Bernardeschi: I wore a skirt, was mocked, now I’m proud | OneFootball

The former Fiorentina and Juventus player, now wearing the rossoblù, shares his story on the BSMT podcast: from the controversial transfer to Turin, to episodes of bullying and the difficulties he faced as a young man. “Everyone should be free to do what they want.”

Bologna, Bernardeschi: “I wore a skirt and they said I was gay. At twenty I suffered, today I’m proud of it”

The move from Fiorentina to Juventus: “A conscious choice, but a tough one”

Federico Bernardeschi, now making headlines with Bologna after two years in the MLS with Canadian side Toronto FC, gave a lengthy interview to the BSMT podcast, retracing key moments of his career. One of the most delicate episodes was his 2017 transfer from Fiorentina to Juventus, which took place in a climate of high tension.

“The transfer was tough. Not only was I going to Juventus, but the number 10 was going to Juventus. I understand the fans’ reaction; it’s easy to insult in those moments. I was 23 and decided to seize an important opportunity. Fiorentina gave me a lot and I’ll always be grateful to the city and the club. But it was a choice I knew would spark controversy. If I had gone elsewhere, the uproar would have been less. They even made a banner outside the Franchi with harsh words. You accept it, toughen up, and move on. It’s part of the growth process.”

The “medical certificate case”

Bernardeschi revealed a behind-the-scenes story related to the final stages of the deal: “I was the first to start the trend of the medical certificate. I didn’t show up for training camp because I knew what would happen. Fiorentina was resisting, but the deal with Juventus was practically done. They wanted me to go to camp for three days, but I would have been targeted there. In the end, it was a shared decision, because if one of the two sides doesn’t agree, a transfer doesn’t happen.”

“I wore a skirt and they said I was gay”

One of the most touching moments of the interview concerns his personal life and episodes he experienced as a young man: “When I was twenty, I would go into the locker room wearing a skirt and they said all sorts of things, even in the newspapers. They said I was gay. And even if I had been, what would have been the problem? I would have been proud of it, and I respect those who had the courage to come out. But those words hurt me. Today I laugh about it, but back then it wasn’t easy.”

The player wanted to turn that pain into a message: “We need to understand that everyone should be free to do what they want. Is other people’s opinion really that important? The only real problem is if you make your family suffer. What people say should never be.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.