Moody Berardi Symbolizes Giant Killers Sassuolo
I was first introduced to Domenico Berardi in 2013. It was the 18th of May, and Sassuolo, who had never played in Serie A at that time, were facing Livorno for a promotion spot. There was a lot of hype pre-match around Berardi, and rightfully so, as it became very clear early on that he was the most talented player on the pitch, by a big margin. Sassuolo scrapped a 1-0 win to gain a historic promotion, and Berardi ended up a Juventus player before he had stepped foot in Serie A.
That last sentence may seem a bit confusing, considering that there is absolutely no photo or video evidence of Berardi in the famous bianconeri shirt. But that’s because Juventus had signed him on one of those (now defunct) co-ownership deals. Essentially, they bought half of his card, but kept him on at Sassuolo.
Berardi’s debut season in Serie A at 19 was that of a future superstar. 16 goals, including four against Milan in an iconic match where Sassuolo came back from two down to defeat Milan 4-3, costing Massimiliano Allegri his job in the process. Sassuolo barely survived relegation that season, but that in itself was considered a success.
Sassuolo showed no signs of slowing down in their second season, and neither did Berardi. 15 goals, including a hattrick against Milan meant the childhood Interista continued to be Milan’s boogeyman, as Sassuolo finished a comfortable 12th this time while defeating Milan home and away. Their giant killers reputation was further enhanced with 3-1 victory over Inter (Berardi scored).
Berardi never actually got to wear a Juventus shirt. After two seasons co-owned by Sassuolo and Juventus, he was fully re-purchased by Sassuolo. For some reason, Berardi never seemed keen to move on from Sassuolo during those years. There were also questions about his discipline and knack for red cards. His star that had shone bright actually risked fading all together.
But Sassuolo kept rising, finishing sixth in their third Serie A campagin and reaching the Europa League. They defeated Inter twice (Berardi scored a last minute winner at the Guiseppe Meazza), and Juventus and Milan once. Defeating big clubs had become their trademark.
They remained the boogey team of the Milanese clubs, and defeated Inter during the 2016/17 season. And then did the double over them in 2017/18. The start of the 2018/19 season was, then, typical Sassuolo. 1-0 victory over Inter. Goalscorer: Domenico Berardi. It’s very rare that a player and a club are so in sync. Both Sassuolo and Berardi have spent years as the Robin Hood of calcio, taking points off the big clubs and then giving them back to the smaller ones.
Roberto De Zerbi, possibly the hottest name in European football right now, was the coach who revived Sassuolo’s and Berardi’s fortunes after they had started slowing down. De Zerbi led them for three seasons (from 2018/19 until the end of 2020/21), including two eighth placed finishes in his final two seasons, where Berardi scored 14 and then 17 league goals, respectively.
De Zerbi then left and was replaced by another rising coach, Alessio Dionisi, who has stayed on brand, playing attractive football and causing the occassional upset against the big clubs. They defeated both Juventus and Milan on their grounds within a month during fall 2021, and then defeated Inter as well at the Giuseppe Meazza during the same season. Berardi also stayed on brand, with 15 Serie A goals in 2021/22, and 12 ones last season. These of course included a goal and three assists in a 5-2 trouncing of Milan at San Siro.
People that wonder why Sassuolo are content with midtable mediocrity and the occassional push for Europe despite their reputation as giant killers do not get the full picture. Sassuolo are not even the biggest team in their city of Reggio Emilia, Serie C’s Reggiana hold that honor. Their region of Emilia-Romagna includes bigger teams like Bologna and Parma. Their stadium (shared with Reggiana) rarely sells out its nearly 22,000 capacity. The fact that Sassuolo are now an estbalished midtable Serie A club is a minor miracle in itself.
And they’re way more than that. Sassuolo have become a launchpad for young players and coaches. Manuel Locatelli, Matteo Politano, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Stefano Sensi, Gianluca Scamacca, Giacomo Raspadori, Maxime Lopez and Davide Frattesi have all showcased their qualities in the neroverdi before moving on to bigger things. Allegri, Eusebio Di Francesco, and De Zerbi all honed their coaching craft with Sassuolo before the big time called.
For many years, I used to be of the opinion that Berardi owed it to himself and his career to move to a bigger club. Not only to compete for trophies, but also because a player like him deserved to experience the Champions League, and showcase his talents to a more international audience.
But Berardi’s place as a cult hero is already secure. Sassuolo’s greatest ever player, every calcio fan’s favorite player outside their team, and the official boogeyman of both Milan (11 goals and seven assists) and Inter (eight goals and four assists). Something unexplainable happens to Berardi and Sassuolo once they see the striped shirts of the Italian big three.
Many also tend to forget that Berardi started Euro 2020 as Italy’s starting right winger, ahead of Federico Chiesa, and produced some strong performances, including two assists in the opening two matches. He played his part as Italy were crowned European Champions for the second time in their history.
Every summer brings a familiar pattern. Namely, links of a move away from Reggio Emilia. Sometimes to Juventus, sometimes to Milan, and other times to Inter. Even Lazio and Fiorentina were previously mooted destinations. But the story always ends in the same way: Berardi stays at Sassuolo, scores some decisive goals against Milan or Inter, and Sassuolo continue bothering the status quo.
Last week alone, Berardi played all the familiar hits as Sassuolo defeated two of the scudetto favorites — Juventus and Inter. He scored a sweet and soft curler against Juventus, but he was fully in the mood against Inter in his favorite trip to the Giuseppe Meazza (or San Siro). An all round composed performance, with the right amount of swagger and flair, was capped off by an assist to Nedim Bajrami for Sassuolo’s first, and a brilliant trademark Italian Robben finish for the winner.
It’s easy to forget that Berardi has just turned only 29. Who knows if he’ll ever play for a ‘big’ Italian club. But in his and Sassuolo’s 10th Serie A season, neither are showing any signs of slowing down. Perhaps they’ll never win a scudetto or play in the Champions League, but if their scudetto is in showing up versus the big sharks and ruining their night, then Sassuolo are the scudetto rulers, and Berardi is their crowned king.