DJ Buffonge

Darren Raekwon McIntosh-Buffonge (born 7 November 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder.[4]

DJ Buffonge
Personal information
Full name Darren Raekwon McIntosh-Buffonge[1]
Date of birth (1998-11-07) 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)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:19, 12 June 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Manchester United

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

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

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

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

In January 2023, Buffonge joined Eerste Divisie side Telstar.[17]

International career

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.[18][19] However, Buffonge didn't appear at the tournament after being replaced by Ajani Thomas.[20]

Personal life

Buffonge's brother, Dajour, is also a footballer who played internationally for Montserrat.[21]

Career statistics
As of 26 February 2021.[4]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Spezia 2019–20 Serie B 3010——0040
Pergolettese (loan) 2019–20 Serie C 1000——0010
NAC Breda 2020–21 Eerste Divisie 10110——00111
Career total 14120——00161

    References
    1. "DJ Buffonge – Man Utd Reserves Player Profile – U23". Manchester United. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    2. "Mercato: Darren Raekwon Buffonge firma per le Aquile". Spezia. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    3. DJ Buffonge at WorldFootball.net
    4. DJ Buffonge at Soccerway
    5. "Who is DJ Buffonge? Manchester United youngster profiled ahead of Bournemouth fixture". Manchester Evening News. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    6. "DJ Buffonge: The Manchester United Prospect with More Than a Name to Remember". Bleacher Report. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    7. "Who is DJ Buffonge? We profile Man Utd's latest signing". Sky Sports. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    8. "Where did it go wrong for DJ Buffonge?". The Republik of Mancunia. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    9. "2018/19 Premier League clubs publish released lists". Premier League. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    10. "Man Utd pair DJ Buffonge and Tyler Warren trialling with Bolton". Tribal Football. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    11. "Manchester United midfielder who had Derby County trial links up with fellow Championship club". Derby Telegraph. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    12. "17' Min". Spezia. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
    13. "IN ARRIVO LUCA MOSTI E DARREN BUFFONGE" (Press release) (in Italian). Pergolettese. 31 January 2020.
    14. "DJ BUFFONGE TEKENT CONTRACT VOOR TWEE JAAR BIJ NAC" (Press release) (in Dutch). NAC Breda. 14 August 2020.
    15. Blanco, Yadran (30 May 2022). "Adiléhou en Bilate krijgen geen nieuw contract van NAC". De Stem (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 July 2022.
    16. "Bilate hoort via krant dat contract niet wordt verlengd". ESPN (in Dutch). 30 May 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
    17. "TELSTAR VERSTERKT SELECTIE MET TWEETAL" (in Dutch). SC Telstar. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
    18. "ABFA Announces Squad for CONCACAF U20 Championships". ABFA. 6 February 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    19. "Under-20 footballers depart for historic CONCACAF finals". Antigua Observer. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    20. "Antigua and Barbuda Men's U20 Football Team in Final Preparation Mode for CONCACAF Opener". ABFA. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    21. "DJ Buffonge – Spezia". Football Database. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.