Whellington Fabiano Santacroce (born 24 August 1986) is an Italian former professional

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 defender in the

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

or on the

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

. He was born in Brazil to an Italian father and an

Afro-Brazilian Afro-Brazilians (; ), also known as Black Brazilians (), are Brazilians of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Most multiracial Brazilians also have a range of degree of African ancestry. Brazilians whose African features are mo ...

mother, then spending his childhood in the Lombard town of

Casatenovo Casatenovo ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region of Lombardy, about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Lecco. , it had a population of about 12,700. Casatenovo borders the followin ...

, in Northern Italy. At international level, he has represented the

Italy national under-21 football team The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 Association football, football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation. The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, held every two ...

. He is cousin of fellow footballer

Alessandro Santos , often known as Alex, is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Brazil, he became a Japanese citizen and made 82 appearances for the Japan national team. Club career Santos was born in Maringá in Paraná and mov ...

, who played for

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Club career

Como

Santacroce was a youth product of

Calcio Como Como 1907 () is an Italian professional football club based in Como, Lombardy. The club competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football league system, Italian football, after achieving promotion in the 2023–24 Serie B, 2023–24 Se ...

SpA. He finished as the losing side in the round 16 of 2004 Primavera Reserve League. He was in the starting lineup alongside future Serie A players

Marco Parolo Marco Parolo (; born 25 January 1985) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. During his club career, Parolo played for Como, Pistoiese, Foligno, Verona, Cesena, and Parma, before moving to Lazio in 2014. ...

Giuseppe Greco Giuseppe Greco (; 4 January 1952 – September 1985) was an Italian hitman and high-ranking member of the Sicilian Mafia. A number of sources refer to him exclusively as Pino Greco, although ''Giuseppe'' was his Christian name; ''Pino'' is a fr ...

and

Daniele Padelli Daniele Padelli (born 25 October 1985) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Serie A club Udinese Calcio, Udinese. Early life Padelli was born in Brescia, I ...

. Parolo and Santacroce were promoted to Como first team in 2004, as the club had faced financial difficulties as well as relegation from Serie B in 2004. Santacroce remained with the club in the whole

2004–05 Serie C1 The 2004–05 Serie C1 was the twenty-seventh edition of Serie C1, the third highest league in the Italian football league system. Overview Serie C1/A It was contested by 19 teams, and U.S. Cremonese won the championship. It was decided that U ...

despite they were declared bankrupt on 22 December 2004. Santacroce was in the starting XI in Como's relegation "play-out", which the playoffs matches Como losing to

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

in 1–2 aggregate. Como folded at the end season as a takeover bid was denied.

Brescia

Santacroce moved to

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

as a free agent and played for their ''Primavera'' team before making his first team debut for the ''rondinelle'' in a

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

game on 23 April 2006, against

Cesena Cesena (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine M ...

. He played at Brescia from 2005 to 2007, also ensuring a place in the Italian U-21 team due to his impressive performances with the Lombardian side.

Napoli

During the January 2008 transfer window,

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

completed the signing of Santacroce in a permanent move, for €5.5 million, becoming the third Brescia player to join the ''azzurri'' that year, the other two being

Marek Hamšík Marek Hamšík (; born 27 July 1987) is a Slovak football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the team manager and assistant coach for the Slovakia national team. After beginning his club career with Slovan B ...

and Daniele Mannini. He quickly established himself into Napoli's regular lineup, forming a valid defense duo with team captain

Paolo Cannavaro Paolo Cannavaro (; born 26 June 1981) is an Italian former professional association football, footballer who played as a centre-back and most recently was the head coach of Serie C club Pro Vercelli. After beginning his career with S.S.C. Napol ...

, and playing very well throughout the remainder of the season. Santacroce has been described by a number of people in Italy, including Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis, as the "new

Alessandro Nesta Alessandro Nesta (; born 19 March 1976) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Monza. Usually deployed as a centre-back, he is widely considered as one of the best defenders of ...

" That half season he started 13 times as well as 27 times in

2008–09 Serie A The 2008–09 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 107th season of top-tier Italian football, the 77th in a round-robin tournament. It began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009, with the announcement of the ...

. However, after the arrival of

Hugo Campagnaro Hugo Armando Campagnaro (; born 27 June 1980) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a centre back. A full international for Argentina since 2012, Campagnaro has earned 17 caps for his country, and two years later was selec ...

Walter Mazzarri Walter Mazzarri (; born 1 October 1961) is an Italian professional football manager and former player. After a 14-year playing career with Italian clubs including Reggiana and Empoli, Mazzarri coached several smaller Italian sides and in 2007 ...

started to fix its 3-men defense to

Salvatore Aronica Salvatore Aronica (born 20 January 1978) is an Italian football manager and former player who played as a defender, currently in charge of club Trapani. Playing career Aronica spent his early career with Juventus, but he was sent to Crotone o ...

, Campagnaro and Cannavaro.

Parma

At the start of

2011–12 Serie A The 2011–12 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM after its headline sponsors) was the 110th season of top-tier Italian football, the 80th in a round-robin tournament, and the second since its organization under a league committee separate from S ...

, Napoli sent

Manuele Blasi Manuele Blasi (; born 17 August 1980) is an Italian former professional footballer who played a midfielder and now works as a coach. Club career Primarily a central midfielder, Blasi made his Serie A debut for AS Roma in a match against Piacenz ...

and Santacroce to

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

as part of the compensation of signing

Blerim Džemaili Blerim Džemaili (, ; ; born 12 April 1986) is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He began his career at FC Zürich, where he won the Swiss Super League twice. He subsequently spent most of his career in Italy, ma ...

(€9 million). Santacroce went on loan for €100,000. He was largely used as a back-up central defender and made 12 league appearances, which was enough to secure him a move to Parma in a co-ownership deal for €900,000 in 4-year contract in July 2012.Parma FC SpA ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2013 Santacroce wore no.13 shirt that season, changing from no.33. Following the

2012–13 Serie A The 2012–13 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 111th season of top-tier Italian football, the 81st in a round-robin tournament, and the 3rd since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B. ...

season, the remaining half of Santacroce's ownership was purchased from Napoli by Parma for free. The club now owns him outright. On 6 August 2013 Santacroce left for

Padova Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of ...

in a temporary deal. Santacroce was given no.3 shirt of the first team.

Ternana and Juve Stabia

On 1 February 2016 the last day of the transfer market goes in

with

Ternana Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria and currently compete in the Serie C. The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A ...

, signing a contract until June with the option for the following season. Collect only two appearances and 30 June is released from the umbrian club. The 19 January 2017 is made official its acquisition by

Juve Stabia Società Sportiva Juve Stabia is an Italian professional football club based in Castellammare di Stabia, Campania. Juve Stabia plays in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football system, following their promotion ahead of the 2024–25 seas ...

Virtus Verona

On 17 August 2019, he signed a one-year contract with

Virtus Verona Virtus Verona, founded as Unione Sportiva Virtus Borgo Venezia in 1921, sometimes referred to as Virtus Vecomp Verona for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian association football club located in Borgo Venezia, a district of Verona, Veneto. It c ...

. He retired from football in early 2021, and pursued a career as a sports agent. Before retiring completely, Santacroce had a short spell at Italien amateur club Weese Ca8.

International career

Santacroce has been a member of the Italy U-21 national team from 2007 to 2009. In 2008–09, Santacroce was confirmed as a Napoli regular, and his performances were quickly noted by new

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 ...

head coach

Marcello Lippi Marcello Romeo Lippi (; born 12 April 1948) is an Italian former professional association football, football player and manager, who led the Italy national football team, Italy national team to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was appoin ...

, who on 5 October 2008 called him to join the ''azzurri'' squad for the FIFA World Cup 2010 qualification matches against

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and

Montenegro , image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg , coa_size = 80 , national_motto = , national_anthem = () , image_map = Europe-Mont ...

. However, he was an unused substitute during these matches, and is yet to make his senior international debut. Santacroce dedicated his first senior call-up to his former Como youth team coach

Stefano Borgonovo Stefano Borgonovo (; 17 March 1964 – 27 June 2013) was an Italian footballer and manager, who played as a striker. An opportunistic striker, Borgonovo played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, and came to prominence while playin ...

, who was battling

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, Terminal illness, terminal neurodegenerative disease, neurodegenerative disorder that results i ...

at the time, succumbing to the disease in 2013.

Career statistics

Club

''Statistics accurate up until 16 May 2012''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Santacroce, Fabiano Italian men's footballers Italy men's under-21 international footballers Como 1907 players Brescia Calcio players Men's association football defenders People from Camaçari Footballers from Bahia Footballers from the Metropolitan City of Milan Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian emigrants to Italy 1986 births Living people SSC Napoli players Parma Calcio 1913 players Calcio Padova players Ternana Calcio players AC Cuneo 1905 players Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players 21st-century Italian sportsmen