Flashscore Exclusive: 'Juve's a scapegoat to the system' - Toronto FC star Bernardeschi

The California sunshine has nothing to do with the freezing temperatures that generally affect Toronto at this time of year. A spring-like climate that has been accompanying Bernardeschi's days for a few weeks now. It is not a holiday that of the former Juve and Fiorentina player, who in Palm Springs, a city 170 kilometres from Los Angeles and a stone's throw from one of the most beautiful parks in California, Joshua Tree Park, is enjoying the weather on the west coast of the United States to prepare for the new MLS season with his club.

After arriving in Canada with the season almost over - collecting 13 appearances with eight goals and three assists - the Euro 2020 champion is now hoping to improve in order to lead Toronto to the title once again - something countryman Sebastian Giovinco (36) already achieved this goal with the Canadians in 2017 - and return to the national team after the European success.

Not only that, but he still harbours hopes of featuring on the biggest stage of them all - the World Cup.

"Absolutely," says 'Berna' as he strolls through the corridors of the Californian hotel that hosts his team, "I still hope to play in the World Cup."

Meanwhile, there is a new season to prepare for in a city where he has already won over the fans by becoming the club's poster boy. Thanks also to his celebrations at the end of the game with his shouts that have gone viral: "Come on FC, well done. It's amazing."

"I had just arrived in Toronto, so it wasn't like I knew much English. Then when I started to see that my celebration was going viral, I decided to play with it a bit, also to be a bit self-deprecating."

And Bernardeschi, who seems to have found himself in North America, is enjoying his new life, far from the European and Italian football lifestyle.

It is a completely different way of experiencing football and sport, as it is eseen in the United States and Canada, to how it is experienced in Europe. An approach that won him over right from the start: "The thing that struck me from the start was the joy of experiencing sport. Here, sports are experienced totally differently, like a big party.

"People go to the stadium to have fun, cheer their team and rejoice or suffer together. Then it all ends there."

A totally different mentality compared to Italy: "Here is an example. You go to the cinema and watch a film, if you like or dislike the film you say so when it's finished. You certainly don't talk about it for the whole week... And this is the thing we should learn, in my opinion."

This culture is a completely different kind of approach, or rather education to sport, from the way it is experienced in Italy. In his home country, it is an obsession, that, according to the midfielder, can be unhealthy.

He added: "Obsession is a sort of sick feeling that is unhealthy. If, on the other hand, the passion is unconditional, it is a very good feeling."

Excesses and obsessions often condition and disturb the daily lives of footballers, as they become subject of supporters' exasperations. Bernardeschi himself knows something about this, who for the Fiorentina fans has fallen into the category of 'traitors', those who have decided to move from the Viola to Juventus. The attacking midfielder from Carrara, who spent 13 years with the Tuscan club between youth and first team, was the idol of the 'Fiesole'.

In 2017, his transfer to the Bianconeri caused much discussion, and in order to push it through, the player himself presented a medical certificate in order not to show up at the training camp.

The fans reacted badly by publicly attacking him as he explained: "I also received several banners," recalls the former Fiorentina number 10. "At the beginning it was a bit difficult, but then, in the end, nothing special. The fans judge the choice of a player, but in reality very few times you know how things really go on the inside."

Was there anything in particular in his case that did not come to light and that the fans did not know about? 

"Lots of things. Maybe one day I will tell them," Bernardeschi says mysteriously. A passage that angered the Fiorentina fans, therefore, but that was lived with serenity by the person concerned: :"I lived it very serenely" - he continues - "Those who know me, really know how I lived it. I can say that I have a discreet personality that has allowed me to never get into trouble over these things."

Serenely and with the right competitive drive, he also experienced the challenges as a former player with the Juventus jersey. The first one, at the Franchi Stadium, in front of his old fans who had to suffer one of his 'disrespects': a goal from a free kick that gave the Bianconeri a 2-0 victory

"The first one as a former player," the current Toronto player explains, "was experienced with a lot of emotion. And it was beautiful to live it, it was one of those matches that make you feel alive, full of adrenaline."

After the goal he celebrated in front of those same fans who had idolised him a few months before. For some it was a reaction as if he wanted to take a stone out of his shoe: "No pebble," countered Bernardeschi.

"I don't think there is any particular stone to take out. I always like to tell the truth. One day I will also talk about internal things and I will do so because in my opinion there is little to see here. Inside football there are a thousand things that you can't see from the outside world and a thousand things that you should see because only then would you get a clearer picture of the situation."

You speak but do not say. Are you referring, perhaps, to the management of players by clubs who often put their players in trouble precisely to gain advantage? 

"Absolutely, but there are billions of other things," he concludes, deciding not to take the topic any further.

Sunday's game between Juventus and Fiorentina will be a special match for two other former Viola players, Federico Chiesa (25) and Dusan Vlahovic (23).

Both have been unable to find consistent performances throughout the first part of Serie A due to injuries and Bernardeschi will have a keen eye on both stars as he watches with his colours firmly black and white for the contest.

"I am definitely more aligned with Juve," he admits, adding that he expects an interesting match. "It will be a good match, Juve-Fiorentina is always a good match. I think Juventus will have a better chance to win, maybe thanks to the quality of a few players."

The Bianconeri, fresh from their victory against Salernitana, are slowly getting back on track. After a stunted start, Massimiliano Allegri's team had picked up the pace before being hit by a heavy penalty - a -15-point penalty arrived due to off-field issues, relating to false capital gains.

"Considering the difficult moment Juve are going through at the moment," added Bernardeschi, "I think it is normal that my former teammates have suffered a bit of a backlash. They are human beings, not robots. Whether you want it or not, these things affect you."

The penalty has changed the Bianconeri's objectives, now in search of points to salvage their season.

Bernardeschi has made up his mind on the justice of the verdict, as in his style, he does not hide with turns of phrase: "It is hard to see that only one team is hit. There's something that didn't go right."

What does he mean? "I think one should not only see the tip of the iceberg. You also have to see everything else."

Explain further? Do you think Juve is a kind of scapegoat for the system? "Well yes, because Juve is annoying. Because Juve wins, they have always won."

And among Juventus' troubles is one that could, in turn, affect Bernardeschi himself who, along with his former teammates at the time, risks a disqualification of at least one month.

The story is the familiar one, with wages deferred during the pandemic period in the 2019-2020 season.

According to the magistrates, the Bianconeri club allegedly tried to make out a four-month salary cut that never took place. The first team, in fact, allegedly agreed to cut only one monthly salary, as confirmed by the former Juventus player:

"We, the players, had very little to do with it," said Bernardeschi. "If a disqualification were to come, we would take it, but in my opinion it would make a hole in the water, it's not in heaven or on earth.

The Toronto player goes into the specifics of the agreement with the club at that time: "We knew 0.1%. We took off a salary and did what was requested by the club. We didn't know anything else. We simply went to meet the difficulties of the moment that the whole of Italy was experiencing. We put our hand on our heart and said 'we can do this' and we did it'."

He adds: ''We followed the instructions given to us by the company. We made a big gesture on our part to help. There were people who were in danger of losing their jobs. This was proposed to us and you were free to accept or not accept. We all together, as a team, accepted to give an important signal. A gesture that I would do again. Everything that came afterwards did not concern us players."

Bernadeschi may have his eye on his two former teams this weekend, but his attention will soon switch to Toronto's MLS campaign in 2023. For the Canadian outfit, he is a player that has seen his fair share of moments that have shaped a career-perfect for a new challenge on a new continent. And at 28, the journey still has some way to go.

Follow Juventus' clash against Fiorentia this Sunday with Flashscore.

This article has been translated from Italian - you can read the original here