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Personal
Fullname: Massimo Donati
Height: 6.00
Weight: 12.11
Born: 26 March 1981
Birthplce: Sedegliano, Italy
Signed: 23 June 2007
Left: 31 Aug 2009
Fee: Signed for £3M from AC Milan
Left: Signed for £1.5m (€2M) for Bari (Italy)
Position: Midfielder
Internationals: Italy
International Caps: U-21 (26); none with senior
International Goals: 1; 0
Biog
| “Maybe it is the atmosphere, how big it is, maybe colours, Champions League, just everything. Celtic is Celtic.” Massimo Donati (2018) |
The Italian central midfielder signed a 4-year-deal with the Hoops and was handed the Number 18 shirt previously filled by former club captain Neil Lennon. Donati had cost Milan £10 million when he signed from Atalanta in 2001. However his career at the San Siro had stalled and he spent much of his time out on loan, including season 2006/07 when he returned to Atalanta. All a bit of a turn for the prodigious talent who at one point was one of the highest rated up and coming players in his homeland. Respected Italian football manager Trappatoni in particular was an admirer and noted as such on Celtic’s purchase.
Many fans were enthralled by the signing but was he to match expectations on the pitch?
His first appearance for the Bhoys came on July 5th in Switzerland where he made a winning start as Celtic defeated FC Basel in a pre-season tournament. His competitive debut was not so glorious though as a month later Celtic opened their league campaign with a poor 0-0 draw at home to Kilmarnock. Donati’s early form was good however, and his neat passing and vision saw him make a positive early impression on the support. He would seal this pleasing start to his Parkhead career with the equalising goal at Aberdeen on August 19th as Celtic came from behind to win 3-1.
A vital and dramatically late winning goal against Shaktar Donetsk in the Champions League tie at Celtic Park in November put the Hoops on the verge of the last 16 of the tournament. It was a major moment for Donati as he was to recall:
“I will always remember that night because it was the best of my career, the highlight, the most magnifico moment. I sometimes watch it on YouTube because, like Celtic, that goal is always in my heart, in my mind. It was so good a moment”
And it is not just the goal but the scenes of frenzied jubilation it sparked that remain wonderfully vivid for the midfielder, who ripped off his shirt at full-time that evening, and hurled it in to the north stand as crowd chants of “Mo, Mo Massimo” vied for the airspace with an emotional rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
(The Scotsman Newspaper)
Problem was that by then Donati’s performances had actually started to slip. Indeed he would be singled out for criticism by the manager after the Bhoys exited the Champions League to Barcelona in the KO stages, but nothing too strong. If anything the manager deserved to look to himself too on this one. Donati was to be unfairly lampooned by the wags in the Scottish media (e.g. BBC Radio Scotland’s “Off the Ball“) and the mud stuck.
Celtic would go on to win the title but the Italian, looking off the pace and out of sorts, had ended the season out of the starting side and behind Scot Brown, Paul Hartley and Barry Robson for a starting berth. Into the important season run-up it was Hartley and Robson who became the central midfield partnership that won us the league. It was quite an embarrassment for both the player and the manager that the two older, more limited ability and cheaper players had combined far better than our expensive purchases. For Donati this should have wakened him up to the task.
The arrival in the summer of 2008 of Marc Crosas saw Donati pushed further out of the first team picture. Seemingly frozen out of the set-up Donati made public his anger at the manager, who he claimed was not prepared to give him a fair chance. Following in the wake of Thomas Gravesen it appeared Donati was the latest big money midfield flop to be signed and then ostracised by Strachan. In fairness to Donati, Strachan had repeatedly failed with expensive purchases (e.g. Gravesen, Jarosik), so the likely problem alone wasn’t Donati himself.
His promising start to his Celtic career demonstrated obvious signs of a real talent but those moments were now just a fading memory. He would make only fleeting appearances in season 2008/09 as Celtic surrendered the title to Rangers when he could or should have been given more of an opportunity, although the support was split and many were convinced he was finished. He had said he’d had an offer to go back to Italy but the manager refused. If Strachan wasn’t to play him then Donati should have been sold. It was farcical and unfair on the player.
Donati himself attributes the impasse partly on after doing an interview with Italian football in which he compared Scottish and Italian football. Strachan apparently was incensed with it however Donati insisted he was misquoted.
Despite the departure of Strachan in May 2009, the return of Donati to Italy seemed inevitable.
However new Celtic boss Tony Mowbray vowed to give all players a chance to impress and the manager would soon be singing the praises of Donati who now declared his desire to remain in Glasgow. Indeed as Celtic’s pre-season preparations for the 2009/10 campaign progressed Donati was back in the frame for a first team start. With Scott Brown still not fully fit, Donati was selected in the starting line-ups for the crucial Champions League qualifiers against Dynamo Moscow. The Italian performed admirably and his excellent form saw him become an early stalwart of the Mowbray regime.
At the end though, Italian club Bari came in for him in August 2009 and he opted to take it and the club decided to accept the offer. Shame as he’d begun to win over a number of people. He’d begun to show just what it was thought he could do. He signed off in his last game with a last minute goal against Arsenal in the Champions League which we lost, and he gave a fair account of himself. Maybe if WGS had worked better with him then we could have unlocked his long-time potential. Maybe Bari will do it.
We hoped him all the best. He’ll be remembered best for the late winning goal against Shaktar Donestk as well as for his changing hair colours (bizarre at times).
Post-Celtic
He later remarked in reflection that leaving Celtic to return to Bari in Italy was the “biggest mistake of my football life”.
He returned to Scotland later in time to play for Hamilton, and notably showed off a Celtic tattoo he had got stamped on his chest on his heart. The Celtic support was amused & pleased by the gesture from Donati, and it shows that the club left a lasting impact on him. Something to admire.
He never lost his Celtic roots, and played in front of 48,000 supporters for a ‘Celtic Legends‘ select side at Anfield v their Liverpool counterparts in a charity match in March 2023, winning the chance to relive old glories.
[…]
Quotes
“At Celtic I won a championship for the first and only time. I can only have great memories.”
Massimo Donati
“Maybe it is the atmosphere, how big it is, maybe colours, Champions League, just everything. Celtic is Celtic.”
Massimo Donati (2018)
“I was thrilled when I got the call from Celtic, I felt ready to measure myself in such a context and to play the Champions League. From that club I knew the coat of arms and the shirt, I found myself in a truly fantastic world.” Massimo Donati
Playing Career
| Club | From | To | Fee | League | Scottish/FA Cup | League cup | Other | ||||
| Celtic | 23/06/2007 | 31/08/2009 |
Signed | 26 (5) | 3 | 3 (2) | 0 | 4 (0) | 0 | 10 (4) | 2 |
| Atalanta | 01/08/2006 | Loan | No appearance data available | ||||||||
| Messina | 01/08/2004 | Loan | No appearance data available | ||||||||
| Sampdoria | 01/08/2003 | 31/05/2004 | Loan | No appearance data available | |||||||
| Torino | 22/01/2003 | Loan | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | |
| Parma | 04/08/2002 | 11/11/2002 | Loan | 4 (2) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 |
| Milan | 01/07/2001 | 23/06/2007 | Signed | 6 (11) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 5 (2) | 0 |
| Totals | £0 | 39 (19) | 4 | 3 (2) | 0 | 4 (0) | 0 | 15 (6) | 2 | ||
| goals / game | 0.06 | 0 | 0 | 0.09 | |||||||
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 2009/10 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Bari | Italian Serie A | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009/10 Season Totals | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008/09 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish CIS Insurance Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Cup | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008/09 Season Totals | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007/08 Statistics | |||||||||||
| TEAM | Competition | GS | SB | G | A | SH | SG | FC | FS | YC | RC |
| Celtic | UEFA Champions League | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Celtic | Scottish Premier League | 22 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 32 | 18 | 23 | 23 | 8 | 0 |
| 2007/08 Season Totals | 30 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 38 | 22 | 29 | 32 | 10 | 0 | |
GS: Games Started, SB: Used as Substitute, G: Goals, A: Assists, SH: Shots, SG: Shots on goal, YC: Yellow Cards, RC: Red Cards, FC: Fouls Committed, FS: Fouls Suffered, SV: Saves, OF: Offsides, W: Wins, D: Draws, L: Losses
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Premier League
Scottish League Cup
Pictures
| MOTM Winners 2007-08 | ||
| 05-Aug-07 | Celtic 0 v 0 Kilmarnock | SPL |
| 19-Aug-07 | Aberdeen 1 v 3 Celtic | SPL |
| Aug-07 | Aug-07 Player of the Month | |
| 19-Jan-08 | Celtic 1 v 0 Killie | SPL |
| Jan-08 | Jan-08 Player of the Month | |
| 16-Feb-08 | Celtic 3 v 0 Hearts | SPL |
Articles
Massimo Donati – Trappatoni on signing for Celts (Jul 07)
GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI predicts that Celtic will reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League next season. The Italian, now in charge of the Salzburg Red Bull franchise, has not been surprised by the strides made under Gordon Strachan. Indeed, he is convinced the acquisition of Massimo Donati from AC Milan will sustain the improvement.
Describing Celtic as one of the genuine powers on the continent, Trapattoni admitted his only surprise was that it has taken them so long to return to the elite end of club football after becoming the first British club to win the European Cup.
“They are up there near the very top of European football, on a par with the Italian, English and Spanish sides.
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I definitely think they can go to the quarter-final stage. They reached the last 16 last year and only lost to a great team like AC Milan.”
Trapattoni played almost 300 games between 1959 and 1971 during his heyday at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium and mastered the role of defensive midfielder. His remit was to afford creative influences the security to express themselves, just as Donati’s presence will provide a support network for Shunsuke Nakamura and Aiden McGeady.
“Massimo was one of the best players at youth level in the national team,” he said. “I knew about him eight years ago and he was always very impressive. He is a good personality and is still young enough to do well with Celtic. He can play confidently and has everything needed to succeed in the Scottish game.
“Why did it not work out for him at AC Milan? He was not a big star. In football you have fantasy players, the creative ones, but Massimo is the kind of player I was: he is solid, like concrete, and that is what is needed in Scotland.”
Massimo Donati is heading back to Italy after several years spent plying his trade in Britain. Steve Wilson bids him a fond farewell
Source: http://www.football-italia.net/blogs/sw101.html
I am going to break with standard journalistic convention and reveal my allegiance. I am a Celtic supporter – faithful through and through – and so it was with mixed feelings that I took on board the news that Massimo Donati had agreed a four-year deal to leave Parkhead to join Serie A new boys Bari.
On the one hand I am pleased for the player, if he had a hankering to return to the peninsula then it is certainly for the best that he has found a new home. With the greatest respect to the Puglians, playing for a relegation-haunted side will be a different prospect to challenging for titles and competing in the Champions League with the Hoops.
With the experience he has picked up playing for the Bhoys in their big matches at home and abroad he should prove to be a valuable asset and a star performer for his new employers this season. I will now be keeping an extra eye out for them and my fingers crossed that they finish 17th or above.
At the same time it is a shame he has returned home without ever really making the kind of impression he should have in Glasgow. He won’t be revered in the Biancoverdi Hall of Fame in the way compatriot Paolo Di Canio is, yet he is likely ranked a little above Enrico Annoni – a hard-working but limited defender who, according to ‘Tic legend, was once welcomed on to the pitch as a sub by one fan with the line: “Aww no, nae Annoni on anaw noo.”
The disappointing thing is that over pre-season and the beginning of the new term, under Tony Mowbray, Massimo has looked revitalised and vastly improved. His neat dribble and goal against Al Ahly in the Wembley Cup put a smile back on his face and his peach of a volley – fittingly with what turned out to be his last kick for the club – against Arsenal on Wednesday raised cheers from the visiting support despite it being nothing but a consolation.
Rarely featured under previous manager Gordon Strachan, it is easy to forget that this is a player who once cost Milan £10m. What will never be forgotten by Celtic fans is his sensational 90th minute goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2007-08 Champions League that ultimately put the club into the last 16. That strike earned him an eternal place in the hearts of Celts the world over. Buona Fortuna Massimo and ‘Mon the Galletti!
Massimo Donati hails Celtic fans as he clinches £1.5m Bari transfer
Aug 31 2009
MASSIMO Donati last night thanked Celtic and their fans after quitting to return to Italy.
The midfielder – who completed a £1.5million move to Serie A side Bari at the weekend – paid tribute to the Parkhead club.
He said: “I am grateful to Celtic for granting my wish to go home. I always had good relations there – even last season when I wasn’t getting a game my problem was only with the coach, not the club.
“I will especially miss the fantastic supporters and the atmosphere they create. We can learn a lot from them in Italy.”
AC Milan legend Andriy Shevchenko helped Celtic sign Massimo Donati
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/ac-milan-legend-andriy-shevchenko-helped-celtic-sign-massimo-donati-1-4759951AC Milan and Ukraine legend Andriy Shevchenko helped Celtic sign Massimo Donati.
The Italian revealed that a phone call from the former Chelsea striker set in motion a move to Glasgow in 2007.
Donati emerged from the famed Atalanta youth academy before being signed by Milan. However, he would embark on a handful of loan spells during his time at the San Siro. The player was on the verge of a permanent return to Atalanta when the surprising call arrived from Shevchenko, who Donati had encountered during his time at Milan, even if it led to an argument with his wife.“
I had just finished a season on loan at Atalanta and the season was very good for me and Atalanta,” the 37-year-old told Si Ferry for Open Goal. “Atalanta said we want to buy you back after four, five years. I said ‘yeah, why not’.“Then one day in the summer I was home with my mum and dad. I received a phone call, private number, but my phone wasn’t with me, I asked my wife to answer. She answered but no one talked and they put the line down.“
My wife starts saying to me ‘who was that? Why was the private number?’. I said I don’t know and start to have an argument with my wife. Wait, 10 minutes, phone again. Private number. I answered the phone call and it was Andriy Shevchenko.
READ MORE: Hamilton make five new signings in the space of 24 hours“He said ‘listen, do you want to go to Celtic? I’m a friend of one of those on the board at Celtic’. I said ‘yes’, he said ‘ how much do you want a year?’.”The player was uneasy discussing details and passed his agent’s number onto Shevchenko.
Later that summer Donati was signed by Gordon Strachan for around £3 million.The midfielder would go on to make 50 appearances for Celtic under Strachan and his predecessor Tony Mowbray, winning one SPL title and the League Cup.
Donati called leaving Celtic to return to Italy with Bari as the “biggest mistake of my football life”.
Interview: “I was thrilled when I got the call from Celtic,” Massimo Donati, “I found myself in a truly fantastic world”
By Editor 18 April, 2021 No Comments
imago/Cordon Press/Diario AS – Lionel Messi, Massimo Donati (Celtic Glasgow)
During a live Instagram on the Taca La Marca channel, Massimo Donati, former football player and technician, currently commentator DAZN, spoke about his football path and much more. Here is what emerged:
The first goal in my career – “One of the best goals of my career was perhaps my first in Serie A, in the derby against Brescia, the team in which Roberto Baggio played. I managed to put it under the intersection with a left foot shot. Subsequently, even with the Messina shirt, always with a left foot, I went on to net against Brescia. Although, I am honest when I say that Atalanta is the team I have scored the most goals against.”
Milan – “At Milan I found myself in one of the most important clubs in the world, comparing myself with absolute champions. I was very young at the time and perhaps I was not ready for that adventure and in some ways I felt I had arrived, a mistake I have never made again in my football career.”
Celtic – “I was thrilled when I got the call from Celtic, I felt ready to measure myself in such a context and to play the Champions League. From that club I knew the coat of arms and the shirt, I found myself in a truly fantastic world. It was so good that I embarked on a path as a player and as a coach. In addition, I have always liked a typical Scottish custom, which I would like to see in Italy: the technicians meet after the meeting to have a beer and exchange opinions.”
Champions League nights – “I spent unforgettable Champions League nights with Celtic, in fact in the group I found myself playing against Milan, which had sold me the year before, and which we beat in the return match. For me this represented a small revenge. Furthermore, I will never forget the goal scored at the end of the game that decided the match against Shakhtar, a match that had the flavour of a play-off for the purposes of qualifying for the round of 16, perhaps the highest and most intense moment of my career. ”
Central defender with Gasperini – “In Palermo after the farewell of Sannino, Gasperini arrived who on his first day in Sicily asked me if I was available to play in the centre in a three-man defence, which excited me since I could see much of the ball in that role, even if at times I paid the comparison with the most experienced strikers (Toni, Gilardino).
Game goddesses – “I really like Gasperini’s Atalanta for its principles, a team that presses and is not afraid to play one-on-one, my idea of football is inspired by some concepts of this team. In addition, I also appreciate Juric’s Verona which a little represents the same style of play.
Teammates – “Maldini impressed me so much, you always saw him at the top both on the pitch and in training. He had extraordinary physical strength and mentally he was truly incredible. Another teammate that I had really strong was McGeady at Celtic as well as Nakamura. ”
Bari – “It was an incredible experience, in a beautiful city and with exceptional fans. It can be divided into three moments: the first year we had a wonderful season, we beat everyone and played memorable games, bringing 30,000 fans to the Olimpico. With Ventura we all played by heart, everyone knew what to do with the ball and without. Then there was the second phase which began with the victory against Juventus where I scored the decisive goal, before a total collapse after a good start.
Then there was the return when the team found themselves in B, my intention was to give my contribution to bring the club back to A. Now the team finds itself in C but there is a solid club that will certainly be able to bring Bari back to the top. ”
Technicians – “All the technicians I had left me something, from a tactical point of view I’ll give you the names of Gasperini and Ventura.”
Sullo and Messina – “Sullo always says, jokingly, that he created me, with him we achieved great victories with Messina, he was a great player and had unique playing times. I found him in Bari as a technician. ”
Derby – “The derbies are all beautiful, wonderful and real matches, full of tension and emotions, despite this, I quote you the Old Firm between Celtic and Rangers where there is another type of pathos since it goes beyond football .”
The Italian talent – “I met Locatelli when he was very young at Milan, his growth really impressed me, he is doing great things with Sassuolo also thanks to De Zerbi. He is truly a complete midfielder.”
Childhood idols – “My father passed on his passion for Milan to me, so I have always admired the three Dutchmen: Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard.”
Future as a technician – “I see myself very well in the role of a technician, in fact I can’t wait. I like having the responsibility of 24-25 players, especially guiding them mentally, instilling in them that ambition by which everything can be done.”
Massimo Donati admits Celtic decision was wrong as he explains Gordon Strachan bust up that got out of hand
Donati is also keen on a coaching return to Scotland despite Kilmarnock stint with Angelo Alessio not going well
footballscotland
https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/massimo-donati-admits-celtic-decision-22623500
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Massimo Donati has admitted he was wrong to leave Celtic after a bust up with Gordon Strachan.
The Italian midfielder incurred the manager’s wrath after doing an interview in which he compared Scottish and Italian football, although Donati inisis he was misquoted.
Strachan wasn’t having it though and despite a second chance under Tony Mowbray, a bumper offer from Bari was too good to turn down.
However, Donati now accepts that he should have stayed at Parkhead.
“I had a wee problem with Gordon and then it became a big problem,” he told the Celtic Way. “I gave an interview explaining the difference between Scottish and Italian football. I explained the difference which was a big one.
“In the papers, the headline was “what Scottish football has to do to be better.”
“I never said those words and he was so angry about that interview and I told him I didn’t say that but he didn’t believe me and that is why I did not play much in the second season.
“For a football player, if you are not playing you are not happy. I told him that maybe it was time for me to go.
“In the pre-season, Gordon Strachan left Celtic and Tony Mowbray came in.
“For a while, it looked as if my Celtic career would get back on track.
“Bari then Bari came in for me and offered me a longer contract.
“I had a decision to make and I joined Bari.
“Sometimes you make the wrong decision. Leaving Celtic was not a good decision.”
Donatti did eventually return to Scottish football with spells at Hamilton and St Mirren, and was Angelo Alessio’s assistant during his ill-fated stint in charge of Kilmarnock.
Having been sacked as boss of Serie D outfit Sambenedettese in October, Donati remains determined to make it as a manager and would love a return to Scotland.
He added: “I am still young and I am only just starting out in my football coaching career.
“I hope to become a football manager in my own right.
“I always try to follow some good examples.
“I worked under some good managers in my playing career and I tried to learn as much as I could from them.
“That is very important to what I am doing now.
“I enjoyed my short spell as a coach at Kilmarnock.
“It was a great experience and an education for me.
“I would love to have the opportunity to possibly come back to Scotland one day and manage a club at some point in the future.”