Dany Mota


Dany Mota Carvalho is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Monza.
Starting his senior career in Luxembourg at CS Pétange, Mota moved to Italy in 2014 to Serie B club Virtus Entella. He spent four seasons at the club, having his breakthrough season in the 2018–19 Serie C, scoring 13 league goals in 35 appearances. The following season, Mota moved to Juventus U23, where he spent the first half of the season, before moving to Monza on loan for the second half.
Born in Luxembourg to Portuguese parents, Mota holds dual-citizenship and has represented Portugal internationally at youth level.

Early life

Born on 2 May 1998 in Niederkorn, Luxembourg to Portuguese immigrants, Mota holds both Luxembourgish and Portuguese citizenship.

Club career

Virtus Entella

On 17 September 2015, Serie B side Virtus Entella signed Mota. He made his professional debut on 14 May 2016, in a 2015–16 Serie B match against Avellino. Mota ended the season with two appearances. On 17 April 2017, Mota scored his first senior goal for Virtus Entella, in a 1–1 draw against Ternana. He scored one goal in six appearances during the 2016–17 season. The following season, Mota made three appearances in the league, and one in the Coppa Italia, without scoring.
Mota's breakthrough season for Virtus Entella came in the 2018–19 Serie C. After scoring his first Coppa Italia goal against Salernitana on 12 August 2018, Mota scored a brace the following game in the league against Gozzano, his first in his professional career, before scoring once again the next matchday against Pisa. Mota scored his second brace for Virtus Entella on 20 February 2019, against Pistoiese in the league in a 3–1 home win. The player ended the season with 13 goals in 35 appearances in the league, as well as one goal in four Coppa Italia appearances.

Juventus U23

On 5 August 2019, Mota joined Juventus on a permanent transfer from Virtus Entella. The Serie A champions moved him to their reserve team playing in Serie C: Juventus U23.
Mota made his debut for Juventus U23 on 26 August 2019, in a 2–0 home win over Novara in the league. The following matchday, on 1 September 2019, Mota scored a brace against Siena; his team, however, lost the encounter 2–3. He scored four consecutive league goals, between 18 and 30 September 2019, against Arezzo, Pontedera, AlbinoLeffe, and Monza, his eventual future club. Mota scored seven league goals in 20 appearances in the first half of the 2019–20 season.

Monza

On 20 January 2020, Monza signed Mota on a six-month loan from Juventus, with obligation to buy in case Monza managed to gain promotion to the Serie B. He made his debut for his new team on 22 January 2019, coming on as a substitute on the 60th minute in a league match against Pro Patria. Mota scored his first goal for Monza 23 minutes later from a header, helping his team win 2–0.

International career

On 5 September 2019, Mota made his youth international debut for Portugal U21, scoring a brace against Gibraltar U21 in a 4–0 win at the 2021 Euro U21 qualification.

Personal life

Mota speaks five languages: Portuguese, Italian, German, French, and Luxembourgish. His idol is compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo: indeed, while at Virtus Entella, Mota has been nicknamed "the CR7 of Chiavari". Mota also follows the NBA, and is a fan of LeBron James.

Career statistics

Club