Massimo Donati
Encyclopedia
Massimo Donati is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) is an Italian footballer who currently plays as a Central Midfielder for Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
club Bari
A.S. Bari
Associazione Sportiva Bari is an Italian football club founded in 1908, they are based in Bari, Apulia and plays in Serie B. The club have spent many seasons bouncing between the top two divisions in Italian football, Serie A and Serie B....
.
Italy
Donati is a central midfielder and started his career at AtalantaAtalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
and moved to A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in 2001 along with Cristian Zenoni
Cristian Zenoni
Cristian Zenoni is an Italian football defender who currently a free-agent. His twin brother Damiano Zenoni also is a professional player.-Football career:...
for 60 billion lire in cash plus player deal (Player asset was majority). However, due to the competition at the club, Donati was unable to claim a first team place, spending the 2002–03 season
Serie A 2002-03
In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89....
on loan at Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
and then Torino
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
.
His second season (2003–04
Serie A 2003-04
The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
) at the San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
saw him join Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
on loan, before enjoying a successful spell at Messina
F.C. Messina Peloro
Associazione Calcio Rinascita Messina is an Italian football club based in Messina, Sicily. It currently plays in Serie D.- Brief history :The origins of the team go back to 1900 when Messina F.C was founded in the city. The club has spent most of its history in the lower Italian football leagues...
for the 2004–05
Serie A 2004-05
In the 2004–05 season, the Serie A, the highest professional football league in Italy, was composed of 20 teams for the first time in several years....
and 2005–06
Serie A 2005-06
In the 2005–06 season, Serie A, the major professional football league in Italian, was contested for the second year in a row by 20 teams. The league commenced on August 28, 2005 and finished on May 14, 2006...
seasons.
Despite finding his form at Messina, Donati still found himself out of favour at Milan and was sent again on loan for the 2006–07 season
Serie A 2006-07
The Serie A 2006–2007 season began September 10, 2006. It was scheduled to begin on August 26 and 27, but was then postponed due to the Serie A scandal of 2006. It is the 104th Italian championship ever held, the first without the presence of Juventus, and the 75th Serie A league, the first...
, this time to his first club Atalanta.
Celtic
On 29 June 2007, Celtic confirmed the signing of Donati on a four-year contract for a fee of €2million. Donati was given the number 18 jersey, vacated by ex-captain Neil LennonNeil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon is a former footballer from Northern Ireland. He is the current manager and former captain of Celtic....
and was unveiled at Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
. He made his Celtic debut debut in their first league game of the season on 5 August, a 0-0 draw with Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
. In Celtic's next league game against Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
, Donati was involved in his side's equaliser when his shot hit Kenny Milne and went into the net; Celtic won the game 4–1. The following week, Donati grabbed his first competitive Celtic goal with an equalising goal against Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
and later added an assist for Kenny Miller
Kenny Miller
Kenneth "Kenny" Miller is a Scottish footballer who plays as a striker for Cardiff City and the Scotland national football team...
as Celtic won 3–1.
On 28 November, Donati won the match for Celtic in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
fixture against Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. Shakhtar has appeared in several European competitions and currently is often a participant of the UEFA Champions League. The club became the first Ukrainian club to win the UEFA Cup in 2009, the last year...
, netting in the 92nd minute to win the match 2-1. This result meant Celtic only needed a point away to Donati's former club A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
in the San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...
to qualify for the last 16 stage of the tournament. Celtic lost 1–0 to Milan, but still qualified for the last 16 as runners-up in their group after Benfica defeated Shakhtar in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. As the season went on, Donati's form began to dip, resulting in the central midfield positions being changed with Barry Robson
Barry Robson
Barry Gordon George Robson is a Scottish footballer who plays for Middlesbrough in the Football League Championship and for the Scotland national squad...
and Paul Hartley
Paul Hartley
Paul James Hartley is a Scottish professional footballer. He is currently player and manager at Alloa Athletic. Hartley began his career as a right winger, but was moved into a central midfield position in 2002...
in place of Donati and Scott Brown. In May 2008, it was reported that Donati wanted to go back to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
.
In the 2008–09 season, Donati made only a handful of appearances for Celtic, though he started in the home game against Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
on 12 November 2008 and won the man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award.
After the appointment of Tony Mowbray
Tony Mowbray
Anthony Mark "Tony" Mowbray is an English former professional football player, who is currently the manager of Middlesbrough...
as Celtic manager, Donati won back his place in the Celtic midfield alongside new signing Landry N'Guemo
Landry N'Guémo
Landry Joel Tsafack N'Guémo is a Cameroonian footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for French club Girondins de Bordeaux in Ligue 1.-Early career:...
. Donati played in most of the pre-season games and scored in a 5–0 win over African Champions League winners Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly
Al-Ahly Sports Club , commonly known as simply Al-Ahly, is an Egyptian sporting club. Founded in April 1907, Al-Ahly was named in 2000 by the Confederation of African Football as the "African Club of the Century"...
in the Wembley Cup
Wembley Cup
The Wembley Cup is an invitational football tournament. The first edition of the tournament took place between 24 and 26 July 2009 at Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom. The winning team was Celtic, ahead of FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, and Al-Ahly. Each team played two matches, with...
. He started the 2009–10
2009–10 in Scottish football
The 2009–10 season was the 113th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* St. Johnstone are competing in the Scottish Premier League for the fifth time, their last season in the top-flight since the 2001–02 season, after being promoted as First Division champions last...
campaign in fine form and scored from a spectacular volley in Celtic's 3–1 loss to 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...
in the Champions League play-off
2009–10 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round
This article details the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round.There are two paths:*Champions Path, which include all domestic champions which do not automatically qualify for the group stage....
.
Bari
On 27 August 2009, Donati left Celtic and signed a four-year contract with Serie A newcomers AS Bari.Honours
- CelticCeltic F.C.Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
: 2008
Translink Cup
Translink Cup
The Translink Cup also known as the Roar against Racism trophy is an Australian association football invitational trophy contested in an annual charity friendly match hosted by Brisbane Roar of the Hyundai A-League and is held at Suncorp Stadium, often used as a pre-season match for both teams to...
: 2009
Wembley Cup
Wembley Cup
The Wembley Cup is an invitational football tournament. The first edition of the tournament took place between 24 and 26 July 2009 at Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom. The winning team was Celtic, ahead of FC Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur, and Al-Ahly. Each team played two matches, with...
: 2009