Former youth international and
Manchester City target has high hopes of an FA Cup upset after falling back in love with football
“I was handed the phone and Roberto Mancini was on the other end – he said: ‘How would you feel about coming to Man City?’” recalls Diego De Girolamo. The striker had just made his Sheffield United debut aged 17, played for
Italy Under-18s in a tournament in
Russia and had had offers from clubs around Europe.
The big move never materialised for De Girolamo, who will lead the line for seventh-tier Buxton – the lowest-ranked team in the FA Cup second round – at home to Morecambe of League One on Saturday. The journey from calling a European Championship winner a teammate to the Northern
Premier League has been relatively quick for the 26-year-old after an anterior cruciate injury and falling out of love with the game.