Domenico Berardi

Domenico Berardi
Personal information
Full name Domenico Berardi
Date of birth (1994-08-01) 1 August 1994
Place of birth Cariati, Italy
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 Sassuolo
Number 25
Youth career
2008–2010 Cosenza
2010–2012 Sassuolo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2012– Sassuolo 113 (46)
National team‡
2012–2013 Italy U19 3 (1)
2014– Italy U21 14 (3)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 January 2016.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17 November 2015

Domenico Berardi (Italian pronunciation: [doˈmeniko beˈrardi];[1] born 1 August 1994) is an Italian professional footballer who plays for Sassuolo and the Italy national under-21 football team as a forward.

Club career

Born in Cariati, Calabria, Berardi joined the youth academy of Cosenza at the age of 13, before moving to Sassuolo at the age of 16.[2][3] He made his senior debut for Sassuolo in Serie B on 27 August 2012, at the age of 18, in a 3–0 away win over Cesena,[4] and scored his first professional goal five days later, in a 2–1 home win over Crotone.[5][6] In November 2012, he was linked with a transfer to a number of English clubs.[7] In 2013, he was named Best Player of the Serie B in the past season in the annual Gran Galà del calcio awards, after helping Sassuolo win the Serie B title, and an historic promotion to Serie A, scoring 11 goals.[8] In June 2013, he was described as the "undoubted star of the [Sassuolo] side."[9]

On 2 September 2013, Juventus confirmed via their official website that Berardi had joined the club on a co-ownership basis that saw Luca Marrone transfer in the opposite direction, both for a fee of €4.5 million.[10] Berardi remained with Sassuolo on a season-long loan deal for the 2013–14 season.[11][12] He made his Serie A debut at the age of 19, in a 1–1 away draw against Napoli, on 25 September 2013.[13] He scored his first Serie A goal from a penalty on 6 October 2013, in a 3–1 defeat to Parma.[14] On 20 October, he scored a penalty as Sassuolo defeated Bologna 2–1 for their first Serie A win, moving them off bottom spot.[15]

He scored a hat-trick, including two penalties, in Sassuolo's first ever Serie A away win, 4–3 against Sampdoria on 3 November 2013.[16]

On 12 January 2014, Berardi scored all four goals in a 4–3 home win against Milan. In doing so, he became the second youngest player to score four goals in a single Serie A match – the youngest was the 18-year-old Silvio Piola in 1931 – and the first player to score four in a league match against Milan.[17][18]

On 6 May 2014, Berardi scored a first-half hat-trick in 4–3 away win at Fiorentina.[19][20] He finished the season with 16 goals in 29 games in the league as Sassuolo avoided relegation.[5]

In July 2014, it was confirmed that Berardi was to stay at Sassuolo for another season;[21] the co-ownership deal was also renewed on 20 June 2014.[22]

On 17 May 2015, he scored a hat-trick at the Mapei Stadium in a 3–2 win over A.C. Milan.[23] He finished the 2014–15 Serie A season with 15 goals and 10 assists, and was one of the top assist providers in the league.[24] He reached 30 league goals in 59 games, noted by UEFA to be quicker than the 70 matches taken for Lionel Messi to reach that milestone.[25] On 25 June 2015 it was announced through an official statement that co-ownership was resolved in favour of Sassuolo for €10 million.[26][27][28] It was reported that it was part of Simone Zaza's deal to Juventus. However, Juventus also retained the option to bring Berardi back to Turin in 2016.[29]

Berardi opened the 2015–16 Serie A season with a Man of the Match performance in a 2–1 home win over Napoli, setting up Floro Flores's goal;[30] however, he also picked up an injury during the match, which will reportedly rule him out for a month and a half.[31] He returned to the pitch after an early recovery on 20 September 2015, coming on as a substitute in a 2–2 away draw against Roma.[32] He scored his first goal of the season from the penalty spot in a 2–1 home win over Lazio on 18 October 2015.[33]

International career

He was a component of the Italian under-19 national team, but did not answer his call-up up for qualifications to the European Championship of the age group and was disqualified for nine months for violation of the code of ethics.[34][35]

Berardi has played for the Italian under-21 national team.[5] He made his debut under Italy under-21 manager Luigi Di Biagio on 4 June 2014, in a 4–0 home win over Montenegro.[36] He scored his first goal on his third appearance for the azzurrini, the match-winning goal in a 3–2 win over Serbia in a 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match, which allowed Italy to progress to the playoffs, and eventually qualify for the final tournament, which would be held in the Czech Republic.[37]

On 1 June 2015, Berardi was selected in Di Biagio's 27-man provisional squad for the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship;[38] on 7 June, he was included in the final 23-man squad which would take part at the tournament.[39] Berardi scored a goal from a penalty in Italy's opening match of the tournament, against Sweden, on 18 June, which ended in a 2–1 loss.[25] On 24 June, he set up Andrea Belotti's goal in Italy's 3–1 win over England in Italy's final group match, although the result was not enough to see the Italian under-21 side progress to the semi-finals, as the azzurrini finished third in their group, behind the two eventual finalists Portugal and Sweden.[40]

He received his first senior international call-up for Italy from manager Antonio Conte in October 2015, ahead of Italy's UEFA Euro 2016 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Norway on 10 and 13 October; he suffered a muscular injury in Sassuolo's pre-match warmup against Empoli on 4 October, however, which forced him to pull out of the national side for the two upcoming fixtures.[41][42]

Style of play

A quick and hardworking left-footed player with an eye for goal, Berardi is capable of being deployed in several offensive positions on either side of the pitch, or through the centre; he has been utilised as a striker and as a supporting forward, although his preferred position is that of a winger.[43] Berardi is regarded as one of the most talented and promising young footballers of his generation;[44] in 2014, Don Balón listed him as one of the top-100 young players in the world.[45] Former Milan and Italy manager, Arrigo Sacchi, has described Berardi as "a player of great talent, a modern footballer who plays for the team all over the field. The liveliness, intuition, temperament, strength combine with a good technique."[46]

Career statistics

As of 30 January 2016[5]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Sassuolo 2012–13 Serie B371120––3911
2013–14 Serie A291610––3016
2014–15 Serie A321520––3415
2015–16 Serie A15420––174
Total 1134670––12046

    Honours

    Club

    Sassuolo[47]

    Individual

    References

    1. ↑ See Domenico and Berardi in Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia
    2. ↑ Marco Giordano (14 May 2013). "La Meglio Gioventu’ – Domenico Berardi" (in Italian). CalcioWeb. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
    3. ↑ Paolo Camedda (3 August 2013). "Generazione di Fenomeni – Domenico Berardi, il 'Van Persie della Sila' che piace a Juventus, Napoli, Inter... e Manchester Utd" (in Italian). Goal.com (IT). Retrieved 8 September 2013.
    4. ↑ "Cesena vs. Sassuolo 0 - 3". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
    5. 1 2 3 4 Domenico Berardi profile at Soccerway
    6. ↑ "Sassuolo vs. Crotone 2 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
    7. ↑ Simon Jones (13 November 2012). "Man United, City and Liverpool lead chase for Italian youngster Berardi". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
    8. ↑ http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2014/01/gran-gala-del-calcio-2013-winners/
    9. ↑ Scott Johnson (16 June 2013). "Sassuolo become smallest town to reach Serie A". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
    10. ↑ "Juventus complete double transfer deal with Sassuolo". Juventus.com. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
    11. ↑ "Agreements with Sassuolo Calcio" (PDF). Juventus FC. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
    12. ↑ "Juventus complete double transfer deal with Sassuolo". Juventus F.C. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
    13. ↑ "Napoli vs. Sassuolo 1 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
    14. ↑ "Parma - Sassuolo (3 - 1)". Eurosport. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
    15. ↑ "Sassuolo 2–1 Bologna: Neroverdi Leapfrog Rossublu After Home Win". Forza Italian Football. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
    16. ↑ "Berardi treble boosts Sassuolo". Sky Sports News. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
    17. ↑ "Sassuolo 4–3 AC Milan: History-maker Berardi leaves Rossoneri red-faced". Goal.com. 12 January 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
    18. ↑ Bandini, Paolo (13 January 2014). "Domenico Berardi's awesome foursome sinks Milan ... and Massimiliano Allegri". theguardian.com. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
    19. ↑ "Berardi hits treble in Sassuolo win". ESPN. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
    20. ↑ Shaun Best (6 May 2014). "Fiorentina vs Sassuolo, final score 3–4: Berardi treble boosts Sassuolo's survival hopes". sbnation.com. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
    21. ↑ Berardi to stay at Sassuolo
    22. ↑ "Agreements with Sassuolo Calcio" (PDF). Juventus FC. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
    23. ↑ "Sassuolo beat Milan amid Domenico Berardi ghost goal controversy". ESPN FC. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
    24. ↑ "Serie A 2014-15 Statistics: Assists". ESPN FC. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
    25. 1 2 Kevin Ashby (18 June 2015). "Sweden surge leaves Italy defeated". UEFA. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
    26. ↑ http://www.sassuolocalcio.it/articles/?id=9&aid=1471/calciomercato-domenico-berardi-rimane-al-sassuolo
    27. ↑ http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2015/06/sassuolo-sign-juventus-forward-outright/
    28. ↑ "Sharing agreement termination of the player Domenico Berardi" (PDF). Juventus F.C. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
    29. ↑ "Il Sassuolo "lascia" Zaza e "fa suo" Berardi. La Juve può ricomprarlo nel 2016". Tuttosport (in Italian). 23 June 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
    30. ↑ Mimmo Malfitano (23 August 2015). "Sassuolo-Napoli 2-1. Hamsik illude, poi segnano Floro Flores e Sansone" [Sassuolo-Napoli 2-1. Hamsik deceives, then Floro Flores and Sansone score] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
    31. ↑ "Sassuolo, Berardi fuori per 45 giorni. Inter in ansia per Icardi" [Sassuolo, Berardi out for 45 days. Inter anxious for Icardi] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
    32. ↑ Stefano Silvestri (20 September 2015). "Le pagelle di Roma-Sassuolo 2-2" (in Italian). Eurosport. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
    33. ↑ Stefano Cieri (18 October 2015). "Sassuolo-Lazio 2-1. Decidono Berardi e Missiroli, non basta Felipe Anderson" [Sassuolo-Lazio 2-1. Berardi and Missiroli decide the match, Felipe Anderson's goal not enough] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
    34. ↑ http://www.calcionewstime.com/sassuolo-berardi-squalificato-diserto-la-convocazione-under-19/
    35. ↑ http://www.calcionews24.com/sassuolo-caso-berardi-si-allontana-la-maglia-azzurra-339232.html
    36. ↑ "Under 21, amichevoli: l'Italia cala il poker al Montenegro". Retrieved 26 January 2015.
    37. ↑ "Under 21 – Italia, rimonta-show con Belotti e Berardi". Retrieved 26 January 2015.
    38. ↑ "Verso l’Europeo: 27 Azzurrini convocati da Di Biagio per il raduno di Appiano Gentile" (in Italian). FIGC. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
    39. ↑ "Ufficializzata la lista dei 23 convocati per la Fase Finale del Campionato Europeo" (in Italian). FIGC. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
    40. ↑ Luca Bianchin (24 June 2015). "Europeo Under 21, Inghilterra-Italia 1-3, ma il biscotto condanna gli Azzurrini" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
    41. ↑ Ogo Sylla (5 October 2015). "Berardi suffers another injury setback". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
    42. ↑ "Uncapped Domenico Berardi pulls out of Italy squad with muscular injury". ESPN FC. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
    43. ↑ "Domenico Berardi". vivoazzurro.it. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
    44. ↑ "IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Domenico Berardi, the free-scoring teenager who fired four past Milan and is one of Europe's hottest talents". www.dailymail.co.uk. The Daily Mail. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
    45. ↑ "La Top 101 dei giovani più promettenti di ‘Don Balon': quanti italiani!" [The Top 101 most promising young players of 'Don Balon': look how many Italians!] (in Italian). Calcio Mercato News. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
    46. ↑ Adam Digby (23 May 2014). "Why Domenico Berardi is the man to take Juventus to the next level". Four Four Two. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
    47. ↑ "Domenico Berardi". vivoazzurro.it. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
    48. ↑ "Calcio, Gran Galà. Pirlo giocatore dell'anno: "Consiglio Totti a Prandelli"". www.gazzetta.it. La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
    49. ↑ "Sassuolo, Berardi miglior giovane del 2013–14 per l'Associazione Allenatori". www.gazzetta.it. La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
    50. ↑ "2014–15 Serie A top assists". ESPN FC. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
    51. ↑ "Berardi eletto miglior under 21 d’Europa" [Berardi elected best under-21 footballer in Europe] (in Italian). La Gazzetta di Modena. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
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