David Di Tommaso
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 6, 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Échirolles, France | ||
| Date of death | November 29, 2005 (aged 26) | ||
| Place of death | De Meern, Netherlands | ||
| Playing position | Central defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1998–2000 | AS Monaco | 14 | (0) |
| 2000–2004 | Sedan | 77 | (2) |
| 2004–2005 | FC Utrecht | 44 | (1) |
| Total | 135 | (3) | |
| National team | |||
| 1996–1997 | France U-17 | 5 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | France U-21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | France U-21 | 3 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
David di Elias Alemu Tommaso (October 6, 1979 – November 29, 2005) was a French football player.
Early life
Di Tommaso was born in Échirolles, Isère. His father Pascal Di Tommaso and uncle Louis Di Tommaso both played in Ligue 2 for Grenoble Foot 38 in the 1980s. His younger brother Yohan Di Tommaso is also a professional footballer.
Career
He started his career at French side AS Monaco, where he helped the club win the 2000 league title. He then played in the UEFA Champions League and was selected for the French national youth football team. In 2001, di Tommaso transferred to Sedan, which sold him to Dutch side FC Utrecht in 2004. In his first season there, the fans named him the club's player of the year.
His last match was on November 27, a 1–0 victory against Ajax Amsterdam, one of FC Utrecht's main rivals.[1]
Death
Di Tommaso died after a cardiac arrest in his sleep at the age of 26 in De Meern, Netherlands. He survived by his wife and son.[2]
After the death
On December 1, a meeting of supporters at Stadion Galgenwaard was held, to honour Di Tommaso (DiTo for short). At least 14,000 fans showed up. Among the speakers were chairman Jan Willem van Dop, coach Foeke Booy and captain Jean-Paul de Jong. Besides Di Tommaso's relatives and FC Utrecht's main squad, all of the clubs' youth teams were among the visitors. They were told that number 4, the number worn by Di Tommaso, would be retired from use. Sedan, Di Tommaso's former club, had already announced that number 29, the number Di Tommaso used when he played for the club, would be retired.
Di Tommaso Trophy
Since 2006, FC Utrecht's player of the year award is called the Di Tommaso trophy in honour of David Di Tommaso. The trophy is voted for by the fans.[3]
Winners
| Season | Winner | Runner up | Third |
| 2005/2006 | Jean-Paul de Jong | Dave van den Bergh | Sander Keller |
| 2006/2007 | Michel Vorm | Francis Dickoh | Jean-Paul de Jong |
| 2007/2008 | Gregoor van Dijk | Robin Nelisse | Cedric van der Gun |
| 2008/2009 | Michael Silberbauer | Michel Vorm | Mihai Nesu |
| 2009/2010 | Dries Mertens | Mihai Nesu | Michael Silberbauer |
| 2010/2011 | Nana Asare | Kevin Strootman | Mihai Nesu |
| 2011/2012 | Edouard Duplan | Nana Asare | Alje Schut |
| 2012/2013 | Mike van der Hoorn | Robbin Ruiter | Jens Toornstra |
| 2013/2014 | Robbin Ruiter | Jens Toornstra | Steve De Ridder |
References
- ↑ "FC Utrecht – Ajax, 27 november 2005: Het laatste duel van Di Tommaso" (in Dutch). ad.nl. 26 September 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ "Utrecht mourn Di Tommaso's death". BBC Sport. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ↑ "FOOTBALLSCARVES News" (in Dutch). footballscarves.nl. November 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2013.