Daniele Ghilardi was born on 6 January 2003 in Lucca, Italy. He started in Lucchese's youth academy before joining Fiorentina's youth system at the age of nine and progressing through their youth categories. He signed his first professional contract in September 2021.
In January 2022 he joined Hellas Verona on loan, with Verona later exercising a €500,000 purchase option. He gained senior experience on loan at Mantova in Serie C in 2022-23 and at Sampdoria in Serie B in 2023-24, making 38 league appearances for the latter.
In August 2025 Roma signed him on loan from Hellas Verona with a conditional obligation to make the move permanent at the end of the season, valued at around €2.5 million. He has been used as a young centre-back rotation option behind Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso and Ziółkowski.
For Italy he progressed through every youth level from U17 to U21, played at the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup runner-up campaign and made his U21 debut in September 2023 against Latvia.
Standing 1.89 m and right-footed, Ghilardi is a tall, modern centre-back who combines aerial ability with composure on the ball, exactly the kind of long-term DF profile Roma have been adding alongside their international veterans.