Club: FC Internazionale Milano, AC Cesena (loan), Newcastle United FC

• Born in Portomaggiore, Santon started as a trainee at Ravenna Calcio before joining Inter's youth system, aged 14, in 2005.

• Ascended to the first-team squad in 2008/09 and proved a revelation in the second half of the campaign, making his Coppa Italia and Serie A debuts in January and earning a regular start at left-back; he ended the season with 16 league appearances as Inter retained the Scudetto.

• Made his UEFA Champions League bow in the first knockout round, starting both games against Manchester United FC and marking Cristiano Ronaldo.

• First capped at Under-21 level in March 2009, he was earmarked for a place at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in Sweden but went instead with the seniors to the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, having impressed on debut in a pre-tournament friendly against Northern Ireland (3-0 in Pisa).

• The 2009/10 campaign was disrupted by injuries, including a recurrent knee problem which led to surgery and reduced his contribution to 12 Serie A appearances and one outing − as a substitute − in the UEFA Champions League.

• Though he made just four league starts under Rafael Benítez before the winter break in 2010/11, he helped the Nerazzurri claim the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.