Manuel De Luca raises the trophy. © Cremonese

Manuel De Luca: First on the ground, then in football heaven

Manuel De Luca is on everyone's lips in Serie B circles. The reason: He shot Cremonese into Serie A. This is a particular satisfaction for the striker from Pfattner, as he was recently going through a dark time.

June 04, 2025

From: det

Two weeks ago, Manuel De Luca's world looked very different. In the first leg of the Serie B playoff semifinal, he and Cremonese were chasing a 0-2 deficit against Juve Stabia when his team was awarded a penalty. De Luca took responsibility but fired the shot over the bar. It could have been a disastrous miss, but Cremonese pulled themselves out of the situation and secured their place in the final in the return leg against Juve Stabia.

And that's exactly where De Luca became a great hero. In the return match against Spezia, the South Tyrolean shone with a brace and thus shot his team into Serie A! "I really wanted to react after missing my penalty, and I knew I would bounce back even after such a mistake in such an important match. Thanks to my family, my girlfriend, and all the people who gave me strength."

Manuel De Luca celebrating his swan. © Luca Ghiglione

De Luca also recounts a special anecdote: "When I missed the penalty against Juve Stabia, I looked up at the sky and saw a cloud shaped like a swan. Something inside me shifted," said the 26-year-old. To explain: De Luca's signature celebration symbol is a swan, which he always forms with the fingers of his right hand.

Now De Luca is looking to the future – and he's eager to test himself in Italy's top flight. "Serie A is my big dream, I can't wait to try my hand there," says the striker. However, Italy's top flight isn't completely new territory for De Luca: The native of Pfattner made two appearances with Sampdoria in the 2022/23 season.