Davide Somma
Encyclopedia
Davide Somma is a South Africa
n football player who currently plays for Leeds United
and the South African national team
. He plays as a striker. In November 2010 Somma made his debut for the national side against USA.
in Sarasota, Florida
, and played club soccer with the Sarasota Storm and St. Pete Raiders.
He played one year of college soccer
at Tyler Junior College
in 2004, scoring 13 goals and registering nine assists, and being named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIV first team. After one season with Tyler, Somma enrolled in an international soccer school program, and joined the youth system of the Spanish team Logroñés
, his Italian passport giving him the opportunity to pursue a career in Europe.
in 2004. However, Somma never played a game for the team as Perugia's president bankrupted the club and it folded six months later. Somma transferred to Pro Vasto, and played 39 games for the team between 2005 and 2007. He later played for Olbia
before returning to the United States in 2008.
of Major League Soccer
in September 2008 along with Michael Ghebru
and made three regular season appearances for the club during the 2008 season, in addition to five reserve team appearances in which he notched two goals and three assists.
In December 2008 he joined the Generation Adidas
team in London for a three-game tour of England and scored two goals for the squad as they faced the reserve teams of Reading
, Chelsea
, and West Ham United
. In February 2009, Somma signed a senior contract with the San Jose Earthquakes
, but was placed on waivers on 26 May.
Whilst at San Jose, he was teammate with former Leeds United
player Darren Huckerby
, who encouraged Somma to find a new club in England.
and played in a pre-season fixture as a winger. After his trial at QPR, Somma took part in a trial at Leeds United, and earned an extended spell at the club. He scored in a pre-season friendly against Newport County
and also scored in friendlies against Newcastle United and Hull City
, and signed a permanent contract with the club in September 2009 on a one-year deal, with an option in the club's favour to extend the contract for a further season. In an interview with LUTV, Somma proclaimed he had "bought a one way ticket to England" so he had to make it.
In signing for Leeds, Somma became the fifth South African to play for Leeds following Gerry Francis
, Albert Johanneson
, Lucas Radebe
and Phil Masinga. In an LUTV interview, Somma said that, due to his Italian heritage, he and teammate Mike Grella
can speak to each other in Italian. Somma made his debut for Leeds in a reserve game against Rotherham United
, and marked the game by scoring two goals.
Somma was named in the Leeds squad for the Football League Trophy
game against Darlington
, and made his debut when he came on as a second half substitute. His debut ended prematurely when he suffered a hamstring injury, which meant Leeds had to play the rest of the game with 10 men having used all their substitutions. After working his way back from injury and scoring regularly in the reserves, Somma returned to the Leeds first team squad when he was named as a substitute for a game against Leyton Orient
on 23 November 2009.
On 26 November, Somma joined Chesterfield
on loan until January 2010. Somma was given squad number 32, and made his Football League
debut for the team on 2 December, starting a game against Crewe Alexandra
. Somma had a penalty saved by Crewe goalkeeper Steve Phillips
on his debut. Somma missed a number of Chesterfield's games through injury. After Somma's one-month loan spell expired on 5 January 2010, he returned to Leeds. He immediately returned to a Leeds first team squad when he was named on the bench in the FA Cup
replay against Tottenham Hotspur
.
After impressing whilst out on loan to Lincoln, Somma was handed a new one year extension to his contract at Leeds.
's Lincoln City
on a month's loan to gain some more first
-team experience and scored on his debut against Crewe Alexandra two days later. His second goal came against Hereford United
. Somma's third goal came against Dagenham & Redbridge
in the 1–1 draw.
His fourth and fifth goals came in the same game against Torquay United
, with Somma scoring a brace which helped earn a 3–2 win for Lincoln. He had scored five goals in five games during his loan spell, and thus became Lincoln's top goal scorer for the entire season. On 23 March 2010, City extended the loan of Somma until the end of the season. Somma scored a brace against Bournemouth taking his tally to seven goals in nine games for Lincoln. Later he scored his eighth of the season against Bury
to secure Lincoln's survival in League Two
for another year.
Somma then made it nine goals in 13 matches scoring Lincoln's only goal in a 3–1 defeat away at Aldershot Town
. He was given a red card
for violent conduct in his final game for Lincoln City. After the match, his loan spell expired and he ended the season as Lincoln's top goal scorer with nine goals. He also came third in Lincoln's player of the season awards. Manager Chris Sutton
said after Somma's loan spell that he would love to bring Somma back to the club on a permanent deal if he wasn't in Leeds' first team plans.
Somma returned to Leeds United after his spell at Lincoln ended. Despite Somma's missing the first three competitive games of the season after his red card for Lincoln in the last game of the 2009–10 season, Simon Grayson
has said Somma is part of his plans and will not be going out on loan for the 2010–11 season.
Following his suspension, Somma was available to return to the Leeds side against Millwall
, and duly scored twice on his league debut after coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, as Leeds won 3–1. Somma claimed after his debut that he could replace Jermaine Beckford
and score the goals the departed hitman previously scored for Leeds. He came into the starting lineup for the following match against Leicester City
in the League Cup, scoring his third goal in two games. In his fourth game of the season, he scored his fourth goal of the season in the 5–2 defeat against Barnsley, with Somma scoring a late consolation goal for Leeds.
Somma's first league start for Leeds came in the match against Doncaster Rovers
, Somma received the man of the match award after putting in an impressive performance where he hit the crossbar and also had a goal ruled out for offside. Somma scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season against Preston North End
. He scored his seventh goal of the season with a left footed volley against Middlesbrough. In November 2010, Somma entered contract negotiations with Leeds over extending his contract, signing a three-year deal on 9 November. In December 2010, after reports circulated in South Africa that Somma had joined Swansea City on loan, Leeds denied the story and said that it was totally incorrect. After a spell out of the side, Somma came on as a substitute on 8 January against Arsenal
. Leeds were 1–0 up when Robert Snodgrass
scored a second half penalty, Arsenal equalised in the 90th minute when Cesc Fabregas
scored a penalty.
He came on as a second-half substitute against Scunthorpe United and scored his eighth goal of the season for Leeds. Seconds after coming on against Arsenal in the FA Cup replay, Somma nearly scored but instead put his shot wide of the goal. Somma scored his ninth goal of the season with his first touch of the ball after coming on as a substitute against Portsmouth. On 1 February, Somma made his first start since the 8th November and marked it with his 10th goal of the season against Hull City
. Somma scored his 11th goal of the season against Coventry City. Somma continued his reputation as a super-sub when he scored his 12th goal of the season with his first touch versus Norwich City.
The phonetic similarities between his surname "Somma" and the season Summer
have led to the popular terrace chant parody of the Mungo Jerry song "In the Summertime", which must be sung upon the very sight of the player on or off the field.
15 July 2011, Somma revealed via his Twitter page that he had tore his anterior cruciate ligaments and would be out for at least 6 months. After Somma revealed via Twitter
the severity of his injury, manager Simon Grayson
banned all Leeds United players Twitter accounts.
and Italy
due to his heritage. Somma also expressed desire to play for USA
but was not yet eligible. However ex-Leeds legend Lucas Radebe
confirmed that Somma told him he wanted to play for South Africa (Bafana Bafana).
In October 2010, new South Africa manager, Pitso Mosimane
singled out Somma for special praise after impressing at Leeds United
. Mosimane said; "We have good players playing in Europe and we have other players that we haven't called up. There is a striker who is constantly scoring goals, Davide Somma. He is busy scoring and I'm monitoring that. I'm monitoring whether he can add value to our team… it is not because he plays overseas" after mentioning a planned trip to Europe to take a closer look at some of these players.
Mosimane claimed in November 2010, that Somma might be called up for Bafana Bafana's friendly against USA on 17 November, in Cape Town
On 10 November, Somma was named in South Africa's squad for the first time for the friendly against USA. He responded to the opportunity by saying, "I want to score goals, that is what feels good for me. I want to destroy them (the USA). . . . I wanted to play for them, but nothing ever happened so I just want to do it against them tomorrow."
On 17 November 2010, Somma made his debut for Bafana Bafana against USA, wearing the number 19 shirt. South Africa lost the game 1–0, with man of the match Brad Guzan
keeping a clean sheet for the US. Somma was kept relatively quiet, although he provided a through ball in the first half to create one of South Africa's best chances of the match. Somma was substituted early in the second half.
9 February 2011, Somma scored his first international goal against Kenya
in only his second cap for South Africa. 21 March Somma was called up to the South Africa squad to face Egypt
, however he was an unused substitute. In May 2011, South Africa legend Lucas Radebe
said he believed that Somma could be the next Benni McCarthy
for South Africa. 5 June Somma came on as a late substitute against Egypt
to earn his 3rd cap in a 0–0 draw between the two countries.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n football player who currently plays for Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and the South African national team
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
. He plays as a striker. In November 2010 Somma made his debut for the national side against USA.
Youth and college
Somma started playing football at the age of five for the Edenvale Footbal Club in his native Johannesburg. After moving to the United States with his family when he was 12, he attended Riverview High SchoolRiverview High School (Sarasota, Florida)
Riverview High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Sarasota, Florida, United States. Riverview educates students from ninth grade to twelfth grade. The school has 2,654 students and 161 teachers...
in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
, and played club soccer with the Sarasota Storm and St. Pete Raiders.
He played one year of college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
at Tyler Junior College
Tyler Junior College
Tyler Junior College is a two-year community college in Tyler, Texas, United States. TJC is one of the largest community colleges in Texas, with an enrollment of more than 12,000 credit students each year with an additional 20,000 continuing education enrollments annually. Its West Campus includes...
in 2004, scoring 13 goals and registering nine assists, and being named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIV first team. After one season with Tyler, Somma enrolled in an international soccer school program, and joined the youth system of the Spanish team Logroñés
CD Logroñés
Club Deportivo Logroñés, S.A.D. was a Spanish football team based in Logroño, in the autonomous community of La Rioja. Founded in 1940, it last played in Regional Preferente de La Rioja....
, his Italian passport giving him the opportunity to pursue a career in Europe.
Italy
Somma signed a four-year contract with Italian Serie A club PerugiaPerugia Calcio
Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....
in 2004. However, Somma never played a game for the team as Perugia's president bankrupted the club and it folded six months later. Somma transferred to Pro Vasto, and played 39 games for the team between 2005 and 2007. He later played for Olbia
Olbia Calcio
U.S. Olbia 1905 is an Italian association football club, based in Olbia, Sardinia. The club was founded in 1905. Olbia currently plays in Eccellenza...
before returning to the United States in 2008.
Major League Soccer
Somma signed a developmental contract with the San Jose EarthquakesSan Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
in September 2008 along with Michael Ghebru
Michael Ghebru
Michael Ghebru is a professional footballer. He currently plays as a striker for the Maltese Premier League side Floriana.-Youth:...
and made three regular season appearances for the club during the 2008 season, in addition to five reserve team appearances in which he notched two goals and three assists.
In December 2008 he joined the Generation Adidas
Generation adidas
Generation adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by adidas, encourages early entry of American players into MLS...
team in London for a three-game tour of England and scored two goals for the squad as they faced the reserve teams of Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
. In February 2009, Somma signed a senior contract with the San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
, but was placed on waivers on 26 May.
Whilst at San Jose, he was teammate with former Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
player Darren Huckerby
Darren Huckerby
Darren Huckerby is a former English footballer who played as a forward.-Early career:Huckerby was born in Nottingham, England. His mother is of partial Georgian descent. Huckerby started playing professionally for Lincoln City, before signing for Newcastle United in a £400,000 deal in 1995...
, who encouraged Somma to find a new club in England.
Leeds United
In July 2009, Somma took part in a trial with Queens Park RangersQueens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
and played in a pre-season fixture as a winger. After his trial at QPR, Somma took part in a trial at Leeds United, and earned an extended spell at the club. He scored in a pre-season friendly against Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
and also scored in friendlies against Newcastle United and Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, and signed a permanent contract with the club in September 2009 on a one-year deal, with an option in the club's favour to extend the contract for a further season. In an interview with LUTV, Somma proclaimed he had "bought a one way ticket to England" so he had to make it.
In signing for Leeds, Somma became the fifth South African to play for Leeds following Gerry Francis
Gerry Francis (footballer born 1933)
Gerry Francis is a former professional footballer who played as a right winger for Leeds United and York City...
, Albert Johanneson
Albert Johanneson
Albert Louis Johanneson was one of the first high-profile black players, of any nationality, to play top-flight football in England.-Career:Johanneson, a skilful and swift left winger, was recommended to Leeds United by a South African schoolteacher and joined the club in April 1961...
, Lucas Radebe
Lucas Radebe
Lucas Valeriu Radebe is a former Leeds United and South African football player. During his career, Radebe was renowned for being a world-class centre back and a great ambassador for the sport....
and Phil Masinga. In an LUTV interview, Somma said that, due to his Italian heritage, he and teammate Mike Grella
Mike Grella
Michael Grella is an American professional soccer player who plays for Brentford. He plays as a striker. He was a United States Under-20 International and a highly rated talent in USA...
can speak to each other in Italian. Somma made his debut for Leeds in a reserve game against Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
, and marked the game by scoring two goals.
Somma was named in the Leeds squad for the Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
game against Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
, and made his debut when he came on as a second half substitute. His debut ended prematurely when he suffered a hamstring injury, which meant Leeds had to play the rest of the game with 10 men having used all their substitutions. After working his way back from injury and scoring regularly in the reserves, Somma returned to the Leeds first team squad when he was named as a substitute for a game against Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
on 23 November 2009.
On 26 November, Somma joined Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
on loan until January 2010. Somma was given squad number 32, and made his Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
debut for the team on 2 December, starting a game against Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
. Somma had a penalty saved by Crewe goalkeeper Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips is a former American baseball analyst for ESPN and baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997–2003...
on his debut. Somma missed a number of Chesterfield's games through injury. After Somma's one-month loan spell expired on 5 January 2010, he returned to Leeds. He immediately returned to a Leeds first team squad when he was named on the bench in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
replay against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
After impressing whilst out on loan to Lincoln, Somma was handed a new one year extension to his contract at Leeds.
Lincoln City loan
On 25 February 2010, Somma joined Chris SuttonChris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
's Lincoln City
Lincoln City F.C.
Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
on a month's loan to gain some more first
-team experience and scored on his debut against Crewe Alexandra two days later. His second goal came against Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
. Somma's third goal came against Dagenham & Redbridge
Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham...
in the 1–1 draw.
His fourth and fifth goals came in the same game against Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, with Somma scoring a brace which helped earn a 3–2 win for Lincoln. He had scored five goals in five games during his loan spell, and thus became Lincoln's top goal scorer for the entire season. On 23 March 2010, City extended the loan of Somma until the end of the season. Somma scored a brace against Bournemouth taking his tally to seven goals in nine games for Lincoln. Later he scored his eighth of the season against Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
to secure Lincoln's survival in League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
for another year.
Somma then made it nine goals in 13 matches scoring Lincoln's only goal in a 3–1 defeat away at Aldershot Town
Aldershot Town F.C.
Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club...
. He was given a red card
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
for violent conduct in his final game for Lincoln City. After the match, his loan spell expired and he ended the season as Lincoln's top goal scorer with nine goals. He also came third in Lincoln's player of the season awards. Manager Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
said after Somma's loan spell that he would love to bring Somma back to the club on a permanent deal if he wasn't in Leeds' first team plans.
2010–11 Season
Somma returned to Leeds United after his spell at Lincoln ended. Despite Somma's missing the first three competitive games of the season after his red card for Lincoln in the last game of the 2009–10 season, Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson is a retired English footballer and current manager of Leeds United. He is the elder brother of cricketer Paul Grayson....
has said Somma is part of his plans and will not be going out on loan for the 2010–11 season.
Following his suspension, Somma was available to return to the Leeds side against Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, and duly scored twice on his league debut after coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, as Leeds won 3–1. Somma claimed after his debut that he could replace Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Paul Alexander Beckford is an English footballer who plays for Leicester City as a striker. He started his career as a trainee at Chelsea...
and score the goals the departed hitman previously scored for Leeds. He came into the starting lineup for the following match against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in the League Cup, scoring his third goal in two games. In his fourth game of the season, he scored his fourth goal of the season in the 5–2 defeat against Barnsley, with Somma scoring a late consolation goal for Leeds.
Somma's first league start for Leeds came in the match against Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
, Somma received the man of the match award after putting in an impressive performance where he hit the crossbar and also had a goal ruled out for offside. Somma scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season against Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. He scored his seventh goal of the season with a left footed volley against Middlesbrough. In November 2010, Somma entered contract negotiations with Leeds over extending his contract, signing a three-year deal on 9 November. In December 2010, after reports circulated in South Africa that Somma had joined Swansea City on loan, Leeds denied the story and said that it was totally incorrect. After a spell out of the side, Somma came on as a substitute on 8 January against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Leeds were 1–0 up when Robert Snodgrass
Robert Snodgrass
Robert Snodgrass is a Scottish footballer who plays for Leeds United as a winger comfortable playing on either side of the pitch. He can also play as a forward...
scored a second half penalty, Arsenal equalised in the 90th minute when Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
scored a penalty.
He came on as a second-half substitute against Scunthorpe United and scored his eighth goal of the season for Leeds. Seconds after coming on against Arsenal in the FA Cup replay, Somma nearly scored but instead put his shot wide of the goal. Somma scored his ninth goal of the season with his first touch of the ball after coming on as a substitute against Portsmouth. On 1 February, Somma made his first start since the 8th November and marked it with his 10th goal of the season against Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
. Somma scored his 11th goal of the season against Coventry City. Somma continued his reputation as a super-sub when he scored his 12th goal of the season with his first touch versus Norwich City.
The phonetic similarities between his surname "Somma" and the season Summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
have led to the popular terrace chant parody of the Mungo Jerry song "In the Summertime", which must be sung upon the very sight of the player on or off the field.
2011–12 season
15 July 2011, Somma revealed via his Twitter page that he had tore his anterior cruciate ligaments and would be out for at least 6 months. After Somma revealed via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
the severity of his injury, manager Simon Grayson
Simon Grayson
Simon Nicholas Grayson is a retired English footballer and current manager of Leeds United. He is the elder brother of cricketer Paul Grayson....
banned all Leeds United players Twitter accounts.
International
Somma was eligible to play for his home country South AfricaSouth Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
and Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
due to his heritage. Somma also expressed desire to play for USA
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
but was not yet eligible. However ex-Leeds legend Lucas Radebe
Lucas Radebe
Lucas Valeriu Radebe is a former Leeds United and South African football player. During his career, Radebe was renowned for being a world-class centre back and a great ambassador for the sport....
confirmed that Somma told him he wanted to play for South Africa (Bafana Bafana).
In October 2010, new South Africa manager, Pitso Mosimane
Pitso Mosimane
Pitso John Mosimane is a South African football former player and coach and currently the manager of the South Africa national football team....
singled out Somma for special praise after impressing at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
. Mosimane said; "We have good players playing in Europe and we have other players that we haven't called up. There is a striker who is constantly scoring goals, Davide Somma. He is busy scoring and I'm monitoring that. I'm monitoring whether he can add value to our team… it is not because he plays overseas" after mentioning a planned trip to Europe to take a closer look at some of these players.
Mosimane claimed in November 2010, that Somma might be called up for Bafana Bafana's friendly against USA on 17 November, in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
On 10 November, Somma was named in South Africa's squad for the first time for the friendly against USA. He responded to the opportunity by saying, "I want to score goals, that is what feels good for me. I want to destroy them (the USA). . . . I wanted to play for them, but nothing ever happened so I just want to do it against them tomorrow."
On 17 November 2010, Somma made his debut for Bafana Bafana against USA, wearing the number 19 shirt. South Africa lost the game 1–0, with man of the match Brad Guzan
Brad Guzan
Bradley Edwin "Brad" Guzan is an American soccer player who plays for Aston Villa of the Premier League.-Early Career:...
keeping a clean sheet for the US. Somma was kept relatively quiet, although he provided a through ball in the first half to create one of South Africa's best chances of the match. Somma was substituted early in the second half.
9 February 2011, Somma scored his first international goal against Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in only his second cap for South Africa. 21 March Somma was called up to the South Africa squad to face Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, however he was an unused substitute. In May 2011, South Africa legend Lucas Radebe
Lucas Radebe
Lucas Valeriu Radebe is a former Leeds United and South African football player. During his career, Radebe was renowned for being a world-class centre back and a great ambassador for the sport....
said he believed that Somma could be the next Benni McCarthy
Benni McCarthy
Benedict Saul "Benni" McCarthy is a South African footballer who is currently contracted to Orlando Pirates in South Africa.McCarthy holds the record of international goals for a South African...
for South Africa. 5 June Somma came on as a late substitute against Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to earn his 3rd cap in a 0–0 draw between the two countries.
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9 February 2011 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium Royal Bafokeng Stadium The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a football, rugby and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.. It is used as the home stadium for Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
Personal
- Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
Third Place in Player of the Year Award – 2009–102009–10 in English footballThe 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League... - Lincoln CityLincoln City F.C.Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
Top Goalscorer – 9 Goals – 2009–102009–10 in English footballThe 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.The season began on 8 August 2009 for the Championship, League One and League Two and 15 August 2009 for the Premier League...
Leeds United
- League One Runners Up (Promoted)Football League OneFootball League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
: 2009–2010
Trivia
Although his first name is spelt as Davide his first name is actually pronounced as David.Career statistics
| Discipline |
|---|
| |Leeds United | Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... > 29 |
11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | ! 32 !! 12 | 0 |
| |Lincoln City Lincoln City F.C. Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League.... |
Loan | League Two Football League Two Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.... > 14 |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ! 14 !! 9 | 1 |
| |Chesterfield Chesterfield F.C. Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower... |
Loan | League Two Football League Two Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system.... > 3 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ! 3 !! 0 | 0 |
| |Leeds United | League One Football League One Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system.... > 0 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | ! 1 !! 0 | 0 |
