Baggio v Bernardeschi: Why The Pain, For Me, Will Never Be The Same
I was there in the build up to that simmering summer of discontent in Florence. The tension in the streets and bars was thicker than poorly-sliced Parma ham. Surely, we thought, the transfer could never go through - how could the man who would become the Divine Ponytail be part of a deal with the Devil?
It’s important, I think, to understand what Roberto Baggio meant for Fiorentina fans nearly 30 years ago and also the position the club found itself in and its relationship with Juventus at the time. Those three poisoned ingredients made for a pretty bitter dish for supporters to have to swallow. Personally, I don’t believe anything in the modern era can come close.
The champion from Caldogno was the undisputed star of a decidedly mid-table side which had signed him despite serious injury in 1985 and nursed him back to fitness through the best part of two seasons on the sidelines. He repaid them with three glorious campaigns where he lit up the Serie A stage and, in 1988/89, formed the B2 partnership with Stefano Borgonovo which gave the Viola faithful hope for the future. They lost one part of that strike force in the summer of 1989 when the ill-fated Borgo-gol returned to his parent club, Milan. The prospect of losing the other half - who had helped take them into the UEFA Cup - was too much to take. This was Calcio’s brightest star and the world was about to be dazzled at Italia ‘90.
Relations with the Bianconeri, and the power of supporters groups at the time, made a deal with the Turin giants unthinkable. It was less than a decade since Fiorentina fans felt Juventus had robbed them of a Scudetto on the last day of the season in that epic 1981/82 battle. The Ultras on the Curva Fiesole were a fearsome force and you crossed them at your peril. Their reputation across Italy was not the kind of organisation you messed with. The Pontello family - who ran the club at the time - was about to find out why.
The outrage from the Baggio sale was visceral and violent. The club headquarters were attacked and the Italian national team - on pre-tournament training near Florence - came under fire. I was back in the city when their prized player returned in the hated black-and-white strip and it was not a pleasant place to be. There was a sense of foreboding that only a Fiorentina win - and Roberto’s refusal to take a penalty - managed to allay. The huge police presence indicated that trouble was expected to erupt at any moment.
So, to my mind anyway, Federico Bernardeschi heading to the place that should not be mentioned cannot come close to causing the same anger and pain. There’s a parallel, yes, in his growing importance to the team and the fact that he was helped back from serious injury. But his significance to this side falls well short of Baggio’s importance back in the day. The Divin Codino was about to play a key part in taking his country to the brink of World Cup glory - Berna has just failed to take the Under 21s anywhere near to a European title in their age group.
That might sound, a little, like sour grapes and there is no doubt that the present-day player has huge potential - some of which he has started to deliver on. He is a delight to watch on the ball, can fire off a powerful shot and takes a mean free-kick. But he is not, nor ever will be, Roby Baggio.
In the same way, I don’t think Viola fans are as powerful a unit as they once were nor is the relationship with Juve as bitter as it once was. Nowadays, it is more about mockery - those Antonio Conte wigs spring to mind - than it is about outright violence. And the Curva is not as intimidating a place as it once was. That does not mean anyone is happy to see Bernardeschi go but, rather, that the chance of them taking up arms in fury over his sale are rather unlikely.
Personally, too, the sting is not the same. When Baggio left, it felt like the club had lost something more than just a player. It had lost a talisman, its heart and the heir to the number 10 shirt worn by Giancarlo Antognoni. To see Juve take him in what was - at the time - a world record deal seemed to signal terminal decline at the club and would result in a string of seasons struggling to avoid relegation. Only time will tell if Bernardeschi’s departure - among so many others at the Tuscan club - will have the same impact. I have my doubts, somehow.
Losing Roby still causes me pain to this day, if I am perfectly honest. There will always be a part of me wonders what might have been if we had been able to keep hold of him. I get the feeling, too, that the player himself has a little pang of regret when he talks about that torrid summer. He won titles, of course, by going away but what legacy might he have left in Florence had he remained?
Maybe it is just the age I was at the time of the transfers but I struggle to imagine doing the same about Federico Bernardeschi in 30 years time. It is a symptom of the modern game that players move on where back in the late 1980s I still believed in the Bandiera - the one-club player who becomes a symbol of their team. Nowadays everyone - and I mean everyone - has to sell if the price is right and the person in question is keen on the move.
So there’s a hint of bitter disappointment in seeing the talent from Carrara leave but it doesn’t come close to the anguish I felt when Baggio departed. Yes, I thought Fede owed us one more season and he did talk the talk of wanting to become a club legend. But those words wash over us now, as meaningless and empty as the gesture of kissing the badge one day and packing your bags the next. Berna can expect a tasty welcome when he comes back to Florence, of course, but I don’t think a police escort will be required. It’s painful to see him go but we’ll get over it. I’m not sure I can yet say the same about seeing Roby Baggio in black and white.