DJ Buffonge
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Darren Raekwon McIntosh-Buffonge[1] | ||
Date of birth | 7 November 1998 | ||
Place of birth | London, England | ||
Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
Position(s) | Central midfielder[3] | ||
Youth career | |||
Arsenal | |||
2010–2015 | Fulham | ||
2015–2019 | Manchester United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2020 | Spezia | 3 | (0) |
2020 | → Pergolettese (loan) | 1 | (0) |
2020–2022 | NAC Breda | 17 | (1) |
2023 | Telstar | 4 | (0) |
2024 | Emmen | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 May 2024 |
Darren Raekwon McIntosh-Buffonge (born 7 November 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.[4]
Club career
[edit]Manchester United
[edit]Buffonge started in the youth system of Arsenal, prior to making the move across his hometown to Fulham in 2010.[1][5][6] After five years with Fulham, Buffonge was signed by Manchester United's academy on trial ahead of the 2015–16 campaign.[7] After impressing the likes of Ryan Giggs , Nicky Butt and Paul Mcguinnes , the central midfielder penned his scholarship and professional terms on 13 November 2015; despite missing several months with a groin injury.[7] He left United on 30 June 2019 having not featured at first-team level, though did train with the senior squad on many occasions under Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and briefly Ole Gunnar Solskjaer .[5][8][9] In the months leading up to his departure, Buffonge had trials with EFL Championship duo Derby County and Bolton Wanderers.[10][11]
Spezia
[edit]On 9 August 2019, Buffonge moved abroad to join Italian Serie B side Spezia; penning a one-year contract, with the option of a further year.[2] He made his professional debut on 18 August in the Coppa Italia, replacing Delano Burgzorg after sixty-two minutes of a defeat to Sassuolo of Serie A.[4][12] His first Serie B appearance arrived a week later against Cittadella.[4]
Loan to Pergolettese
[edit]On 31 January 2020, he was loaned to Serie C club Pergolettese.[13] He made one league appearance, against Lecco on 9 February, before COVID-19 pandemic stopped that loan spell prematurely.[4]
NAC Breda
[edit]On 14 August 2020, Buffonge joined Dutch Eerste Divisie side NAC Breda.[14] His debut arrived on 29 August against Jong AZ, having replaced Moreno Rutten after eighty-five minutes of a 6–1 victory.[4] He scored his first senior goal whilst with the club, netting in a 4–1 win away to MVV Maastricht on 6 November.[4]
His contract was not extended after the 2021–22 season, making him a free agent.[15][16]
Telstar
[edit]In January 2023, Buffonge joined Eerste Divisie side Telstar.[17]
Emmen
[edit]On 25 January 2024, Buffonge joined Emmen on an amateur basis.[18]
International career
[edit]Buffonge is eligible for England, Antigua & Barbuda, and Trinidad & Tobago. In February 2017, Buffonge was selected by Antigua and Barbuda for the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Costa Rica.[19][20] However, Buffonge didn't appear at the tournament after being replaced by Ajani Thomas.[21]
Personal life
[edit]Buffonge's brother, Dajour, is also a footballer who played internationally for Montserrat.[22]
Career statistics
[edit]- As of 26 February 2021.[4]
Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Spezia | 2019–20 | Serie B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
Pergolettese (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
NAC Breda | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ||
Career total | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "DJ Buffonge – Man Utd Reserves Player Profile – U23". Manchester United. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Mercato: Darren Raekwon Buffonge firma per le Aquile". Spezia. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ DJ Buffonge at WorldFootball.net
- ^ a b c d e f g DJ Buffonge at Soccerway
- ^ a b "Who is DJ Buffonge? Manchester United youngster profiled ahead of Bournemouth fixture". Manchester Evening News. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "DJ Buffonge: The Manchester United Prospect with More Than a Name to Remember". Bleacher Report. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Who is DJ Buffonge? We profile Man Utd's latest signing". Sky Sports. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Where did it go wrong for DJ Buffonge?". The Republik of Mancunia. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "2018/19 Premier League clubs publish released lists". Premier League. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Man Utd pair DJ Buffonge and Tyler Warren trialling with Bolton". Tribal Football. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Manchester United midfielder who had Derby County trial links up with fellow Championship club". Derby Telegraph. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "17' Min". Spezia. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ^ "IN ARRIVO LUCA MOSTI E DARREN BUFFONGE" (Press release) (in Italian). Pergolettese. 31 January 2020.
- ^ "DJ BUFFONGE TEKENT CONTRACT VOOR TWEE JAAR BIJ NAC" (Press release) (in Dutch). NAC Breda. 14 August 2020.
- ^ Blanco, Yadran (30 May 2022). "Adiléhou en Bilate krijgen geen nieuw contract van NAC". De Stem (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "Bilate hoort via krant dat contract niet wordt verlengd". ESPN (in Dutch). 30 May 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
- ^ "TELSTAR VERSTERKT SELECTIE MET TWEETAL" (in Dutch). SC Telstar. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ "DARREN BUFFONGE OP AMATEURBASIS BIJ SELECTIE" [DARREN BUFFONGE ON AN AMATEUR BASIS DURING SELECTION] (in Dutch). Emmen. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "ABFA Announces Squad for CONCACAF U20 Championships". ABFA. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Under-20 footballers depart for historic CONCACAF finals". Antigua Observer. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "Antigua and Barbuda Men's U20 Football Team in Final Preparation Mode for CONCACAF Opener". ABFA. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "DJ Buffonge – Spezia". Football Database. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- 1998 births
- Living people
- Footballers from London
- Black British sportsmen
- English people of Antigua and Barbuda descent
- Sportspeople of Antigua and Barbuda descent
- English people of Montserratian descent
- English men's footballers
- Men's association football midfielders
- English expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
- Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
- English expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- English expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
- Serie B players
- Serie C players
- Eerste Divisie players
- Spezia Calcio players
- US Pergolettese 1932 players
- NAC Breda players
- SC Telstar players
- FC Emmen players