The Bologna midfielder in Trento: “They said I went to America because I was finished, but here I am again. Italy, we won a European Championship, but successes are quickly forgotten…”
Federico Bernardeschi, the social footballer who uses expressions such as “surfing on experiences”, goes on stage at the Trento Festival and knows how to entertain the audience. When they ask him, for example, why he chose Bologna, he refers to his previous adventure in Toronto, shakes his finger provocatively and says: “Someone thought I went to Canada because it was at the end of my career. Instead I came back…”. Federico does not hide the risks of demonstrating personality, as when he wanted the number 10 shirt in Florence, to the general amazement because he was a boy and Paulo Sousa, then on the bench, told him: “If you had the courage to ask for the number 10, you will have it to wear it”. He will have the courage to ask for it in Turin too, receiving a no which, he says today, “was a way to protect myself”. He then chose number 33 “for religious reasons”.
Penalty
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There is the footballer Bernardeschi, who admits that he understands “the feeling of betrayal experienced by the Viola fans when I went to Juve, but professionals must take advantage of the opportunities” and who mimes on stage the walk with the ball in his hand before the penalty in the 2020 European Championship final: “I was trying to stop the emotions, these are moments in which you would like to remain calm but you can’t, even if you have taken many penalties. Then, ball on earth, I found clarity. The secret of that success was the group, it’s a shame that everything was interrupted by not going to the World Cup. However, we quickly forget about the victories…”.
Skirt
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But Federico also presents himself as a public figure in Trento, like the one wearing the skirt without fear: “Do I define myself as going against the grain? No, for me individual freedom is fundamental. If I wore the skirt it’s because I believed in it: you have to express yourself even outside of clichés. Then, perhaps, it takes time to understand.” And then there are the personal relationships beyond the role on the pitch and here are two that are striking in his words: the one with Davide Astori (“A point of reference, every morning he gave me a slap on the wrist because he said that sooner or later I would deserve it”) and the one with Federico Chiesa, “a true talent who plays with a 30 kilo backpack on his shoulders because of his father”. And CR7? “Champion of dedication but people don’t imagine the humility behind the fame”.
Selfies
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Between a tribute (“The coaches who made me grow the most? Paulo Sousa, Mancini and Allegri”) and an admission (“Problems at Juve with Pirlo? No, it was me who wasn’t at my best”), there is also space for an appeal to the Fantasy Football players: “Don’t blame us if we don’t score goals. We always try, it’s not easy to do it…”. And take selfies with the public.
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