
He is an academy graduate of Napoli, having joined the club in 2011, and the youngest-ever player in the club's history to have signed a professional contract with the club at the age of 16. On 10 December 2019, Gaetano made his debut in UEFA Champions League against Belgian side Genk.
Early and personal life
editGianluca Gaetano was born and raised in Cimitile, in the Greater Napoli area. He was born into a family of athletes, his older brother Felice Gaetano is also a professional football player, who also came through the Napoli youth system, he also has 2 cousins Michele Peluso and Felice Raiola both of whom are professional footballers.[2]
A lifelong supporter of Napoli, Gaetano joined the Campania club when he was just eleven years old and dreams of one day becoming their Captain.
Club career
editEarly youth career
editBorn in Cimitile in Southern Italy just North-East of Naples, Gaetano got his football start with the local team ASD Future Boys di Cimitile at the age of five. During this time at the club, he played with his older brother Felice. While at ASD Future Boys di Cimitile, he along with his older brother were spotted by a Napoli scout, joining their youth system in 2011. Gaetano joined the youth academy of Napoli in 2010,5, and worked his way up through their youth categories.[3]
In the 2017–18 Season Gaetano went on to score 17 goals with 14 assists in all youth competitions forming a formidable partnership with fellow youth player Ciro Palmieri.
In the 2018–19 season Gaetano managed to score 5 goals in 6 games in the UEFA Youth League where he stood out against some of the best youth in Europe, his first goal in the competition would come in the 94th minute in a game against Liverpool that ended in a 1–1 draw, he also managed to score a hat trick against Red Star Belgrade in a game Napoli went on to win 5–3.
He went on to Captain the Youth team and scored 22 goals with 8 assists in all competitions which was enough for him to be called up to the Napoli first team by manager Carlo Ancelotti and get his professional debut for the Napoli first team.
Napoli
editIn 2016 Gaetano became the youngest ever player to sign a professional contract with Napoli at the age of 16.[4] Gaetano made his professional debut with Napoli in a 2–0 Coppa Italia win over U.S. Sassuolo Calcio on 13 January 2019.[5]
On 12 May 2019, he was called on by Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti in which he made his first ever Serie A debut in a game against S.P.A.L., which would be marked in tragedy, with his grandmother Carmela dying of a heart attack after a confrontation with neighbours during celebrations.[6]
On 10 December 2019, Gaetano made his first UEFA Champions League debut in a home game against Belgian side Genk which Napoli went on to win 4–0 a progressed to the last 16 of the competition.[7]
Loans to Cremonese
editOn 21 January 2020, he joined Serie B club Cremonese on loan.[8] On 16 February 2020 he scored his first goal for the club (and in the professional football) in a 5–0 win against Trapani.[9]
On 18 September 2020, the loan was renewed for the 2020–21 season.[10] After appearing for Napoli in the first two games of the 2021–22 Serie A season, on 31 August 2021 he returned to Cremonese on a new loan.[11]
Loans to Cagliari
editOn 1 February 2024, Gaetano moved to Cagliari on loan until the end of the season.[12]
On 30 August 2024, the loan was renewed to Cagliari with the obligation to buy set at 6 million euros, upon the occurrence of certain sporting conditions. Gaetano has signed a contract with Cagliari Calcio till June 2029 that will be in effect if the conditions are fulfilled.[13]
International career
editGaetano is a youth international for Italy he has represented Italy at almost every youth level, and most recently represented the Italy U19s in a pair of friendlies in October 2018.[14]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 19 April 2024[15]
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Napoli | 2018–19 | Serie A | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 12 | 1 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 21 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 2 | |||
| Cremonese (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie B | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21 | 34 | 5 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 36 | 7 | |||||
| 2021–22 | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 7 | |||||
| Total | 84 | 15 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 86 | 17 | |||||
| Cagliari | 2023–24 | Serie A | 8 | 4 | – | – | – | 8 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 113 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 125 | 23 | |||
Honours
editNapoli
References
edit- ^ AS, Diario (27 March 2023). "Gianluca Gaetano (Gianluca Gaetano)". AS. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ Editorial Staff (5 July 2016). "The Brothers Sign for Napoli - In Italian Language". ilgiornalelocale. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ^ Andrea Cardone (27 November 2014). "Storie dal Sud: Gianluca Gaetano, la fantasia al potere nei Giovanissimi del Napoli". www.iamnaples.it.
- ^ Giacometti, Pasquale (28 November 2018). "Gianluca Gaetano, brilla la stella della Primavera del Napoli!".
- ^ "Partita Coppa Italia - napoli-sassuolo - La Gazzetta dello Sport". www.gazzetta.it.
- ^ "Napoli starlet loses grandmother". football-italia.net. 14 May 2019.
- ^ "Gianluca Gaetano, chi è: ha esordito in Champions in Napoli-Genk". twnews.it (in Italian). Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "GAETANO NUOVO CENTROCAMPISTA GRIGIOROSSO" (Press release) (in Italian). Cremonese. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
- ^ "Gianluca Gaetano, primo gol tra i prof in Cremonese-Trapani". Ilgiornalelocale.it (in Italian). 16 February 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "GAETANO ANCORA IN GRIGIOROSSO" (Press release) (in Italian). Cremonese. 18 September 2020. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ "CREMONESE E GAETANO ANCORA INSIEME" (in Italian). Cremonese. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- ^ "Gaetano is a new Cagliari Player". Cagliari. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
- ^ "Gaetano e del Cagliari" (in Italian). Cagliari. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ "Gianluca Gaetano". www.calcionapoli24.it. 13 January 2019.
- ^ Gianluca Gaetano at Soccerway
- ^ "Napoli win Serie A for first time in 33 years". BBC Sport. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
External links
edit- Profile at the S.S.C. Napoli website
- Official Instagram Page
- Gianluca Gaetano at Soccerway
- Gianluca Gaetano at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)
- FIGC U17 Profile
- FIGC U19 Profile