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)

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

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. 1 2 "DJ Buffonge – Man Utd Reserves Player Profile – U23". Manchester United. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    2. 1 2 "Mercato: Darren Raekwon Buffonge firma per le Aquile". Spezia. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
    3. ↑ DJ Buffonge at WorldFootball.net
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 DJ Buffonge at Soccerway
    5. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "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.
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