Davide Moscardelli

3.1. Early Career

Moscardelli started his career with Maccarese, an Italian amateur club from Fiumicino, Lazio. He played for Maccarese in the Promozione Lazio (seventh tier) from 1997 to 2000, and then in Eccellenza Lazio (sixth tier) during the 2000-01 season. With Maccarese, he made 101 appearances and scored 19 goals.

In the 2001-02 season, Moscardelli joined Guidonia Montecelio, another Eccellenza club. He was highly efficient, scoring 20 league goals in 27 games. However, a significant incident occurred when the team was deducted 10 points after Moscardelli was played despite being disqualified. Despite this heavy penalty, Guidonia Montecelio managed to achieve promotion by defeating the Umbrian side Deruta in the Eccellenza national promotion play-offs, securing one of the seven promotion spots.

His impressive performance in the amateur leagues attracted the attention of Serie A club Chievo, who offered him a professional contract. However, Chievo opted to farm him out to Serie C2 (fourth tier) side Sangiovannese in a co-ownership deal for the 2002-03 season. With the Tuscany-based team, he maintained an average of 0.5 goals per league game, scoring 15 goals in 30 appearances, plus two appearances in the Coppa Italia Serie C. In June 2003, Sangiovannese bought him outright. Shortly after, they sold him to Serie B club Triestina in another co-ownership deal for a fee of 250.00 K EUR, signing a four-year contract.

3.2. Serie B Period

Moscardelli spent seven consecutive seasons in Serie B, showcasing his scoring prowess and adaptability across several clubs.

At **Triestina**, from 2003 to 2005, he formed a formidable partnership with Denis Godeas during the 2003-04 season. They collectively scored 26 goals, accounting for more than half of the team's total goals. Moscardelli himself netted 16 times in 42 Serie B games. In June 2004, Triestina acquired the remaining 50% of his registration rights for an additional 500.00 K EUR. In the subsequent 2004-05 season, his playing time decreased, as he featured in 36 games and scored 7 Serie B goals. Triestina narrowly avoided direct relegation, entering a play-off where they defeated Vicenza 4-0 on aggregate. Moscardelli made a substitute appearance in the first leg of this play-off. At the start of the 2005-06 season, after appearing once in the 2005-06 Coppa Italia, he was sold.

On August 27, 2005, Moscardelli joined Rimini, a newly promoted Serie B team. In his debut season with Rimini (2005-06), he rotated with Simone Motta and Sergio Floccari. He scored on his club debut on September 10, contributing to a 4-2 win against Catanzaro. He finished the season with 6 goals in 31 games. In the 2006-07 season, Rimini signed future Serie A regulars like goalkeeper Samir Handanovič, and strikers Jeda and Alessandro Matri. Despite mainly serving as a backup, Moscardelli made 11 starts and scored 9 goals, while Matri scored 4. Rimini finished fifth in the league. At the start of the 2007-08 season, he played twice for Rimini in the 2007-08 Coppa Italia, scoring one goal as a second-half substitute in both matches.

In August 2007, he moved to fellow Serie B side A.C. Cesena, a regional rival, in another co-ownership deal worth 650.00 K EUR on a four-year contract. At Cesena, Moscardelli was a consistent starter, playing 40 Serie B matches. Partnering with players like Andrea Ferretti, Milan Đurić, and Daniele Paponi, he scored 15 goals. However, Cesena finished at the bottom of the league and was relegated to Lega Pro, notably scoring the fewest goals in the division.

In June 2008, Rimini bought back their 50% share of Moscardelli for 550.00 K EUR, only to re-sell him to Piacenza, another team from Emilia-Romagna, in a new co-ownership deal for an undisclosed fee. He signed a three-year contract, replacing Daniele Cacia. At Piacenza, Moscardelli established himself in a forward role, often partnering with players such as Emanuele Ferraro, Mattia Graffiedi, Tomás Guzmán, or Jonathan Aspas in a three-striker formation. Moscardelli primarily played as a central forward, with others operating as wing or supporting strikers. Piacenza finished mid-table that season, and Moscardelli did not reach double-digit goals. In the 2009-10 season, his partnership with Simone Guerra was more consistent, and Moscardelli scored 14 league goals. Despite his efforts, Piacenza only scored 40 goals and finished 15th out of 22 teams. In June 2010, Rimini relinquished their remaining 50% rights to Piacenza, making Moscardelli fully Piacenza's player.

3.3. Serie A Period

Moscardelli finally made his debut in Italy's top division at the age of 30, joining Chievo.

In August 2010, **Chievo** signed Moscardelli after failing to secure Riccardo Meggiorini and Matteo Ardemagni as partners for their main striker Sergio Pellissier. Chievo had released forwards Erjon Bogdani and Elvis Abbruscato, leaving only Pablo Granoche and Marcos de Paula available. As part of the transfer deal, Chievo loaned Alessandro Sbaffo and Cesare Rickler to Piacenza. Moscardelli made a strong start to his Serie A career, scoring on his debut on August 29, 2010, in a 2-1 win against Catania. In the following match, he scored again in an away 3-1 victory over Genoa. He often shared the starting position with Cyril Thereau, particularly when Pellissier was unavailable. Following his Serie A debut, his former amateur clubs-Maccarese, San Cesareo, and Romulea-claimed `Premio alla carriera<sub>Career award</sub><sup>Italian</sup>` (a special training compensation) from Chievo. Although Chievo initially refused, the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) eventually awarded Maccarese 54.00 K EUR, San Cesareo 36.00 K EUR, and Romulea 18.00 K EUR for their role in his development. In July 2011, Moscardelli extended his contract with Chievo until June 30, 2013. Across his three seasons with Chievo, he made 66 appearances and scored 10 goals in Serie A, alongside 6 appearances and 1 goal in the Coppa Italia.

On January 30, 2013, Moscardelli transferred to fellow Serie A club Bologna. He spent two seasons with the club, primarily being utilized as a substitute. In the 2013-14 season, he notably inherited the number 10 shirt following the departure of Alberto Gilardino, reuniting with his former Chievo coach, Stefano Pioli. However, his goal-scoring output was limited to 2 goals across 26 league appearances and 1 goal in 2 Coppa Italia matches during his time at Bologna.

3.4. Later Career

After his time in Serie A, Moscardelli continued his career in Italy's lower divisions before returning to Serie B for his final season.

On July 31, 2014, Moscardelli signed with Lega Pro side **U.S. Lecce** on a free transfer. In his first season (2014-15), he scored 15 goals in 32 league matches, plus 1 goal in 2 Coppa Italia matches. In his second season with Lecce (2015-16), he scored 10 goals in 30 league appearances. The team successfully reached the Promotion Play-offs-Finals, where Moscardelli scored 2 goals in 2 appearances, but they were eventually beaten 4-2 on aggregate by US Foggia. Overall, he made 62 league appearances and scored 25 goals for Lecce.

On July 11, 2016, Moscardelli moved to Arezzo on a free transfer. In his first season with Arezzo (2016-17), he scored 16 goals in 32 Lega Pro matches. Arezzo finished fourth in their group and qualified for the promotion play-offs, where Moscardelli scored in the first round match, but Arezzo ultimately lost 2-1 at home to A.S. Lucchese Libertas 1905. He also made one appearance and scored one goal in the Coppa Italia Serie C. In the 2017-18 season, he scored 12 goals in 30 Serie C appearances. Across his two seasons, he made 62 league appearances and scored 28 goals for Arezzo.

On July 3, 2018, Moscardelli joined Pisa after being released by Arezzo. In his first season with Pisa (2018-19), he scored 8 goals in 29 Serie C appearances. Pisa finished third in their group and qualified for the Serie C promotion playoffs, where Moscardelli made 16 appearances and scored 2 goals. He scored a crucial goal in the home fixture against Carrarese, which helped secure their progression to the next round. Pisa eventually won their promotion match against Triestina, which saw Moscardelli return to Serie B after an absence of nearly a decade. During this season, he also made two appearances and scored three goals in the Coppa Italia Serie C. In his final season, the 2019-20 Serie B season with Pisa, he made 16 appearances and scored 2 goals.