# Franco Di Santo
**Franco Matías Di Santo** (born 1989 in [Mendoza, Argentina](https://www.edgepedia.org/mendoza-argentina)) is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a center-forward, most prominently for Chelsea, Wigan Athletic, Werder Bremen, and Schalke 04, and who won the [FA Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup) with both Chelsea and Wigan.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Franco Matías Di Santo, 1989, Mendoza, Argentina[1](https://www.wiganathleticheritage.co.uk/player-profile/117/franco-di-santo) |
| Position / physique | Centre-forward, also right winger; 1.93 m tall[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) |
| Premier League record | 122 appearances, 14 goals, 7 assists[3](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/49724/franco-di-santo/stats) |
| FA Cup wins | Two: with Chelsea (2008/09) and with Wigan Athletic (2012/13)[1](https://www.wiganathleticheritage.co.uk/player-profile/117/franco-di-santo) |
| International career | 3 caps for Argentina, 0 goals, all as a substitute in 2012–13[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) |
| Career length | Senior clubs from 2006 (Audax Italiano) to 2024 (Independiente Rivadavia)[4](https://www.playerhistory.com/en/player/112270-franco-di-santo) |
## Early career and Chelsea
Di Santo began his senior career at Audax Italiano in the Chilean league, where his form attracted the attention of Chelsea. Chelsea paid around £3.4 million to sign him in January 2008, on a contract running to June 2012, believing they were acquiring one of the best young strikers in the world.[5](https://www.franco-di-santo.com/di-santo-career-summary) • [6](https://www.11v11.com/players/franco-di-santo-226878/)
At Chelsea he earned a first-team place after good form for the reserves but could not hold a regular spot against established attackers such as [Didier Drogba](https://www.edgepedia.org/didier-drogba), Nicolas Anelka, and [Salomon Kalou](https://www.edgepedia.org/salomon-kalou). In the 2008/09 season his Premier League involvement was limited to 8 substitute appearances, and he was part of the squad that won the FA Cup that season.[5](https://www.franco-di-santo.com/di-santo-career-summary) • [2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) In August 2009 he went on a season-long loan to Blackburn Rovers, where he made 22 league appearances and scored once in the 2009/10 Premier League season.[6](https://www.11v11.com/players/franco-di-santo-226878/)
## Wigan Athletic and the 2013 FA Cup
Wigan Athletic signed Di Santo permanently on 31 August 2010 for a fee of £2,000,000, on a three-year contract, under manager [Roberto Martínez](https://www.edgepedia.org/roberto-martinez). He debuted on 11 September 2010 in a 1-1 home draw against [Sunderland](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunderland) at the DW Stadium.[1](https://www.wiganathleticheritage.co.uk/player-profile/117/franco-di-santo)
His three Wigan seasons showed steady progress in league output: 1 goal in 2010/11, 7 in 2011/12, and 5 in 2012/13, for a total of 13 league goals in 57 starts and 35 substitute appearances.[1](https://www.wiganathleticheritage.co.uk/player-profile/117/franco-di-santo) In May 2013 he was in the Wigan side that beat the favorites Manchester City 1-0 in the [FA Cup Final](https://www.edgepedia.org/fa-cup-final), the club's historic first title in the competition. Wigan was relegated to the Championship at the end of that season, and Di Santo was released shortly afterward.[1](https://www.wiganathleticheritage.co.uk/player-profile/117/franco-di-santo) • [5](https://www.franco-di-santo.com/di-santo-career-summary)
Across his English league career, from Chelsea through [Blackburn](https://www.edgepedia.org/blackburn) to Wigan, he recorded 122 Premier League appearances, 14 goals, and 7 assists.[3](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/49724/franco-di-santo/stats)
## Germany: Werder Bremen and Schalke 04
Bundesliga club Werder Bremen signed him on a free transfer on 14 August 2013. His 2014/15 season was his most productive in Germany, with 13 goals in 26 league matches.[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) After two seasons at Bremen he moved to Schalke 04 for the 2015/16 season on a four-season contract.[5](https://www.franco-di-santo.com/di-santo-career-summary) • [7](https://mexpedia.org/index.php/Franco_Di_Santo)
At Schalke he spent three and a half years, scoring 12 goals in 88 games across all competitions.[8](https://www.kicker.de/franco-di-santo/laufbahn) His league role became increasingly supporting: 2 goals in 25 matches in 2015/16, none in 12 matches in 2016/17, and 3 in 30 matches in 2017/18, when Schalke finished second in the [Bundesliga](https://www.edgepedia.org/bundesliga).[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) In January 2019 he moved to [Rayo Vallecano](https://www.edgepedia.org/rayo-vallecano) in Spain, where he made 6 league appearances without scoring before the season ended.[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html)
## Later career in the Americas
Di Santo then played a season at Atlético Mineiro in Brazil's Série A in 2019 (21 matches, 3 goals), followed by San Lorenzo in Argentina in 2020 and 2021 (33 league matches, 10 goals across the two seasons).[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) He moved to Göztepe in Turkey's Süper Lig for 2021/22 (15 matches, 3 goals), then to [Club Tijuana](https://www.edgepedia.org/club-tijuana) in [Liga MX](https://www.edgepedia.org/liga-mx) in 2022 (15 matches, 2 goals), and to Universidad Católica in Chile in 2023 (20 matches, 2 goals).[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html)
His final recorded club was Independiente Rivadavia in Argentina, for whom he made a single league appearance in 2024.[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) Across his full senior career he accumulated 408 club matches and 69 goals by National Football Teams' count.[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html)
## Argentina national team
Di Santo earned 3 caps for Argentina, all as a substitute, without scoring. He came on in friendlies against Saudi Arabia (0-0, 14 November 2012) and Sweden (won 3-2, 6 February 2013), and in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Bolivia (1-1, 26 March 2013).[6](https://www.11v11.com/players/franco-di-santo-226878/) • [2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html)
## Playing profile
Listed at 1.93 m, Di Santo was a tall center-forward whose secondary position was right winger.[2](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html) His statistical record reflects a target-forward whose contribution often lay outside goal tallies: in his final full Wigan season (2012/13) he completed 73 percent of his 602 passes, won 113 duels and 26 aerial duels, and made 21 tackles and 10 interceptions in 2,136 league minutes, alongside his 5 goals.[3](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/49724/franco-di-santo/stats)
## References
1. [Franco Di Santo Player Profile, Wigan Athletic Heritage Project](https://www.wiganathleticheritage.co.uk/player-profile/117/franco-di-santo)
2. [Franco Di Santo (Player), National Football Teams](https://www.national-football-teams.com/player/49291/Franco_Di_Santo.html)
3. [Franco Di Santo Stats, Premier League](https://www.premierleague.com/en/players/49724/franco-di-santo/stats)
4. [Franco Di Santo, PlayerHistory](https://www.playerhistory.com/en/player/112270-franco-di-santo)
5. [Di Santo: Career in Summary, franco-di-santo.com](https://www.franco-di-santo.com/di-santo-career-summary)
6. [Franco Di Santo Football Player Statistics, 11v11.com](https://www.11v11.com/players/franco-di-santo-226878/)
7. [Franco Di Santo, Mexpedia](https://mexpedia.org/index.php/Franco_Di_Santo)
8. [Franco Di Santo, Laufbahn, kicker](https://www.kicker.de/franco-di-santo/laufbahn)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of South America › Argentine men's footballers › Argentine forwards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license