Diego Fabbrini

Diego Fabbrini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdjɛːɡo fabˈbriːni]; born 31 July 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie B club Ascoli.

He previously played for Empoli, where his career began, Udinese, Watford, Birmingham City, Botoșani, CSKA Sofia and Dinamo București, with loan spells at Palermo, Siena, Millwall, Middlesbrough, Spezia and Oviedo. He has been capped once for Italy.

Club Career

Empoli

Born in San Giuliano Terme, Italy, Fabbrini began his career at Empoli when he signed for the club at 13 years old. He said in an interview, saying: "I took my first steps at the Zambra football school, where I grew up really well. I managed to show off with important performances and so came the right specimen The Empoli observers have noticed me, followed me and. I am still in this very important club." After two years at Empoli, he was promoted to the first team.

He made his first team debut for Empoli on 21 August 2009, coming on as a substitute for Francesco Lodi, in a 2–0 win over Piacenza. In his first season as a professional player, at 19 years old, he became a regular and made 30 appearances, scoring a solitary goal in the 2009–10 Serie B campaign, which was against A.S. Cittadella on 6 March 2010.

His performance at Empoli attracted interests from top Serie A clubs throughout the 2009–10 season and in the summer transfer window. At one point, Empoli rejected a bid from Genoa and Napoli.

In the 2010–11 season, Fabbrini appeared the first three matches of the season for Empoli, including scoring in a 3–2 win over Frosinone on 22 August 2010. Fabbrini's first game after signing for the club on loan from Udinese for the 2010–11 season came on 11 September 2010, in a 1–1 draw against Triestina. He then scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over Siena on 18 October 2010. Despite being sidelined during the 2010–11 season, Fabbrini went on to make 28 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions.<