The Italian national team has a huge roadblock ahead of it on the road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia as Giampiero Ventura takes the reigns of the squad after Antonio Conte’s exit to Chelsea.
Conte and his Azzurri surprised many at Euro 2016, eliminated in a quarter-final penalty shootout at the hands of long-time nemesis Germany after many believed they would struggle to make it beyond the tournament’s ‘group of death’. The Italians went to the tournament depleted, but even moreso with a gaping hole in their offence which was evident in their strikers’ impotency up front.
The golden age of Italian strikers included Filippo Inzaghi, Vincenzo Montella and Christian Vieri along with fellow attackers Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti. The following generation of strikers failed to live up to hype. Mario Balotelli’s career is hanging by a thread and Giuseppe Rossi has endured a luckless, injury-ravaged career. Mattia Destro and Fabio Borini once showed promise, but never took the step to the next level.
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Meanwhile, Sassuolo and their manager Eusebio Di Francesco have made it a necessity to work with the country’s finest young talent. In saying that, their biggest prospect is their young forward who has been dubbed the “future of Italian football” – 22-year-old Domenico Berardi.
Born in Cariati, Calabria, he joined the Cosenza youth ranks at the age of 13. Three years later, his Sassuolo journey began. Berardi scored his first goal for i Neroverdi in just his second-ever professional match and helped his team earn promotion to Serie A. In 2015, he was the recipient of the Bravo Award – an annual award given by Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo to the best European under-21 player. Previous winners of the award include Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba.
Best known for his pace, tenacity and his high work-rate along with his eye for goal, Berardi is a versatile player capable of playing in any attacking position. He has been used as a striker and support striker, however his preferred position on the pitch is on the right-wing, allowing him to cut into the centre and shoot with his potent left foot. He was once touted the next Roberto Baggio by 1982 World Cup winner Giancarlo Antagnoni.
Berardi has already found the net 56 times in his 140 appearances for the club and is the top scorer in Sassuolo’s history. He has scored seven times in all competitions this year and was a surprise exclusion from Ventura’s maiden Italy squad.
Italy face a tough task ahead if they are to avoid the playoff for Russia 2018, and it is essential that they quickly find their feet in the qualifying phase. The Italians are in need of another star in their attack, and Berardi is the man they are looking for. He will also strive to help Sassuolo improve on last season’s sixth-place finish, in what could be his last season at the club as there has been a lot of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The future of La Nazionale lies in Berardi’s hands, and Italian football fans across the globe will hope that their wonderkid fulfills the promise he has shown in their country’s quest for a record-tying fifth World Cup.
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