Davide Faraoni

2.1. Early life and footballing start

Marco Davide Faraoni was born on October 25, 1991, in Bracciano, a comune in the Province of Rome within the Lazio region of Italy. He began his football career at the Rome-based club S.S. Lazio.

2.2. Youth academy years

Faraoni started his career at S.S. Lazio, where he was capable of playing as a right back or centre-back. He progressed through Lazio's youth system, playing for their Giovanissimi regionali team and advancing to the Primavera team. During the 2009-10 season, he experienced a setback, missing several months due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right leg.

On July 1, 2010, Faraoni was signed by Internazionale on a four-year contract, reportedly as a free transfer. He became a member of Inter's Primavera under-20 team for the 2010-11 season. During this period, he demonstrated his versatility by playing various positions, including right-back, left-back, and right wing. With Inter's Primavera team, he achieved success by winning the 2011 Torneo di Viareggio. Under the guidance of new coach Leonardo, Faraoni was called up to the first team squad on multiple occasions during the 2010-11 season, though he did not make his official senior debut at that time.

3.1. Internazionale

Faraoni officially graduated from the youth team and joined the first team in 2011. Under the new coach Gian Piero Gasperini, he featured in pre-season friendlies, typically as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation. He made his competitive debut for Internazionale on August 6, 2011, in the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana held in Beijing, China. In that match, he came on as a left-midfielder, substituting Ricardo Álvarez in the 63rd minute, as Inter lost 2-1 to AC Milan.

Three months later, under new coach Claudio Ranieri, Faraoni made his Serie A debut on November 19, 2011, replacing Jonathan in the final minutes of a 2-1 victory against Cagliari. On November 22, 2011, he made his European debut in the Champions League, coming on as a substitute for Ricky Álvarez in a 1-1 draw against Trabzonspor.

In December 2011, Faraoni played five out of a possible six matches for Inter, primarily as a right midfielder. His first professional start came on December 3, 2011, in a 0-1 loss to Udinese. He then made his first European start on December 7, 2011, in a Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, which Inter lost, though they had already qualified as group winners. He played in three of four consecutive league matches as a midfielder, during which Inter won all four games and climbed to fifth place before the winter break. His performance against Fiorentina was highly praised.

On January 7, 2012, Faraoni came on as a substitute against Parma and scored his first ever Serie A goal in the 77th minute with a stunning volley from the edge of the area, contributing to a 5-0 victory. A week later, on January 12, 2012, Inter announced that Faraoni had signed a new four-and-a-half-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2016. He made his Italian Cup debut on January 19, 2012, in a 2-1 win over Genoa.

Faraoni returned to the starting lineup on February 17, 2012, playing three successive Serie A matches amidst Inter's injury crisis and poor form. He played as a right winger in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Bologna, then as a starting right-back in a 4-3-1-2 formation against Napoli, and finally as a right midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation against Catania. However, he was substituted at halftime against Catania, a match that ended in a 2-2 draw. Following the appointment of Andrea Stramaccioni as coach, Faraoni was largely left out of the starting eleven.

3.2. Udinese and various loans

On July 9, 2012, Udinese Calcio acquired half of Faraoni's registration rights as part of a deal that saw 50% of Samir Handanovič's rights transferred to Inter. Faraoni made his debut for Udinese on August 25, 2012, in a match against Fiorentina. On June 19, 2013, Udinese fully acquired Faraoni's registration rights, selling the remaining 50% of Handanovič to Inter in the same arrangement.

After a season with Watford, Faraoni returned to Udinese in July 2014. On September 3, 2015, he was loaned to Novara Calcio in a temporary deal, having previously been loaned to Perugia in February 2015 for the 2014-15 Serie B season.

Faraoni once again returned to Udinese in the summer of 2016. On March 10, 2017, he underwent surgery on his left knee at Villa Stuart for the removal of an intra-articular fragment, similar to an operation he had on his right knee in 2009. His contract with Udinese was mutually terminated on July 8, 2017.

3.3. Watford

On July 6, 2013, Faraoni's agent confirmed his move to Watford on a five-year deal. Watford was owned by Gino Pozzo, the son of Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo. Faraoni was given the number 19 shirt for his first season with the club. He made his Watford debut on August 3, 2013, in an away match against Birmingham City. Faraoni scored his first goal for Watford on August 17, 2013, away to Reading, heading home a corner in the second half. He also scored his first cup goal against Norwich in a 3-2 loss. After one season with Watford, making 43 appearances in all competitions (38 in the league), Faraoni announced his return to Italy in July 2014.

3.4. Crotone

After his second stint at Udinese, Faraoni signed a three-year contract with fellow Serie A club Crotone on July 9, 2017, the day after his contract with Udinese was canceled. He spent two seasons with Crotone, becoming a key player in their squad.

3.5. Hellas Verona

On January 14, 2019, Faraoni joined Hellas Verona on a loan deal with an obligation to buy. He quickly established himself as a central player for the team, contributing significantly to their performance. In the second half of the 2018-19 season, he made 17 appearances, scoring three goals, and played in all of the promotion play-off matches, helping the club secure promotion back to Serie A after just one season. Since then, Faraoni has continued to be a crucial member of Hellas Verona, consistently performing in Serie A over multiple seasons.

3.6. Loan to Fiorentina

On January 13, 2024, Hellas Verona sent Faraoni on loan to fellow Serie A side Fiorentina for the remainder of the season, with an option to buy. During his loan spell, he was an unused substitute in Fiorentina's 1-0 extra-time defeat to Olympiacos in the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final on May 29.