Raffaele De Vita

Summary

Raffaele De Vita (born 23 September 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian side Anagni. De Vita started his career with Blackburn Rovers, and has also played for Swindon Town, Bradford City, Cheltenham Town, Ross County, Partick Thistle, Falkirk, Edinburgh City, and Livingston.

Raffaele De Vita
De Vita warming up for Partick Thistle in 2019.
Personal information
Full name Raffaele De Vita[1]
Date of birth (1987-09-23) 23 September 1987 (age 36)
Place of birth Rome, Italy
Position(s) Winger / Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Anagni
Youth career
2004–2008 Blackburn Rovers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 Livingston 69 (22)
2011–2013 Swindon Town 74 (12)
2013–2014 Bradford City 20 (1)
2014 Cheltenham Town 10 (3)
2015–2016 Ross County 33 (3)
2016–2021 Livingston 56 (6)
2019Partick Thistle (loan) 9 (1)
2020Falkirk (loan) 7 (0)
2020–2021Edinburgh City (loan) 19 (3)
2021-2022 Lupa Frascati 1 (0)
2022- Anagni
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:05, 25 November 2021 (UTC)

Career edit

Born in Rome, Italy, De Vita grew up supporting Lazio and idolised Paolo Di Canio, who later coached him when he joined Swindon Town. De Vita began his career at a boys club in Rome, it has previously been reported as being the Roma academy, which was ironic, due to the fact De Vita supported Roma's rivals, Lazio - De Vita himself set these rumours straight in an interview with The Athletic) until he was scouted by Blackburn Rovers, which he said came "out of nowhere".[2]

De Vita began his career with Blackburn Rovers but did not make an appearance for the first team. He joined Scottish club Livingston in July 2008.[3] At one point, De Vita considered quitting Livingston, as a result of the club entering administration, but continued to play for the club, after Gary Bollan had come in as manager and he had regained his fitness.[4] He made his debut on 14 February 2009 against St Johnstone,[5] and the following week scored his first goal against Dundee.[6] At the end of the 2010–11 season, during which he helped the club win promotion to the Scottish First Division, De Vita was among seven players to be released by the club despite becoming a fans' favourite.[7][8] During his career at Livingston, he made 67 league appearances and scored 22 goals.

Swindon Town edit

 
De Vita in 2012

In June 2011, he signed for Swindon Town on a two-year contract.[9]

He made his debut on 6 August, in a 3–0 win against Crewe Alexandra, ensuring new manager Paolo di Canio's first competitive game in charge of Swindon ended with a win.[10] He scored his first goal for the club on 24 August, in a 1–0 win against Championship side Bristol City in the League Cup.[11] He scored his first league goal for the club on 24 September, opening the scoring in a 4–0 win against Barnet.[12] He followed this up with goals against Hereford United,[13] Plymouth Argyle,[14] Huddersfield Town[15] and Morecambe[16] to finish his debut season with six goals,[17] and helped Swindon to win the League Two title.[18]

He made his first appearance of the 2012–13 season on 14 August in a 3–0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in the League Cup.[19] He scored his first goal of the season a week later, with Swindon now in League One, in a 3–0 win against Crawley Town.[20] After scoring in a defeat to Preston North End,[21] he then scored in back-to-back games in October, in a 2–1 defeat to Crewe and a 4–0 victory against Stevenage.[22][23] In December 2012, he then scored twice in a 2–0 win against Oldham Athletic,[24] before scoring again in the following game, a 5–0 win against Tranmere Rovers.[25] He then scored his final goal of the season on 5 January 2013, in a 4–0 win against Carlisle United.[26] He helped Swindon to finish in the play-off positions, and played in the second leg of the semi-final against Brentford, which finished 3–3, leaving the tie 4–4 on aggregate, with Brentford then going on to win the penalty shoot-out 5–4.[27] He was then released by the club along with five other players, at the end of the season.[28]

Bradford City edit

After training with the club for over two weeks,[29] and scoring as a trialist in a 4–0 win in a pre-season game against Guiseley[30] De Vita signed for Bradford City on a one-year contract on 30 July 2013.[31]

He made his debut on 3 August on the opening day of the season in a 2–2 draw against Bristol City, and assisted Rory McArdle's later equaliser.[32] He scored his first goal for the club on 26 October, opening the scoring in a 2–1 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers.[33] However, De Vita's first team opportunities were soon limited, due to a thigh injury that kept him out for months.[34] After months on the sidelines, De Vita made his first team return on 11 April 2014, coming on as a substitute for Matthew Dolan in the 77th minute, in a 0–0 draw against Rotherham United.[35]

After making twenty-three appearances and scoring once in all competitions by the end of the 2013–14 season, De Vita's contract with the club expired and he was invited back for pre-season training in the hope of earning a new deal.[36] However, it was made clear that De Vita would not return to Bradford City following the conclusion of the club's pre-season friendly matches.[37]

Cheltenham Town edit

De Vita joined Cheltenham Town on a three-month contract on 25 September 2014.[38] De Vita made his Cheltenham Town debut two days later, coming on as a substitute for John Marquis in the 83rd minute, in a 1–0 loss against Burton Albion on 27 September 2014.[39]

After making thirteen appearances for the club during the first half of the season, De Vita was released by the club after the expiry of his contract in late-December.[40]

Ross County edit

On 30 January 2015, De Vita signed for Scottish Premiership club Ross County.[41] On his debut for the club, he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 victory over Motherwell on 14 February 2015.[42] Seven days later he scored again, this time against Partick Thistle at Firhill, as the Staggies secured a 3–1 away victory.[43] On 12 April 2015, De Vita was named as SPFL Player of the Month for March 2015.[44]

With his impressive displays helping Ross County avoid relegation, De Vita signed a new contract in May 2015, keeping him at the club until 2017.[45] He scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season in a League Cup match, as Ross County thrashed Falkirk 7–0 on 22 September 2015.[46] On 30 June 2016, De Vita was released by Ross County, despite his contract still having a year left.[47]

Livingston return edit

After being without a club for four months, De Vita signed on for his second spell with Scottish League One side Livingston in October 2016.[48]

Loans from Livingston edit

De Vita joined Scottish Championship club Partick Thistle on a season long Loan for the 2019/20 season. De Vita scored his first goal for Thistle in a 3-2 league defeat away to Morton.[49] De Vita scored his second goal for the Jags in a 2–0 win at home to Welsh side Connah Quay Nomands in the Scottish Challenge Cup.[50] Livingston recalled De Vita from his loan spell on New Year's Day 2020.[51] The same day Falkirk announced they had signed him on loan until the end of the season;[52][53] a season which ended early due to the covid-19 pandemic.

He was loaned to Edinburgh City in October 2020.[54] De vita was released by Livingston at the end of the 2020-21 season.[55]

Return to Italy edit

De Vita signed for Anagni in 2022.[56]

Career statistics edit

As of match played 5 October 2020 [57]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Livingston 2008–09[58] Scottish First Division 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
2009–10[59] Scottish Third Division 29 9 4[i] 2 0 0 0 0 33 11
2010–11[60] Scottish Second Division 33 12 1 0 1 0 1[a] 0 36 12
Total 69 22 5 2 1 0 1 0 76 24
Swindon Town 2011–12[61] Football League Two 38 4 4 1 1 1 3[b] 0 46 6
2012–13[62] Football League One 36 8 1 0 2 0 2[c] 0 41 8
Total 74 12 5 1 3 1 5 0 87 14
Bradford City 2013–14[63] Football League One 20 1 1 0 1 0 1[b] 0 23 1
2014–15[64] Football League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 20 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 23 1
Cheltenham Town 2014–15[64] Football League Two 10 0 2 0 0 0 1[b] 0 13 0
Ross County 2014–15[64] Scottish Premiership 14 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 3
2015–16[65] Scottish Premiership 19 0 4 1 2 1 0 0 25 2
Total 33 3 4 1 2 1 0 0 39 5
Livingston 2016–17[66] Scottish League One 23 3 2 0 0 0 2[a] 1 27 4
2017–18[67] Scottish Championship 30 3 0 0 6 2 4[d] 1 40 6
2018–19[68] Scottish Premiership 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
2020–21[69] Scottish Premiership 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 56 6 2 0 6 2 6 2 70 10
Career total 262 44 19 4 13 4 14 2 308 54
  1. ^ a b Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
  2. ^ a b c Appearances in the Football League Trophy
  3. ^ One appearance in the Football League Trophy and one in the EFL League One play-offs
  4. ^ Two appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup and two appearances and one goal in the Scottish Premiership play-offs
  1. ^ Includes 1 appearance not recorded on Soccerbase or Soccerway. "Queen's Park 1–3 Livingston". BBC Sport. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2015.

Honours edit

Livingston

Swindon Town

Ross County

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ "Raffaele De Vita". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Cheltenham Town forward Raffaele De Vita: I may be Italian, but I'm an English footballer". Gloucestershire Echo. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Livi hand contracts to trialists". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 July 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  4. ^ "De Vita: I almost quit but now I'm ready to fire Livi back up leagues". Daily Record. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  5. ^ "St Johnstone 1-0 Livingston". BBC. 14 February 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Dundee 4-1 Livingston". BBC. 21 February 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  7. ^ "De Vita admits mixed emotions on final Livi appearance". Daily Record. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Livingston free seven stars ahead of return to Division One". Daily Record. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Swindon Town sign up striker Raffaele De Vita". BBC Sport. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  10. ^ "Swindon 3–0 Crewe". BBC Sport. 6 August 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  11. ^ "Bristol City 0–1 Swindon". BBC Sport. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  12. ^ "Swindon 4–0 Barnet" BBC Sport. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  13. ^ "Swindon 3–3 Hereford" BBC Sport. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  14. ^ "Plymouth 0–1 Swindon" BBC Sport. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  15. ^ "Swindon 4–1 Huddersfield" BBC Sport. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  16. ^ "Swindon 3–0 Morecambe" BBC Sport. 17 December 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  17. ^ "Raffaele De Vita Football Stats Season 2011/2012" Soccerbase. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  18. ^ "Swindon 5–0 Port Vale" BBC Sport. 28 April 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  19. ^ "Swindon 3–0 Brighton" BBC Sport. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  20. ^ "Swindon 3–0 Crawley Town" BBC Sport. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  21. ^ "Preston 4–1 Swindon" BBC Sport. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  22. ^ "Crewe 2–1 Swindon" BBC Sport. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  23. ^ "Stevenage 0–4 Swindon" BBC Sport. 27 October 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
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  25. ^ "Swindon 5–0 Tranmere" BBC Sport. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  26. ^ "Swindon 4–0 Carlisle" BBC Sport. 5 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  27. ^ "Brentford 3–3 Swindon (Agg 4–4)" BBC Sport. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  28. ^ "Robins release retained list" Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine Swindon Advertiser. 9 May 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
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  30. ^ "City start with comfortable friendly win" Bradford City. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
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  37. ^ "URWIN EXTENDS HIS STAY". Bradford City A.F.C. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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  39. ^ "Burton Albion 1 – 0 Cheltenham Town". BBC Sport. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  40. ^ "Raffa De Vita leaves Cheltenham Town". Cheltenham Town F.C. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
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  42. ^ "Scottish Premiership: Ross County beat Motherwell 3–2 in basement battle". Sky Sports. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  43. ^ Lamont, Alasdair (21 February 2015). "Partick Thistle 1–3 Ross County". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  44. ^ a b "Ross County: Raffaelle De Vita takes March player award". BBC Sport. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  45. ^ "County tie up Raffaele De Vita and Rocco Quinn on deals". BBC Sport. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  46. ^ Dowden, Martin (22 September 2015). "Ross County 7–0 Falkirk". BBC Sport.
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  48. ^ "Rafa's back!". Livingston FC. 18 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  49. ^ "Morton stun Thistle in dramatic comeback". BBC Sport.
  50. ^ "League Two pair reach last eight". BBC Sport.
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  54. ^ Oliver, David (9 October 2020). "Edinburgh City sign former Falkirk, Blackburn and Swindon midfielder Rafa de Vita on loan from Livingston". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  55. ^ "Player Departures". Livingston FC. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  56. ^ "City of Anagni, De Vita is reality: "Here there is a desire to return to certain levels"". Gazzetta Regionale. 4 July 2022.
  57. ^ Raffaele De Vita at Soccerway. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  58. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  59. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
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  63. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  64. ^ a b c "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  65. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  66. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  67. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  68. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  69. ^ "Games played by Raffaele De Vita in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  70. ^ "Livingston 2–1 Alloa Athletic". Livingston F.C. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  71. ^ "Starting Lineups - Chesterfield vs Swindon". Sky Sports. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  72. ^ Wilson, Richard (13 March 2016). "Scottish League Cup Final: Hibernian 1 Ross County 2". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 March 2016.

External links edit

  • Raffaele De Vita at Soccerbase