Francesco Antonucci

Francesco Antonucci (born 20 June 1999) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Qatari Second Division club Al Shahaniya.
A Belgium youth international, Antonucci played in the academies of Anderlecht and Ajax, before being signed by Monaco in 2017. He made his breakthrough on loan at FC Volendam, earning a transfer to Feyenoord in August 2020.
Club career
Monaco
Antonucci played in the youth of La Louvière Centre, Charleroi, Anderlecht and Ajax. In the winter break of the 2016–17 season he moved to Monaco. At Monaco, he played for the second team, competing in the Championnat National 2, the fourth tier of the French football league system.
Loan to Volendam
Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Antonucci was sent on a one-season loan to Dutch second-tier Eerste Divisie club FC Volendam, where he made his professional debut on 13 September 2019, a 1–1 home draw against FC Dordrecht. He came on for Alex Plat in the 74th minute. A week later, he made his debut in the starting lineup in the Vissersderby against SC Telstar and immediately scored his first senior goal, the first of the match off an assist from Kevin Visser, in a match that Volendam eventually won 2–1. In the second period of the Eerste Divisie season, Antonucci really started to find his feet in manager Wim Jonk's team, as Volendam won eight matches in a row and thus took a period title, qualifying them for promotion play-offs. In the deciding match, against MVV Maastricht (4–1 win), Antonucci scored. Throughout the season, Antonucci would become one of the defining players of the Volendam team, as he scored six goals and made three assists in the months of December and January alone. In March 2020, he was named "Best Talent" of the third period. Shortly afterwards, all football activity was suspended in the Netherlands due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, Antonucci was joint club top goalscorer alongside Martijn Kaars.
Feyenoord
Second loan to Volendam
Antonucci returned to AS Monaco in early June 2020, as the 2019–20 season had been officially cancelled in Dutch football. In August 2020, Antonucci signed a four-year contract with an option of another year with Eredivisie club Feyenoord, with part of the deal being Antonucci playing another year on loan at Volendam. He continued his strong play and finished the 2020–21 season as the Volendam player with the most assists (11). Antonucci and Volendam qualified for the play-offs for promotion, but NAC Breda proved too strong.
Return to Feyenoord
At the end of the 2020–21 season, Antonucci returned to Feyenoord. On 22 July 2021, he made his debut for the club as a substitute in a qualifying match for the UEFA Europa Conference League against Drita. In stoppage time, Antonucci struck the post and could thus not prevent the match from ending in a 0–0 draw.
Third loan to Volendam
On 6 January 2022, Antonucci was sent on his third loan to Volendam, signing a six-month loan deal. If the club were to win promotion to the Eredivisie, the loan would be automatically extended one season. Volendam was promoted and the loan was extended for 2022–23.
Release by Feyenoord
On 15 August 2023, Antonucci's contract with Feyenoord was terminated by mutual consent, making him a free agent.
Al Shahaniya
On 2 September 2023, Qatari Second Division club Al Shahaniya announced the signing of Antonucci. The duration of the contract was undisclosed.
Career statistics
Club
Honours
Individual
Eredivisie Team of the Month: May 2023
References
External links
1999 births
Living people
Belgian people of Italian descent
Belgian men's footballers
Belgian expatriate men's footballers
Belgium men's under-21 international footballers
Belgium men's youth international footballers
Men's association football midfielders
Championnat National 2 players
Belgian Pro League players
Eredivisie players
Eerste Divisie players
Qatari Second Division players
UR La Louvière Centre players
R. Charleroi S.C. players
R.S.C. Anderlecht players
AFC Ajax players
AS Monaco FC players
FC Volendam players
Al Shahaniya SC players
Belgian expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands
Expatriate men's footballers in the Netherlands
Belgian expatriate sportspeople in France
Expatriate men's footballers in France
Belgian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar
Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar