Halid Djankpata (born 13 April 2005) is a

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 plays as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for side

Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguri ...

. Born in Togo, he represents Italy internationally at the youth level.

Early life

Djankpata was born in 2005 in

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

to Beninese parents from

Bassila Bassila is a town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Donga Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 5,661 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 130,770 people. The RNIE 3 highway of Benin passes through the t ...

, Benin, before moving to Italy with his family in 2006.

Club career

As a youth player, Djankpata joined the

youth academy In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show en ...

of English

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side Everton after trialing with the youth academy of English side

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

. On 30 August 2024, he signed a 3-years deal for Italian

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 ...

club

International career

Born in Togo, the midfielder received offers from both the Togo and Benin national teams, rejecting both in order to remain eligible for Italy. He received his first call-up to the Azzurri's Under-19 friendly with Austria on 14 February 2024.

Style of play

Djankpata mainly operates as a central midfielder.

Personal life

Djankpata is the son of Awaly Djankpata and Karamatou Gbadamassi.

References

2005 births Living people Footballers from Lomé Italian people of Beninese descent Italian people of Togolese descent Men's association football midfielders Italian men's footballers Italy men's youth international footballers Spezia Calcio players Italian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Italian expatriate sportspeople in England 21st-century Italian sportsmen {{Italy-footy-midfielder-stub