Somma: Davide
2009-2013
(Leeds Player Details)
(Player Details)
Striker
Born: Johannesburg, South Africa: 26-03-1985
Debut: v Darlington (h) (Sub): 06-10-2009
6’1” 12st 12lb (2009)
Somma started playing at the early age of five at Edenvale Footbal Club in his hometown
of Johannesburg until he emigrated at the age of eleven. He grew up in Florida, played club
soccer with Sarasota Storm, Braden River and St Petersburg Raiders. He played for Riverview
High School for four years and in his final year the team were the District Champions. His
senior year the team won district champs. He spent one year playing soccer with Tyler Junior
College, Texas in 2004, scoring thirteen goals. His Italian passport allowed him to start a
career in Europe, trying Spain first with Logrones in the Second Division for six months and
then joining Perugia on a four year contract, it only lasted for six months before the club
went bankrupt. He played for Pro Vasta, where he scored six goals, and Olbia Calcio, where
he scored twice, before returning to the United States in 2008. Somma signed a developmental
contract with the San Jose Earthquakes in September 2008 and made three appearances for the
club during that season, and also played five games for the Reserves in which he scored
twice. In December 2008 he joined the Generation Adidas team in London for a three game tour
of England and scored two goals for them as they faced the Reserve teams of Reading, Chelsea
and West Ham United. In February 2009 Somma signed a senior contract with the San Jose
Earthquakes, but after the signing of Trinidad and Tobago International Cornell Glen, it was
waived on 26th May 2009. On 21st July 2009, Somma had a trial with Queens Park Rangers and
then a week later he started a trial with Leeds United. He scored in a pre-season friendly
against Newport County. He impressed Manager Simon Grayson, scoring in behind-closed-doors
games against Newcastle and Hull, and on 1st September 2009 he was signed on a one year
contract with an option for the club to extend it for another year if they wished. He joined
a long line of South Africans to play for Leeds following in the footsteps of Gordon
Hodgson, George Miller, Gordon Stewart, Ken Hastie, Coloured wingers Gerry Francis and
Albert Johanneson and Howard Wilkinson signings and South African Internationals Lucas
Radebe and Philomen Masinga and some others, like John Skene and Paul Evans who did not make
the first team. He made his debut for Leeds Reserves against Rotherham Reserves and marked
the game by scoring two goals in a hugely impressive debut. Somma was named on Leeds' bench
for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy game against Darlington on 6th October 2009 and
subsequently made his Leeds United debut by coming on as a substitute for Mike Grella after
seventy minutes. His debut ended prematurely as he suffered a hamstring injury and was
withdrawn before full time, which meant Leeds had to play the rest of the game with ten men
as they had used all their substitutes. After recovering from injury, Leeds Manager Simon
Grayson decided that it would be good for Somma's development if he went on loan. So in
November 2009, he joined Chesterfield for just over a month. Again, though injury struck
Somma, causing to only start one game and two from the bench for Chesterfield without scoring.
On 25th February 2010 he joined Lincoln City on loan until the end of the season. Somma was
hopeful that his injury setbacks were behind him when he embarked on a new adventure at
Sincil Bank. The signing was also a gamble as Somma did not exactly have prolific goal
scoring statistics although he had done particular well for Leeds United's reserve team where
he had scored four goals in four games. Somma became an instant crowd favourite at Sincil
Bank when he scored a superb goal on his debut against Crewe Alexandra two days after his
move. This would prove to be the first goal of nine goals as Somma ended the season as
Lincoln's leading goalscorer despite only playing fourteen League games for The Imps. It was
this form that persuaded Leeds United to take up the option of a one-year contract extension
on the striker. Sadly, Somma's Lincoln City career ended on a downbeat note when he was sent
off in his last appearance for the club. Somma went on the 2010-11 pre-season tour of Slovakia
and after serving his two weeks suspension soon forced his way into the Leeds squad for the
ensuing season. He made his League debut in the seventy-fifth minute of the home game with
Millwall on 21st August 2010 and he scored his first Leeds goal within three minutes of coming
on and in the fourth minute of added time he claimed his second goal as Leeds won 3-1. He was
promoted into the starting eleven to make his starting debut in the League Cup encounter at
Elland Road with Leicester City and he gave them the lead in the thirty-second minute, with
his third goal in two games, before Leeds went down 1-2. He was an unused substitute at
Watford and an eighty-sixth minute substitute for Luciano Becchio at home to Swansea City. He
replaced Lloyd Sam in the sixty-seventh minute of the game with Barnsley at Oakwell on 14th
September 2010 and twenty minutes later he scored his fourth goal of the season. His starting
debut in League football came three days later in a 0-0 draw at Doncaster Rovers. He did not
score but won the "Man of the Match" award and hit the bar and had a goal disallowed for
offside. He was in the starting eleven on 25th September at Elland Road in a 1-0 win over
Sheffield United, when he was replaced by Ross McCormack after seventy-seven minutes. Three
days later he was retained in the side to take on Preston North End at Elland Road and his
two goals in the twenty-seventh and thirty-ninth minute gave Leeds a 4-1 lead, which
unbelievably they managed to squander before finally losing the game 4-6. He played a full
game at Ipswich Town four days later but did not score, but he took only twelve minutes to
take his season's tally to seven in the next game with Middlesbrough on 16th October 2010.
On 9th November Somma signed a new three year contact with Leeds and on 17th November he
made his debut for South Africa at Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, in a 0-1 loss to USA and
he played sixty minutes before giving way to Sthembiso Ngcobo. Somma dropped out of the squad
until he came back as a substitue five minutes before the end of normal time in the F.A. Cup
tie with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. After coming on as an eighty-first minute
replacement for Sanchez Watt at Scunthorpe United he scored his eighth goal of the season one
minute before time. His ninth goal came on 22nd January 2011 with almost his first touch after
replacing Sanchez Watt in the sixty-first minute he scored two minutes later. He made his
first start since early November on 1st February 2011 at Hull City and he took his tally to
ten with a goal in the fifty-sixth minute. Four days later he made it eleven as he scored the
only goal of the game against Coventry City at Elland Road. He started the next fixture at
Bristol City, but gave way to Luciano Becchio in the sixty-first minute, who promptly scored
a hat-trick. This saw Somma on the bench for the next game at home to Norwich City but when
he came on as a substitute for Neil Kilkenny in the seventy-fourth minute, he scored almost
immediately with a spectacular goal in the seventy-fifth minute for his twelfth of the
season. Somma gained his second South African cap and scored his first International goal in
the second minute of the game against Kenya at Rustenburg on 9th February 2011. He gained his
third cap on 5th June 2011 when he replaced Katlego Mphela as a substitute four minutes
before time in the 0-0 draw with Egypt. Somma ended the campaign with his first double-figure
haul in professional football, with some stunning strikes which made him a crowd favourite.
Sadly, a serious knee injury sustained at the start of pre-season in the summer of 2011 saw
the striker sidelined for the full campaign. His torn anterior cruciate ligaments were
expected to keep him out of the game for six months, but as he stepped up his light training
he suffered a setback which meant that he missed the whole of the 2011-12 season and possibly
the start of pre-season training for 2012-13. Somma returned to light training in September
2012 and was looking to play for the Leeds Reserves from October. He was included in the squad
in December but adverse weather conditions caused the games to be postponed. He was named in
the first team squad for the League Cup tie with Chelseaon 19th December but was unused. He
came on as a sixty-ninth minute substitute in place of Jerome Thomas in the 2-1 home win over
Middlesbrough five days later, followed by a sixty-fifth minute replacement of El-Hadji Diouf
in the 2-4 Boxing Day defeat at Nottingham Forest, in which he scored a last minute consolation
goal. He started the away game at Hull City on 29th December 2012 but was replaced by Luke
Varney at the start of the second-half. He sat unused on the bench for the 1-0 home win over
Bolton Wanderers on New Years Day but was a seventy-ninth minute substitute for Alan Tate in
the 1-1 home draw with Birmingham City in the F.A. Cup four days later. He then spent the next
three games, at Barnsley, at Birmingham City in the F.A. Cup Replay and at home to Bristol City,
unused on the bench, before replacing Ross McCormack in the final minute of the famous 2-1 F.A.
Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on 27th January 2013. He suffered a setback
in early February and he began a new period of rehabilitation after having failed to recover
fully from the knee operations which consigned him to more than eighteen months on the sidelines.
He resumed full training in April 2013, and was recalled to the squad by new Manager Brian
McDermott. He was named on the bench for the home game with Sheffield Wednesday on 13th April
2013, but was unused. He came on as a replacement for Ross McCormack in the eighty-fifth minute
of the home game with Burnley, three days later. substitute against Burnley. Unfortunately,
Somma damaged his knee cartilage and required an operation. His contract expired at the end of
June 2013 and he was released by the club.