Serie A has always had innumerable tales of players rising from humble backgrounds and it seems as if the league has been graced by another such star. Daniel Boloca’s story, after all, has only just begun in the top flight.
The 24-year-old was on target for Sassuolo against Bologna yesterday, opening his goalscoring tally in the Serie A. But his goalscoring tally isn’t what Boloca is about, as the midfielder has had a thoroughly impressive start to life at the Neroverdi, joining from Frosinone for a fee of €10 million.
But Boloca’s story actually began at Juventus, but he ended up roaming across Czech Republic, Slovakia and his homeland of Romania. After nothing worked out there, Boloca returned to Italy and found himself toiling in Serie D. Until the 2019/20 season, Boloca was in the fourth tier of Italian football, plying his trade with Piedmontese club Fossano.
La Gazzetta dello Sport state that for a long while, it seemed as if Serie D was going to be where Boloca would play forever. A move to Spezia fell through at that point, despite the fact that a three-year deal was ready. He did seal a move to Frosinone, where he played 82 times and last season, he was a consistent performer in their rise back to the Serie A.
His rise has been so swift that former Italy boss Roberto Mancini called up him for the national team training camp towards the end of his tenure. Having been born in Chieri, Boloca wanted to play for Italy despite having represented Romania and he informed the Romanian FA about his decision to play for the Azzurri.
It doesn’t just end there. La Gazzetta dello Sport state that clubs are already keeping an eye on the 24-year-old. Fiorentina are one of the interested clubs, with Roma also keeping tabs on him. Milan and Napoli have also sought information recently. Sassuolo CEO Giovanni Carnevali is currently in no hurry to sell the player, as things stand.
But it has been a terrific rise to prominence already and it will surely get better.
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
