Davide Somma
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Davide Enrico Somma (born 26 March 1985) is a South African former
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a striker. He played for the South Africa national team as a striker and his most notable spell was at
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
. In November 2010 Somma made his debut for the
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
national side against United States. He now works as a Junior Coach for Long Island United. Somma also serves as the men’s club soccer coach for Stony Brook University.


Career


Youth and college

Born in
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
, South Africa, Somma started playing football at the age of five for the Edenvale Football Club in his native Johannesburg. After moving to the United States with his family when he was 12, he attended Riverview High School in
Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...
, and played club soccer with the Sarasota Storm and St. Pete Raiders. He played one year of
college soccer College soccer, called college football in some countries, is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. While it is most widespread in the United States, it is also prominent in Japan, South Kore ...
at
Tyler Junior College Tyler Junior College (TJC) is a public community college in Tyler, Texas. It is one of the largest community colleges in the state, with an enrollment of more than 12,000 credit students and an additional 20,000 continuing education enrollments a ...
in 2004, scoring 13 goals and registering nine assists, and being named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIV first team. After one season with Tyler, Somma enrolled at Edukick (great camp), an international soccer school program, and joined the youth system of the Spanish team Logroñés, his Italian passport giving him the opportunity to pursue a career in Europe.


Professional


Italy

Somma signed a four-year contract with Italian Serie A club
Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...
in 2004. However, Somma never played a game for the team as Perugia's president bankrupted the club and it folded six months later. Somma transferred to Pro Vasto, and played 39 games for the team between 2005 and 2007. He later played for
Olbia Olbia (, ; ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commune of 61,000 inhabitants in the Italy, Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle ...
before returning to the United States in 2008.


Major League Soccer

Somma signed a developmental contract with the
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
of
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
in September 2008 along with Michael Ghebru and made three regular season appearances for the club during the 2008 season, in addition to five reserve team appearances in which he notched two goals and three assists. In December 2008 he joined the
Generation Adidas Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S ...
team in London for a three-game tour of England and scored two goals for the squad as they faced the reserve teams of
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
, Chelsea, and
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
. In February 2009, Somma signed a senior contract with the
San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...
, but was placed on waivers on 26 May. Whilst at San Jose, he was a teammate of former
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
player
Darren Huckerby Darren Carl Huckerby (born 23 April 1976) is an English football coach and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a forward who notably played in the Premier League for Newcastle United, Coventry City, Leeds United, Manchester Ci ...
, who encouraged Somma to find a new club in England.


Leeds United

In July 2009, Somma took part in a trial with
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
and played in a pre-season fixture as a winger. After his trial at QPR, Somma took part in a trial at Leeds United, and earned an extended spell at the club. He scored in a pre-season friendly against Newport County and also scored in friendlies against
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
and
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...
, and signed a permanent contract with the club in September 2009 on a one-year deal, with an option in the club's favour to extend the contract for a further season. In signing for Leeds, Somma became the fifth South African to play for Leeds following
Gerry Francis Gerald Charles James Francis (born 6 December 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. Playing career Francis made his first team debut for Queens Park Rangers against Liverpool in March 1969. He was captain and central midfield play ...
, Albert Johanneson,
Lucas Radebe Lucas Valeriu Ntuba Radebe OIS (born 12 April 1969) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He began playing in the than known Bophuthatswana Soccer league (BOPSOL) playing for Stocks Birds in Lehurutshe ...
and
Phil Masinga Philemon Raul Masinga (28 June 1969 – 13 January 2019) was a South African professional footballer and manager who played as a striker from 1990 to 2002. He was born in Khuma in the city of Matlosana formerly known as Klerksdorp Municipality. ...
. In an LUTV interview, Somma said that, due to his Italian heritage, he and teammate
Mike Grella Michele Grella (born January 23, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward and winger. He is currently a soccer analyst for CBS Sports Network and Paramount+. Club career Youth and amateur Grella was born in ...
can speak to each other in Italian. Somma made his debut for Leeds in a reserve game against
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
, and marked the game by scoring two goals. Somma was named in the Leeds squad for the
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
game against
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
, and made his debut when he came on as a second-half substitute. His debut ended prematurely when he suffered a hamstring injury, which meant Leeds had to play the rest of the game with 10 men having used all their substitutions. After working his way back from injury and scoring regularly in the reserves, Somma returned to the Leeds first team squad when he was named as a substitute for a game against
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
on 23 November 2009. On 26 November, Somma joined Chesterfield on loan until January 2010. Somma was given squad number 32, and made his
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
debut for the team on 2 December, starting a game against
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
. Somma had a penalty saved by Crewe goalkeeper
Steve Phillips Stephen Francis Phillips (born May 18, 1963) is an American baseball analyst and former baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003. He worked as a baseball analyst for ESPN from 2005 until h ...
on his debut. Somma missed a number of Chesterfield's games through injury. After Somma's one-month loan spell expired on 5 January 2010, he returned to Leeds. He immediately returned to a Leeds first team squad when he was named on the bench in the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
replay against
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
. After impressing whilst out on loan to Lincoln, Somma was handed a new one-year extension to his contract at Leeds.


Lincoln City loan

On 25 February 2010, Somma joined
Chris Sutton Christopher Roy Sutton (born 10 March 1973) is an English former professional football player and manager. He later became a pundit, commentator and presenter of football coverage on television and radio. Sutton played from 1991 to 2007 for No ...
's Lincoln City on a month's loan to gain some more first -team experience and scored on his debut against
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
two days later. His second goal came against
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
. Somma's third goal came against
Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the , the sixth level of the En ...
in the 1–1 draw. His fourth and fifth goals came in the same game against
Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...
, with Somma scoring a brace which helped earn a 3–2 win for Lincoln. He had scored five goals in five games during his loan spell, and thus became Lincoln's top goal scorer for the entire season. On 23 March 2010, City extended the loan of Somma until the end of the season. Somma scored a brace against Bournemouth taking his tally to seven goals in nine games for Lincoln. Later he scored his eighth of the season against Bury to secure Lincoln's survival in League Two for another year. Somma then made it nine goals in 13 matches scoring Lincoln's only goal in a 3–1 defeat away at
Aldershot Town Aldershot Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. The club was founded in the spr ...
. He was given a
red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or di ...
for violent conduct in his final game for Lincoln City. After the match, his loan spell expired and he ended the season as Lincoln's top goal scorer with nine goals. He also came third in Lincoln's player of the season awards. Manager
Chris Sutton Christopher Roy Sutton (born 10 March 1973) is an English former professional football player and manager. He later became a pundit, commentator and presenter of football coverage on television and radio. Sutton played from 1991 to 2007 for No ...
said after Somma's loan spell that he would love to bring Somma back to the club on a permanent deal if he was not in Leeds' first team plans.


Return to Leeds United


=2010–11 season

= Somma returned to Leeds United after his spell at Lincoln ended. Despite Somma's missing the first three competitive games of the season after his red card for Lincoln in the last game of the 2009–10 season,
Simon Grayson Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who is head coach of National League (division), National League club Hartlepool ...
has said Somma is part of his plans and will not be going out on loan for the 2010–11 season. Following his suspension, Somma was available to return to the Leeds side against
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
, and duly scored twice on his league debut after coming on as a 75th-minute substitute, as Leeds won 3–1. Somma claimed after his debut that he could replace
Jermaine Beckford Jermaine Paul Alexander Beckford (born 9 December 1983) is a football pundit and former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He began his career as a trainee at Chelsea F.C., Chel ...
and score the goals the departed hitman previously scored for Leeds. He came into the starting line-up for the following match against
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
in the League Cup, scoring his third goal in two games. In his fourth game of the season, he scored his fourth goal of the season in the 5–2 defeat against Barnsley, with Somma scoring a late consolation goal for Leeds. Somma's first league start for Leeds came in the match against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
, Somma received the man of the match award after putting in an impressive performance where he hit the crossbar and also had a goal ruled out for offside. Somma scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season against
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
. He scored his seventh goal of the season with a left footed volley against Middlesbrough. In November 2010, Somma entered contract negotiations with Leeds over extending his contract, signing a three-year deal on 9 November. In December 2010, after reports circulated in South Africa that Somma had joined
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
on loan, Leeds denied the story and said that it was totally incorrect. After a spell out of the side, Somma came on as a substitute on 8 January against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. Leeds were 1–0 up when
Robert Snodgrass Robert Snodgrass (born 7 September 1987) is a Scottish former professional association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger. Snodgrass started his senior career with Livingston F.C., Livingston. He also had a loan spe ...
scored a second half penalty, Arsenal equalised in the 90th minute when
Cesc Fàbregas Francesc Fàbregas Soler (; ; born 4 May 1987) is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of club Como. Fàbregas came through La Masia, Barcelona's you ...
scored a penalty. He came on as a second-half substitute against
Scunthorpe United Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The club was formed in ...
and scored his eighth goal of the season for Leeds. Seconds after coming on against Arsenal in the FA Cup replay, Somma nearly scored but instead put his shot wide of the goal. Somma scored his ninth goal of the season with his first touch of the ball after coming on as a substitute against Portsmouth. On 1 February, Somma made his first start since the 8 November and marked it with his 10th goal of the season against
Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. They compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. They play their home ...
. Somma scored his 11th goal of the season against
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
. Somma continued his reputation as a super-sub when he scored his 12th goal of the season with his first touch versus
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
. The phonetic similarities between his surname "Somma" and the season
Summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
have led to the popular terrace chant parody of the Mungo Jerry song "In the Summertime", which must be sung upon the very sight of the player on or off the field.


=2011–12 season

= On 15 July 2011, Somma revealed via his
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
page that he had torn his
anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...
s during pre-season training and would be out for at least six months. After Somma revealed via Twitter the severity of his injury, manager
Simon Grayson Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who is head coach of National League (division), National League club Hartlepool ...
banned all Leeds United players' Twitter accounts. Somma returned to light training during mid-December, stepping up his recovery from his cruciate ligament injury, meaning the player's recovery was well in front of schedule.


=2012–13 season

= Leeds manager
Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player who is currently football advisor at Torquay United. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed ...
said on 3 May that he hoped that Somma could return from injury during the 2012 pre-season and that he was looking forward to working with him upon his long-awaited return. Somma returned to light training for Leeds during September, It was revealed that Leeds were also looking to get Somma back playing reserve team matches to gain fitness from October onwards in the hope of him returning to the first team. Somma was set to play for Leeds' Under 21 Development Squad in December, however his playing comeback was delayed when two matches were postponed due to adverse weather conditions. Somma was named in a Leeds United squad for the first time since the final day of the 2010–11 season when he was named on the bench for the League Cup tie against Chelsea on 19 December 2012. Somma was also allocated the number 28 shirt for the season. Somma made his first team return as a second-half substitute in Leeds 2-1 victory against
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
on 22 December. Somma scored his first goal in only his second comeback appearance with a consolation goal in a 4-2 loss against
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
on 26 December. Somma suffered a setback from his knee injury in February 2013, with manager
Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player who is currently football advisor at Torquay United. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed ...
revealing Somma had come back too quickly and that he would scale down his training. Somma returned to full training in April 2013, and revealed that he would be available to take part in Leeds' final 5 games of the season under new manager Brian McDermott. Somma returned to the Leeds team in Brian McDermott's first game in charge when he was named on the bench on 13 April against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
. Somma made his playing return as a substitute against
Burnley F.C. Burnley Football Club () is a professional football club based in Burnley, Lancashire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1882, Burnley were one of the first to be ...
, however his return was short lived when it was revealed Somma had damaged his knee cartilage and required an operation. The latest setback put Somma's future at the club in doubt with his contract set to expire in June. Following the expiry of Somma's contract in the summer of 2013, the South African was released from Leeds, however he was due to return to the club for pre-season training with the aim of proving his fitness and earning a new contract, however Somma decided against returning.


Post Leeds

After being without a club since leaving Leeds and almost 'unofficially' retired from playing, Somma became a Junior Coach at Long Island United. In February 2017, Somma tried to make a playing comeback when he and Striker
Robbie Findley Robert Findley (born August 4, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He was capped 11 times by the United States national team, having made his international debut in 2007. Findley played college soc ...
had a trial at
MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...
club
New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...
, however both were unsuccessful with the trial and left the club on 15 February 2017.


International

Somma was eligible to play for his home country
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
due to his heritage. Somma also expressed desire to play for
USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
but was not yet eligible. However ex-Leeds captain
Lucas Radebe Lucas Valeriu Ntuba Radebe OIS (born 12 April 1969) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He began playing in the than known Bophuthatswana Soccer league (BOPSOL) playing for Stocks Birds in Lehurutshe ...
confirmed that Somma told him he wanted to play for South Africa (Bafana Bafana). In October 2010, new South Africa manager,
Pitso Mosimane Pitso John Hamilton Mosimane (born 26 July 1964) is a South African former professional football player and current coach. Club career Mosimane started his senior career at Jomo Cosmos, then he played for Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pira ...
singled out Somma for special praise after impressing at
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
. Mosimane said; ''"We have good players playing in Europe and we have other players that we haven't called up. There is a striker who is constantly scoring goals, Davide Somma. He is busy scoring and I'm monitoring that. I'm monitoring whether he can add value to our team… it is not because he plays overseas"'' after mentioning a planned trip to Europe to take a closer look at some of these players. Mosimane claimed in November 2010, that Somma might be called up for Bafana Bafana's friendly against USA on 17 November, in
Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
On 10 November, Somma was named in South Africa's squad for the first time for the friendly against USA. He responded to the opportunity by saying, "I want to score goals, that is what feels good for me. I want to destroy them (the USA). . . . I wanted to play for them, but nothing ever happened so I just want to do it against them tomorrow." On 17 November 2010, Somma made his debut for Bafana Bafana against USA, wearing the number 19 shirt. South Africa lost the game 1–0, with man of the match
Brad Guzan Bradley Edwin Guzan (; born September 9, 1984) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC. A College soccer in the ...
keeping a clean sheet for the US. Somma was kept relatively quiet, although he provided a through ball in the first half to create one of South Africa's best chances of the match. Somma was substituted early in the second half. 9 February 2011, Somma scored his first international goal against
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
in only his second cap for
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. 21 March Somma was called up to the
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
squad to face
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
, however he was an unused substitute. In May 2011, South Africa legend
Lucas Radebe Lucas Valeriu Ntuba Radebe OIS (born 12 April 1969) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He began playing in the than known Bophuthatswana Soccer league (BOPSOL) playing for Stocks Birds in Lehurutshe ...
said he believed that Somma could be the next
Benni McCarthy Benedict Saul McCarthy (born 12 November 1977) is a South African football coach who is currently the manager of the Kenya national football team. He previously worked as head coach of South African Premier Division team AmaZulu, and as assis ...
for South Africa. 5 June Somma came on as a late substitute against
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
to earn his 3rd cap in a 0–0 draw between the two countries.


Honours


Club

Leeds United *
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
runners up (promoted): 2009–10


Individual

* Inducted into the NJCAA Men's Soccer Hall of Fame in 2011http://www.njcaa.org/2012/D1_Mens_Soccer.docx


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list South Africa's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each South Africa goal''.


References


External links

*
MLSnet Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somma, Davide 1985 births Living people South African people of Italian descent South African men's soccer players Men's association football midfielders Men's association football forwards Olbia Calcio 1905 players Vastese Calcio 1902 players San Jose Earthquakes players Soccer players from Johannesburg Leeds United F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Major League Soccer players English Football League players Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Expatriate men's footballers in England White South African people Riverview High School (Sarasota, Florida) alumni 21st-century South African sportsmen