‘L’ultima bandiera’: Domenico Berardi raises closing flag for loyalty in soccer | Serie A

The person with the moustache held his teammate in a headlock and stared down the TV digital camera lens. “Berardi!” he yelled, jabbing a finger in the back of his colleague's bonce. “BE-RAR-DI!”

It felt like that second in a children' film when the massive brother drags his meek sibling again into body after beating up the college bully. Mess with him once more and see what occurs. Solely, Tarik Muharemovic is 9 years youthful than Domenico Berardi. And it was the older participant, once more, who had spent this afternoon tormenting his friends.

Berardi had simply scored the ultimate aim of Sassuolo's 3-0 win away to Atalanta. An astonishing consequence, on the face of it. Atalanta received the Europa League a 12 months in the past and have certified for the Champions League in 4 of the previous six seasons. Sassuolo performed final season in Serie B.

That isn't the entire image. Atalanta additionally modified supervisor in the summertime, Gian Piero Gasperini leaving after 9 years to take over at Roma, with whom he now sits prime of Serie A. His have been robust footwear to fill, and to date Ivan Juric has struggled to take action. Atalanta and Sassuolo started the weekend degree on factors, joint-Eleventh within the desk.

Nonetheless, the Bergamo membership had solely misplaced one in every of their first 10 league video games and owned one of many stingier defences within the division, earlier than Berardi turned up and tore them to ribbons.

He had opened the scoring with a first-half penalty, after Andrea Pinamonti was introduced down by Atalanta's goalkeeper, Marco Carnesecchi. Berardi then arrange Pinamonti for Sassuolo's second simply after the interval, driving down the proper flank earlier than slicing again inside, shedding each opponents who tried to trace him and squaring the ball for his teammate to complete.

The ultimate aim arrived on the finish of a beautiful crew transfer, Sassuolo navigating out from the again. Berardi was concerned within the buildup, dropping in to present Ismaël Koné an choice. His return cross was clumsy, however Koné and Kristian Thorstvedt made it work between them. Berardi dashed on via the center, getting the ball again from the Norwegian and dispatching it past Carnesecchi.

It was the 126th Serie A aim of his profession – yet one more than Gonzalo Higuaín ever scored and just one fewer than Andriy Shevchenko. Not unhealthy for a participant who principally strains up on the wing, and who additionally has 86 assists. Solely two energetic gamers, Ciro Motionless and Paulo Dybala, sit forward of Berardi on the league's all-time scorers' checklist. He's the one member of that trio by no means to have performed within the Champions League.

Berardi stays that rarest of footballing beasts, a one-club man. He joined Sassuolo's academy aged and by no means left. After signing a contract extension in the summertime via to 2029, he was celebrated within the Italian press as “l'ultima bandiera” – actually the final flag, or banner. In soccer parlance, one closing instance of a type of loyalty that no extra place within the trendy sport.

An enthralling story, and an incomplete one. It was solely final October that Berardi gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport through which he confessed that he had needed to affix Juventus a 12 months earlier however was let down by the golf equipment failing to agree phrases. He stated that taking part in within the Champions League was his enduring dream, and that for “for 3 years it's all I've considered”.

“I need to hear that Champions League music from the pitch,” he continued. “It's a profound ambition that I need to fulfill.”

Berardi is greater than adequate to have deserved that stage. The one time he did get the possibility to check himself in continental membership competitors, when Sassuolo certified for the Europa League in 2016, he scored 5 instances in 4 video games. He has eight targets in 28 appearances for Italy. Once more, we're not speaking a few centre-forward.

Maybe his story would have gone otherwise with out the achilles tendon tear he sustained final March, lower than per week after coming back from a knee harm. In one other timeline, a wholesome Berardi may need insisted it was time to go when Sassuolo dropped right down to Serie B in the summertime of 2024.

Then once more, possibly not. By the point Sassuolo have been relegated, Berardi was weeks away from turning 30. A decade had handed since he burst on to the scene with 16 targets in his first Serie A season. He might, and did, blame his membership's administrators for the latest collapse of negotiations with Juventus, however a transfer would have occurred a lot sooner if he had pushed for one. The Bianconeri held an choice to signal him for a number of years, agreed as a part of different participant trades between the golf equipment.

Timing is every part. “Proper as much as 26 or 27 years outdated, I didn't really feel mature,” stated Berardi final 12 months. “I at all times needed to play, so I rejected the thought of taking part in for a crew the place there could be turnover and I'd have to sit down on the bench. Possibly that was a scarcity of religion in my very own potential. I didn't imagine in myself 100%.”

That, too, is comprehensible, whenever you do not forget that Berardi was not a type of children whose expertise was recognised and lauded from a younger age. At 16 years outdated, he was bouncing between native newbie groups close to to the place he grew up in Cariati – a tiny city tucked away in the back of platform of Italy's boot.

Cosenza, one in every of few close by skilled sides, had proven an curiosity however a change of possession there led to a shift in priorities. A proper supply to affix their academy by no means materialised.

His huge probability arrived by probability. Throughout a go to to see his older brother Francesco, finding out in Modena, Berardi joined in a sport of five-a-side with the older boys. He dominated it so totally that somebody took discover. Pasquale Di Lillo known as up his good friend Luciano Carlino, a coach on the time with Sassuolo's youth crew. A trial was organized. The remainder, as they are saying, is historical past.

And current, and future as effectively. Maybe Berardi will but have his probability to play within the Champions League, however the resolution to signal such an extended deal in the summertime suggests it's now not his prime precedence. He has spoken extra not too long ago about Sassuolo as a household. “That is residence,” he stated after placing pen to paper. “It makes me proud to be the bandiera, as a result of they don't exist any extra.”

Actually, he hopes to get again to representing Italy, one thing he has not finished for 2 years. Berardi may by no means have performed within the Champions League, however he did earn a winners' medal with the Azzurri at Euro 2020. In current kind, he might solely be an asset to a facet whose path to the 2026 World Cup is now virtually sure to undergo the playoffs. His tally for this season is already at 4 targets and three assists.

Numbers are by no means the entire story, however Berardi's do solely look extra spectacular whenever you do not forget that he has by no means had the supporting solid that the very best of his friends have loved at golf equipment competing for trophies. Sassuolo this season have some fascinating younger abilities – Muharemovic amongst them – and have performed with cohesion underneath Fabio Grosso.

Nonetheless, Berardi – BE-RAR-DI! – continues, as he at all times did, to face aside.