Daniele Rugani might be remembered by many for being the first Serie A player to test positive for COVID-19, but there’s so much more to his story. Rugani, an underappreciated footballer, comes from humble beginnings in Ponte a Moriano, Italy. Growing up as a carefree, fun-loving child with a passion for ice cream, Daniele’s life could have taken a very different path—he could have been a swimmer. But his heart was set on football, and from the age of six, he began facing challenges that would shape his career.
From Humble Beginnings: Daniele Rugani’s Journey from Ponte a Moriano to Football Fame
Raised alongside his brother, Simone, Rugani’s love for football came from his father, Ubaldo, and his mother, Lia, a schoolteacher and a dedicated Juventus fan. His childhood was filled with support and a love for the game, which pushed him through the ranks of Italian football.
This article dives into Rugani’s life, from his playful childhood to the moment he reached the professional stage. We hope to spark your curiosity about his journey and inspire your interest in football autobiographies. Without further delay, let’s explore the remarkable life of Daniele Rugani, a man who has come a long way, both in football and in life.
From Ponte a Moriano to Football Stardom: The Inspiring Journey of Daniele Rugani
Daniele Rugani Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, he is nicknamed “Daje Dani“. Daniele Rugani was born on the 29th day of July 1994 to his mother, Lia Rugani and father, Ubaldo Rugani, in the city of Lucca in Central Italy.
The footballer came to the world as the second child of two children, born to his lovely parents.
Undisputedly known as an Italian national, Young Daniele grew up in the Ponte a Moriano neighbourhood in Lucca city with love from his parents and older brother, identified as Simeone.
Below is a photo of one of Daniele Rugani’s parents- his super dad is seen cuddling both him and his older brother.
Daniele Rugani grew up in the loving company of his parents and older brother, Simeone.
Early Life and Growing-up Years:
Growing up at Ponte a Moriano, young Rugani was a carefree and fun-loving child who had myriads of early interests ranging from playing football and tennis to loving ice cream and swimming. Having a dad who loved sports, Daniele found it quite easy to engage in these sporting activities.
Daniele Rugani’s Family Background:
One of Rugani’s sporting interests, particularly the one that relates to playing tennis, was a sport in which the youngster engaged with some of his childhood friends on a part-time basis.
On the other hand, Rugani’s love for football went beyond friendly engagements; it was, in fact, a family sport.
Did you know?… Both of Daniele Rugani’s parents (pictured below) were die-hard fans of Juventus, a loyalty that Rugani did well to inherit.
Meet Daniele Rugani’s parents. Lia Rugani and Ubaldo Rugani.
Family Life:
Amazing defenders owe the success of their journey in football to supportive families, and Rugani’s family is not an exception.
In this section, we’ll bring you facts about Daniele Rugani’s family members, starting with his parents.
About Daniele Rugani’s Father:
Rugani’s dad, Ubaldo, is a passionate fan of Juventus as well as a cyclist who was once a two-time champion of Italy amateurs.
He is – at the time of writing – a representative of fishing materials as well as a close dad to his son, who makes him ever proud of being a Juventus fan.
Have you seen this old childhood photo of Daniele Rugani with his father, Ubaldo?
About Daniele Rugani’s Mother:
Rugani’s mom, Lia, is a schoolteacher who doubles as his moral instructor. She never ceases to advise the defender to focus on his games and defy the bad stereotypes that football geniuses are known for.
What more? She is a fan of Juventus and a passionate one at that.
Daniele Rugani was having a good time with his mother, Lia. Image Credit: Instagram.
About Daniele Rugani’s Siblings:
Daniele Rugani has just one older brother known as Simeone. Though not a footballer, the older brother has an interest in football and has been spotted celebrating Rugani title wins on numerous occasions.
Meet Daniele Rugani’s brother, celebrating one of the defender’s numerous title wins. Image Credit: Instagram.
About Daniele Rugani’s Relatives:
Away from Daniele Rugani’s immediate family, not much is known about his ancestry and family roots, especially as they relate to his maternal and paternal grandparents.
Similarly, there are no records of the defender’s uncles, aunts and cousins. The development goes across the board for the defender’s nieces and nephews.
Daniele Rugani Education and Career Buildup:
Among all sports, it was the love for football that prevailed. Hence, it was not surprising that a very young Rugani would begin laying the foundation of his career at his local boyhood football school/club – Atletico Lucca.
At age 6 (the year 2000), the happy youngster said goodbye to his first-ever academy club in order to go face bigger challenges.
Atletico Luca was where competitive games began for the football prodigy.
Moving on, Rugani began an earnest career buildup at the youth systems of Empoli football club. There, he spent over a decade of his youth career (2000-2011) developing his skill sets, which are now part of his playing style.
Years at Juventus:
By the time Rugani was 18 years of age in 2012, Empoli had given him out to Juventus on a loan deal, with both parties keeping tabs on how the defending prodigy had made excellent appearances for the Old Lady’s Primavera (under-20) youth squad.
The young lad did well as an academy footballer. More so, the joy of Daniele Rugani’s family members knew no bounds at the time he helped his Juventus youth side win the Coppa Italia Primavera during his debut season (2012 – 2013).
This old photo keeps fading by the day, but the memories of winning the Coppa Italia Primavera title would remain ever fresh in the mind of the defender.
Rugani’s performance at the tournament made Juve defy all odds in entering a co-ownership deal with Empoli for the high-performing defender.
Road To Fame Story:
When conditions for the co-ownership deal were met, Juventus sent Rugani back to Empoli ahead of their 2013–14 Serie B campaign, giving him the opportunity to prove himself worthy of being a prospect that can be completely bought over by Juventus.
He saw an opportunity in being sent back to Empoli and diligently sought to maximize it. Image Credit: Instagram.
Fortunately, Rugani did well in converting the opportunity into a turning point of his career, as his contributions to Empoli’s defence system saw the club finish second in Serie B and achieve automatic promotion to Serie A alongside Palermo, which came first.
Daniele Rugani Bio – Success Story:
Rugani, in the summer of 2015, officially returned to Juventus 2015 after spending a season gaining senior football experience with Empoli.
That season marked the beginning of his senior career, during which he played a crucial role in helping the Old Lady secure the Serie A title. Rugani also went on to become a key defender for the club, especially after Leonardo Bonucci left for Milan in 2017.
Fast forward to the time of writing Daniele Rugani’s Biography, the defender is said to have received global attention not for his defensive capabilities but for being the first player in Serie A to contract coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
As a result, the defender has been in the thoughts and prayers of fans and the press, who patiently await breaking news of when he will be free of the virus and return back to the field.
A pandemic and a confirmation tweet from Juventus made the defence court global attention. Image Credit: DailyMail.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Daniele Rugani Girlfriend, Wife and Kids:
With his rise to fame, especially gaining global attention for the wrong reason, there have indeed been a lot of searches about the footballer. One of those involves inquiries on who Daniele Rugani’s girlfriend might be.
After doing our own research, we’ve released that the defender has a girlfriend who is currently a finance and, in no time, would be his wife.
Daniele Rugani and his girlfriend look perfect together. Don’t they?
Rugani is an enviable romantic involvement with his girlfriend-turned-fiancee, Michela Persico. The lovebirds – who have no son(s) or daughter(s) out of wedlock – met before 2016 at a tennis match that Michela was covering as a sports journalist.
Aside from being a sports journalist, Michela is a TV presenter with a captivating beauty that has put an end to Rugani’s search for new girlfriends.
Like her heartthrob, she did test positive for coronavirus, but the odds are greatly in favour of the duo recovering soon.
Also, at the time of writing, there is breaking news by GiveMeSports that Daniele Rugani’s girlfriend and wife-to-be (Michela Persico) is currently pregnant even after contracting the virus.
Even in this time of great uncertainty, let’s hope both he, Michela Persico, and the baby will be healthy and free from the virus.
Personal Life outside the beautiful game:
Did you know that Rugani embodies likeable traits that are characteristics of individuals whose zodiac sign is Leo? He is polite, elegant, modest, diligent, ambitious and open to revealing facts about his personal and private life.
Activities that Rugani engages in as his interests and hobbies include cycling, fishing, playing tennis, listening to music, gaming, travelling, swimming, and spending good time with his family and friends.
We doubt whether he caught such huge, weighty fish himself. Nonetheless, we have no doubts about his ability to catch far smaller ones. Image Credit: Instagram.
Daniele Rugani Lifestyle Facts:
In this section, we’ll tell you how the defender makes and spends his money. The truth is, at the time of writing Daniele Rugani’s Biography, he had a net worth of over $3.5 million.
Streams of the defender’s wealth originate from the salaries and wages he receives for playing top-flight football, while endorsement contributes a great deal to his income.
With these monies, Rugani can afford to live the luxurious lifestyle of football geniuses who have no problem spending big on assets like cars and houses.
Despite his huge net worth and market value, the defender chooses to live a modest lifestyle as he is yet to be seen driving in exotic cars. In addition, the value of the house which he lives in with his girlfriend is yet unknown.
It is easier to spot Daniele Rugani and his fiancee enjoying a ride on bikes than in actual cars. Image Credit: Instagram.
Daniele Rugani Fact:
To wrap up our Daniele Rugani childhood story and biography, here are little-known or untold facts about the defender.
Daniele Rugani 2020 Fifa Rating:
The defender found himself in good company, joining players like Harry Maguire and Simon Kjær, who also have solid overall ratings in FIFA 20. The rating, which is an aggregate of Rugani’s strengths and skillset, reveals how far the defender has come even as he is yet to achieve his potential rating of 85 points.
Did he actually grow up with the same dog? Image Credits: Instagram.
Daniele Rugani Love for Pets since Childhood:
The high-in-demand Defender has always been big on pets, particularly dogs, from his early life to date. He can be seen below having a good time with the pets, which he always considers his close friends.
Did he actually grow up with the same dog? Image Credits: Instagram.
Daniele Rugani’s Religion:
Daniele Rugani’s parents had probably raised him in adherence to the Christian religious faith of Catholicism. Did you know?… The name “Daniele“ is a Hebrew Christian name which means “God is my Judge“. Having known that the odds are greatly in favour of Daniele Rugani’s family members being Christians.
Daniele Rugani Trivia Facts:
Did you know that the year 1994 is not only significant for beings Rugani’s birth year? It was the year that PlayStation did launch its first console. In addition, 1994 saw the release of classic masterpiece movies like Forrest Gump. Also, Shawshank Redemption and Disney’s Lion King animations hit cinemas that year.
Behold Key events that made Daniele Rugani’s birth year (1994) interesting. Image Credits: NME.
Fact Check:
Thanks for reading our version of Daniele Rugani’s Story. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver you Italian Football Stories. Surely, the Life History of Emerson Palmieri and Federico Bernardeschi will excite you. If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.
