MUFC
Where Are They Now? Federico Macheda – from Villa hero to where?
March 2nd, 2016
Macheda was brought into Sampdoria to replaced the outgoing Antonio Cassano. He made his debut on the 9th January 2011, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 victory over Roma. The then 19-year-old was handed his first start for the club on the 19th January, in Sampdoria’s Coppa Italia match against Undinese and with that came his first and only goal in a 2-2 draw which his side went on to win 5-4 on penalties. Macheda’s presence couldn’t avoid the club being relegated into Italy’s second tier and he returned to his parent club at the end of the season.
Another season came around and it was another couple of months of flirting with the first team before being loaned out in the January transfer window. He scored his first goal of the season and what turned out to be his last in the red of Manchester United against Crystal Palace in a 2-1 defeat in the League Cup quarter finals. He was shipped out to Premier League strugglers Queens Park Ranger’s where he made six appearances in all competitions without finding the net before an ankle injury finished his season.
Another goalless loan spell followed suit the season after (12/13 season). Once again he was loaned out in January, this time to VfB Stuttgart where he made 18 appearances across all competitions as the German side finished 12th in the Bundesliga.
At the back-end of the 2012/13 season, Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement, former Everton manager David Moyes took the Old Trafford hot seat during the summer of 2013 and he made it clear that Macheda did not feature in his plans going forward. The young Italian was loaned out to Championship side Doncaster Rovers twice in the first half of the season, he managed three goals in 15 appearances over the two spells. In January 2014 came Macheda’s final loan move, he saved the best until last, scoring 10 goals for Birmingham City in 18 appearances in the Championship. The then 22-year-old finished as the club’s top scorer in terms of league goals as Birmingham narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the season.
Macheda’s loan spell at Birmingham ensured that he spent his remaining six months of his Manchester United contract away from Old Trafford. His time at The Theatre of Dreams was up, following a debut that promised so much, the youngster only managed 36 appearances for the first team across six seasons, finding the net just four more times on top of his wonder goal on his debut back in 2009.
Following his release from Manchester United, Macheda joined up with his former United reserve team manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at newly relegated (from the Premier League) Cardiff City. Macheda netted eight times for his new club in the 2014/15 season, only bettered by Kenwyne Jones who scored thirteen. His short Cardiff career has been hampered by a long-suffering back injury which saw him miss three months of the current 2015/16 season.
He made his first league appearance in November 2015 and is yet to start a Championship game for the Welsh side. He did however play the full 90 minutes, for the first time this season, in the 1-0 defeat to Shrewsbury in the FA Cup third round last month.
Away from the bright lights and expectation of Old Trafford, Macheda still has a chance to make it, after all he is only 24. He is one of only five Italians to don the jersey of Manchester United and whatever he makes of his career he will always be remembered by United fans for that late, late goal against Aston Villa in 2009. That 3-2 win was the catalyst for Manchester United – who lost two on the bounce prior to that game – to go on a nine game unbeaten run until the end of the season, winning eight and drawing once as they picked up their 18th English league title, meaning the Reds got one step closer to knocking a certain team off their perch.
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