Franco Di Santo
Di Santo warming up for Wigan Athletic in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franco Matías Di Santo | ||
| Date of birth | 7 April 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Mendoza, Argentina | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Schalke 04 | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2006 | Audax Italiano | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Audax Italiano | 61 | (14) |
| 2008–2010 | Chelsea | 8 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | → Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2010–2013 | Wigan Athletic | 92 | (13) |
| 2013–2015 | Werder Bremen | 49 | (17) |
| 2015– | Schalke 04 | 21 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006–2009 | Argentina U20 | 25 | (5) |
| 2012– | Argentina | 3 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 March 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 June 2014 |
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Franco Matías Di Santo (born 7 April 1989) is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.
Di Santo began his career at Chilean club Audax Italiano, earning a £3.4 million move to Chelsea in 2008 and a first-team place following good form in the reserves. After a season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, he moved to Wigan Athletic for £2 million in 2010, where he won the FA Cup in 2013. After totalling 14 goals in 122 Premier League matches, he was released following Wigan's relegation to the Championship in 2013. He then moved to Werder Bremen in Germany, spending two seasons there, before making a controversial switch to rivals Schalke 04.
Di Santo has represented the Argentina national football team on three occasions. He was nicknamed 'Crespito' (Little Crespo) after Chelsea's former Argentinian striker Hernán Crespo.
Born in Mendoza, Mendoza Province, Di Santo began his club career in the Chilean team Audax Italiano. In the 2006–07 season, he scored 26 goals in 76 matches, including one goal in six matches in the Copa Libertadores. Then, in 2007 he scored 12 in 17 matches for the club, including one goal in four matches in the Copa Sudamericana. On 25 January 2008, Di Santo signed for English Premier League side Chelsea on a four-and-a-half year contract for a fee of £3.4 million.
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