Christian Jidayi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 March 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Avellino, Italy | ||
| Date of death | 17 February 2026 (aged 38) | ||
| Place of death | Ravenna, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cesena | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2009 | Cesena | 5 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Bellaria–Igea (loan) | 28 | (3) |
| 2008–2009 | → Mantova (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2009 | → Bassano (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2009–2016 | Novara | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Lecco (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → VdA St.Christophe (loan) | 25 | (3) |
| 2013–2015 | → Forlì (loan) | 44 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | → Pro Patria (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Christian Jidayi (3 March 1987 – 17 February 2026) was an Italian football player and coach.
Career
Born in Avellino, Campania, Jidayi began his career with A.C. Cesena in Romagna. He left the under-20 reserve team in 2006 for Bellaria – Igea Marina. Jidayi returned to Cesena for 2007–08 Serie B, playing five times.[1] Jidayi was swapped to Mantova on 30 June 2008 for Stefano Mondini in co-ownership deal, both 50% registration rights were tagged for €750,000.[2] Jidayi spent half season with the Serie B club. On 2 February 2009, Jidayi left for Bassano.[3] In June 2009 both Jidayi and Mondini returned to their mother clubs for the same price.[2] Jidayi signed a two-year contract. Cesena swapped Jidayi again on 31 August 2009, with José Espinal of Novara Calcio.[4] Both players were valued €1.5 million. Jidayi signed a five-year contract.[5] However, except for the financial effect, Jidayi never had a chance with Novara. He left for Lecco in 2010 and became a ghost player of Novara in 2011–12 Serie A. On 3 August 2012, he left for the fourth division club Saint-Christophe Vallée d’Aoste.[6] On 28 August 2013, he signed for Forlì, also in the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.[7]
On 16 September 2015, he was signed by Pro Patria in a temporary deal.[8] He then briefly served as assistant coach of San Marino from 2017 to 2019.
Personal life and death
After retiring from active football, Jidayi became a policeman, serving in the city of Gambettola until the summer of 2025, and successively in the provincial police of Ravenna. On the night of 17–18 February 2026, he was found dead in a pine forest in Ravenna. Jidayi was 38.[9]
Christian's brother William was also a professional footballer.
References
- ^ Christian JIDAYI - Gazzetta.it
- ^ a b AC Cesena SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2009 (in Italian)
- ^ "Il Bassano puntella la difesa: arrivano Cosner e Jidayi" (in Italian). Bassano Virtus 55 Soccer Team. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Scambio col Novara Josè Espinal - Jidayi, Ferretti al Pavia" (in Italian). AC Cesena. 31 August 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ^ Novara Calcio SpA bilancio on 31 December 2009 (in Italian), CCIAA
- ^ "Christian Jidayi al Vallée D'Aoste" (in Italian). Novara Calcio. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ^ "Ufficiale: il FORLÌ tessera CHRISTIAN JIDAYI" (in Italian). Forlì F.C. 28 August 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ^ "UFFICIALE: CHRISTIAN JIDAYI IN PRESTITO ALLA PRO PATRIA" (in Italian). Novara Calcio. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
- ^ "Trovato morto in pineta l'ex calciatore Christian Jidayi: era in servizio nella Polizia provinciale" (in Italian). RavennaToday. 18 February 2026. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
External links
- Lega Serie B profile (in Italian)