Daniel_Nardiello

Daniel Nardiello

Daniel Antony Nardiello (born 22 October, 1982 in Coventry, West Midlands) is an English-born Welsh football player. He currently plays for Blackpool. He is the son of former Wales international Donato Nardiello.

Club career

Manchester United, loans at Swansea City and Barnsley

Nardiello was a product of the Academy of Wolverhampton Wanderers, but signed professional terms for Manchester United in 1999. They were ordered by the Football League Appeals Committee to pay £200,000 as compensation. He progressed quickly through the clubs Under-17 and Under-19 teams turning professional on 22 October, 1999. He made his debut for them on 5 November, 2001 in 4-0 Worthington Cup defeat to Arsenal. In the 2002-03 season he played in a UEFA Champions League match against Maccabi Haifa.

After scoring twelve goals for Manchester United reserves, he was sent on a one month loan to Swansea City on 24 October, 2003 where he scored one goal in a Football League Trophy defeat to Southend United.

Nardiello spent the second half of the 2003-04 season on loan to Barnsley. He made his debut for the Tykes on 27 January, 2004 scoring two goals as they beat Blackpool 3-0 at home. He scored seven goals in 16 games during his loan spell at the club before returning to Old Trafford. Having become a firm favourite with the Barnsley fans, he returned again to Oakwell on a season long loan for the 2004-05 season. Dogged with injuries Nardiello still managed to play in 30 games, scoring seven goals.

Barnsley

In July 2005 Nardiello signed a two year permanent contract with Barnsley after being released by Manchester United. He scored two vital goals in Barnsley's League One play-off games. The first was the winning goal against Huddersfield Town in the second leg of the play off semi finals on 15 May, 2006 and the second was the goal that fired Barnsley into a penalty shoot-out at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff against the club where he had previously been on loan, Swansea City, which Barnsley won 4-3 on 27 May, 2006.

Queens Park Rangers, back at Barnsley on loan

In June 2007, Nardiello turned down a new contract at Barnsley, and shunned interest from Norwich City to sign a two-year contract with fellow Championship side Queens Park Rangers in a move that was criticised by Barnsley's then chairman Gordon Shepherd.

In January 2008, Nardiello returned to Barnsley on loan, the club he left in the summer of 2007. He signed a loan deal with Barnsley until the end of the 2008 season. After scoring just one goal in thirteen appearances he returned to QPR in May 2008.

Blackpool

Back at Loftus Road, Nardiello was linked with a move in July 2008 to fellow Championship side Blackpool, after struggling to make an impact at QPR. It was believed that QPR offered the player, team mate Zesh Rehman on loan, as well as £250,000 in return for highly-sought after Blackpool defender Kaspars Gorkss The move was completed on 30 July when Nardiello signed a two year contract with the Seasiders.

After being injured shortly after coming on in a pre-season friendly at Tranmere Rovers, Nardiello made his league debut for the club on 13 September when he came on as a second half substitute as Blackpool beat his former club Barnsley 1-0 at Bloomfield Road.

International career

Because of his mixed heritage, Nardiello could have played international football for Wales, England, Italy, Puerto Rico or the United States. He played at under-15 and under-16 levels for England. However, in the end he decided to follow his father, Donato, who played twice for Wales in the early 1980s. He made his first appearance for Wales in a friendly against New Zealand on 26 May, 2007. coming on as a 65th minute substitute for Robert Earnshaw.