Daniel Boloca
{{Short description|Italian-Romanian footballer (born 1998)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Daniel Boloca
| image = Frosinone_Calcio_-_Daniel_Boloca_ANF_9026.A_cut_AF.jpg
| upright = 0.8
| caption = Boloca with Frosinone in 2021
| full_name =
| height = 1.88 m
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1998|12|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = Chieri, Italy
| currentclub = Sassuolo
| clubnumber = 11
| position = Central midfielder
| youthyears1 = 2008–2016
| youthclubs1 = Juventus
| youthyears2 = 2016
| youthclubs2 = → Chieri (loan)
| youthyears3 = 2017
| youthclubs3 = Tatran Prešov
| years1 = 2017
| clubs1 = Tatran Prešov
| caps1 = 1
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2017–2018
| clubs2 = Romanese
| caps2 = 9
| goals2 = 1
| years3 = 2018–2019
| clubs3 = Pro Sesto
| caps3 = 0
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 2019
| clubs4 = Francavilla
| caps4 = 10
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 2019–2020
| clubs5 = Fossano
| caps5 = 25
| goals5 = 4
| years6 = 2020–2023
| clubs6 = Frosinone
| caps6 = 80
| goals6 = 3
| years7 = 2023–
| clubs7 = Sassuolo
| caps7 = 64
| goals7 = 5
| nationalyears1 = 2022
| nationalteam1 = Romania
| nationalcaps1 = 1
| nationalgoals1 = 0
| club-update = 9 May 2025
| nationalteam-update = 17 November 2022
}}
Daniel Boloca (born 22 December 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie B club Sassuolo. Born in Italy, he has appeared for the Romania national team at senior level.[https://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/nationala/romania-daniel-boloca-edward-iordanescu-lot-liga-natiunilor-663561.html Portretul făcut de italieni lui Daniel Boloca, surpriza selecționerului + De ce l-a refuzat pe Hagi] 14.05.2022, gsp.ro
Club career
Born and raised in Italy to Romanian parents, Boloca started his career with the youth teams of Juventus, before leaving in 2017 to join Slovak club Tatran Prešov. He successively went on to move back to Italy, playing for a number of Serie D teams before being noted by Guido Angelozzi, sporting director of Spezia, who agreed on a three-year contract with him in May 2020;{{cite web |url=https://www.cittadellaspezia.com/2020/05/03/lo-spezia-pesca-in-serie-d-boloca-sogna-di-fare-come-mastinu-310924/ |language=it |date=3 May 2020 |title=Lo Spezia pesca in serie D, Boloca sogna di fare come Mastinu |publisher=Città della Spezia}} the move was however cancelled by Spezia following promotion to Serie A and a change in the club management that led to Angelozzi's departure; in November 2020, after a few months without a club, Boloca eventually signed for Serie B club Frosinone, just a few days after Angelozzi's appointment as the club's new sporting director.{{cite web |url=https://www.calciospezia.it/2020/11/11/dopo-lo-sfumato-passaggio-allo-spezia-boloca-firma-per-il-frosinone/ |language=it |date=11 November 2020 |title=Dopo lo sfumato passaggio allo Spezia Boloca firma per il Frosinone |publisher=CalcioSpezia}}
At Frosinone, Boloca quickly became a regular and eventually was one of the protagonists of the first team that won the 2022–23 Serie B title under head coach Fabio Grosso.{{cite web |url=https://www.ilmessaggero.it/frosinone/frosinone_in_serie_a_la_gioia_di_boloca_una_gioia_immensa_puntiamo_al_primato-7376739.html |publisher=Il Messaggero |date=2 May 2023 |title=Frosinone in Serie A, la gioia di Boloca: "Una gioia immensa, puntiamo al primato!" |language=it }}
On 13 July 2023, Boloca left Frosinone for fellow Serie A club Sassuolo.{{cite web |url=https://www.sassuolocalcio.it/en/in-evidence/daniel-boloca-signs-with-the-blackgreens-from-frosinone/ |publisher=US Sassuolo Calcio |date=13 July 2023 |accessdate=22 August 2023 |title=DANIEL BOLOCA SIGNS WITH THE BLACK&GREENS FROM FROSINONE}}
International career
Boloca made his international debut for the Romania national team on 17 November 2022, replacing Răzvan Marin in the 84th minute in a friendly against Slovenia, ended in a 2–1 defeat for the Romanian team.[https://www.fanatik.ro/horatiu-moldovan-cel-mai-bun-jucator-al-romaniei-in-meciul-cu-slovenia-cum-s-au-descurcat-ceilalti-patru-debutanti-trimisi-in-teren-de-edi-iordanescu-20235140 Horațiu Moldovan, cel mai bun jucător al României în meciul cu Slovenia. Cum s-au descurcat ceilalți patru debutanți trimiși în teren de Edi Iordănescu] 17 November 2022, fanatik.ro
Later that year, Roberto Mancini, Italy's national team head coach, announced that he was considering calling Boloca, despite having already played for Romania, as all these games were friendlies.[https://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/nationala/daniel-boloca-italia-roberto-mancini-682989 FRF, în alertă! » Mancini a pus ochii pe jucătorul debutat de Edi Iordănescu: „E de interes pentru naționala Italiei”] 16 December 2022 gsp.ro On 15 December 2022, Boloca was selected to join the Azzurri on a training camp;{{cite web |url=https://www.tuttosport.com/news/calcio/italia/2022/12/15-101167697/italia_ecco_tutti_i_giocatori_convocati_da_mancini_per_lo_stage_di_dicembre |publisher=Tuttosport |language=it |date=15 December 2022 |title=Italia, ecco tutti i giocatori convocati da Mancini per lo stage di dicembre}} after that, Boloca publicly declared his preference to play for Italy over Romania in case Mancini would choose to pick him in the future.{{cite web |url=https://www.tuttofrosinone.com/news/boloca-alla-gazzetta-dello-sport-se-mancini-mi-chiama-scelgo-l-italia-devo-molto-ad-angelozzi-serie-a-abbiamo-tutto-per-farcela-55204 |publisher=TuttoFrosinone.com |language=it |date=29 December 2022 |title=Boloca alla Gazzetta dello Sport: "Se Mancini mi chiama scelgo l'Italia. Devo molto ad Angelozzi. Serie A? Abbiamo tutto per farcela" }}
Personal life
Boloca is the older brother of defender Gabriele Boloca.{{Cite web|url=https://www.digisport.ro/fotbal/fotbal-international/un-nou-debut-romanesc-la-juventus-torino-a-bifat-primele-minute-la-profesionisti-1649615|title=Un nou debut românesc la Juventus Torino. A bifat primele minute la profesioniști|website=www.digisport.ro}}
Career statistics
=Club=
{{updated|match played 9 May 2025}}{{soccerway|daniel-boloca/485254}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Cup !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanese
|9 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 9 | 1 | |||
| Pro Sesto
|Serie D |0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Francavilla
|Serie D |10 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | colspan="2"|— | 10 | 0 | |||
| Fossano
|Serie D |25 | 4 | colspan="2"|— | 1 | 0 | 26 | 4 | ||
| rowspan="4"|Frosinone
|rowspan="3"|Serie B |13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22
|36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23
|31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 32 | 2 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!80 | 3 | 2 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 83 | 3 | ||
| rowspan="3"|Sassuolo
|30 | 1 | 2 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25
|Serie B |34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | colspan="2"|— | 35 | 4 | ||
| colspan="2"|Total
!64 | 5 | 3 | 1 | colspan="2"|— | 67 | 5 | ||
| colspan="3"|Career total
!188 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 194 | 14 |
=International=
{{updated|match played 20 November 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://eu-football.info/_player.php?id=32169|title=Daniel Boloca|publisher=European Football|accessdate=20 November 2022}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| rowspan="1"|Romania
|2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| colspan="2"|Total | 1 | 0 |
Honours
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{Soccerway|daniel-boloca/485254}}
{{US Sassuolo Calcio squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boloca, Daniel}}
Category:Footballers from the Metropolitan City of Turin
Category:Italian men's footballers
Category:Romanian men's footballers
Category:Italian people of Romanian descent
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:1. FC Tatran Prešov players
Category:Pro Sesto 1913 players
Category:ASD Francavilla players
Category:Frosinone Calcio players
Category:US Sassuolo Calcio players
Category:Slovak First Football League players
Category:Romania men's international footballers
Category:Romanian expatriate men's footballers
Category:Italian expatriate men's footballers
Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Slovakia
Category:Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia
Category:Italian expatriate sportspeople in Slovakia