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Bernardeschi: Little by little we were losing our values. This is a wake-up call

Federico Bernardeschi is sitting on his balcony in Turin. The sun is shining. “It’s 20 degrees,” he says. One of his bulldogs, Spike, barks in the background. The 26-year-old politely introduces us over our video call and gives the pooch a pat on the head. “He’s got a ball now. He’s happy.”

It’s a picture of normal life in abnormal circumstances. As of the weekend, there have been almost 200,000 cases of COVID-19 in Italy. Bernardeschi’s Juventus team-mates Daniele Rugani, Paulo Dybala and Blaise Matuidi all tested positive. But the country is turning a corner and after nearly two months of lockdown, the government has announced it will begin lifting some restrictions next week.

The crisis has left a profound impression on Bernardeschi, who remains in self-isolation but doesn’t live in a bubble. “Every morning at 8:30, I turn on the news. It’s the first thing I do,” the winger tells The Athletic. “Information is really important. You have to be aware of what’s going on around you and I always hold out hope there’ll be some good news when maybe yesterday, there wasn’t any. Gradually, we’re coming through the other side of it but we’re still in for the long haul.”

The Athletic is talking to Bernardeschi on April 25 — Liberation Day in Italy, commemorating the victory of the resistance at the end of World War II. Later in the afternoon, Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella cut a lonely but dignified figure walking down the steps of the Vittoriano monument in Rome in a protective mask after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At the same ceremony a year ago, he called the liberation Italy’s second Risorgimento (Resurgence) after the unification of the states into one country in 1861. Freedom from COVID-19 could yet be its third.

“I get goosebumps talking about the doctors and nurses, and everyone who is risking their lives to help their neighbour,” Bernardeschi, who has scored four goals in 24 appearances for the national team, says. “I have to say what our healthcare workers have done and continue to do is a miracle of humankind.”

Bernardeschi donated €50,000 to the Gradenigo hospital in Turin and raised another €80,000 through GoFundMe for eight sub-intensive care beds and other necessary equipment. Perplexingly, having a social conscience is something Bernardeschi and former Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio have been criticised for in some quarters. They have been called “buonista” — virtue-signalling, politically correct do-gooders — by an element of Juventus’s ultras, who seem to have a problem with them using their platforms to shine a light on a variety of different social issues, not to mention calling out anti-immigration rhetoric.

“When someone, as you say, calls me ‘buonista’, for me, it’s a compliment,” Bernardeschi insists. “The world today needs more humanity and less selfishness when it comes to all the choices and big decisions we make at government and political level. Right now, we should be thinking about the families going through hard times rather than just looking at our own backyard. I hope this situation makes us understand that.”

The economic repercussions of the pandemic are placing ordinary households under tremendous stress and strain. Some are struggling to put food on the table and the footage from supermarkets of customers breaking down in tears, unable to pay for groceries, moved Bernardeschi. “I was watching a video on my phone with my partner (Veronica) and we both said to each other, ‘Damn, this is a major emergency’. We saw people who were unable do their shopping because they’d run out of money.”

It made Bernardeschi think of Caffe Sospeso, an time-old Neapolitan tradition of paying not for one coffee but two, so someone less fortunate than you can get one on the house. He wondered if the same might be possible in supermarkets — a Spesa Sospeso — whereby customers could make a donation of between €2 and €5 to cover the cost of essential groceries such as pasta, rice, milk and bread for those in need. Carrefour agreed to partner with him, as did Banco Alimentare, a charity that redistributes unsold food to the homeless. They’ll be delivering the Spesa Sospeso to the most vulnerable.

“I know what it means to see your parents struggling because it’s the end of the month and there’s no money left,” says Bernardeschi. “And all the while, they’re still doing everything to help you realise your ambitions and make your dreams come true.”

Bernardeschi became a father in August and one silver lining of lockdown is the time he has got to spend with his daughter, Deva. “I get up, get ready and make breakfast. I pick my baby girl up and get her to help me. I show her everything I’m doing. I’m with her for about an hour and then I do my first training session of the day. I shower, have some lunch and then, from one till six, I’m with her all afternoon. We play and then I put her down for a nap and watch some TV, like La Casa de Papel (Money Heist on Netflix). I started (basketball documentary) The Last Dance.”

Bernardeschi reaches for the guitar, too. “More than playing it, I’d call it plucking at it. I strum. I’m a big AC/DC fan. Back In Black is on the playlist when we run out at the Allianz Stadium. I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana…” Bernardeschi’s desire to nail Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here on guitar — the Italy international’s favourite song — was probably a bit too ambitious. “I need a teacher,” he says.

Art fascinates him. His former Fiorentina team-mate Manuel Pasqual is a collector and shares former England manager Fabio Capello’s love of Lucio Fontana’s slashed canvases. “Berna” is more a street art kind of guy, though. “Banksy’s a genius,” he says. “Usually, artists only make it big after they die but Banksy’s managed to do it while he’s still alive. He’s famous and yet no one knows who he is. It’s madness. The man’s a genius in art and in marketing.”

At six o’clock, Bernardeschi trains again. Revised government guidelines indicate teams will only return to practice on May 18 and even then, it’s unclear whether group sessions and ball-work will be permitted. For now, the commute to Juventus’ Continassa facility will have to wait. “After the session, we have some dinner together, I put my daughter to bed and we put a film on. We go to bed destroyed. My daughter destroys us,” Bernardeschi laughs. “We’re in bed by 10. Then the morning comes and it starts all over again.”

As Italy’s sports papers speculate about his future with Juventus, Bernardeschi thinks about his daughter’s. Fatherhood has given him a renewed sense of purpose and perspective. “I work today for the world she’ll live in tomorrow. That’s how I think about it,” he says. “Doing something positive for her and every generation that comes after us.”

The pause caused by the pandemic presents a chance to rethink how we behave as a society and what we prioritise. It could serve as a teachable moment. “Little by little, we were losing our values,” Bernardeschi says. “For a long time now, we haven’t respected the environment, we haven’t respected ourselves, we haven’t respected our neighbours. We’ve been selfish. I think this situation will make us reflect on what the world could be like in the future. It’s a wake-up call for everyone. We’re guests on this planet. We have to ensure everything that surrounds us is in harmony with nature.”

Bernardeschi hopes the solidarity and compassion of the last couple of months lasts long after the pandemic is over.

“It was really emotional seeing all of Italy on their balconies at six o’clock singing the national anthem,” he says. “It means we are united as a country, that we’re a beautiful country. I hope that, as soon as this is all over, we can go back to the piazze (squares) and celebrate, sing, shout and rejoice at having got through it all.”

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As Italy’s sports papers speculate about his future with Juventus, Bernardeschi thinks about his daughter’s. Fatherhood has given him a renewed sense of purpose and perspective. “I work today for the world she’ll live in tomorrow. That’s how I think about it,” he says. “Doing something positive for her and every generation that comes after us.