Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo runs on the pitch in an empty stadium at the Juventus stadium in Turin. File / Reuters

Juventus forward Federico Bernardeschi says footballers have a duty to be positive role models and that’s been reinforced during the coronavirus pandemic

The weeks without playing have given Bernardeschi more time than ever to reflect on his responsibilities as a footballer.

Family comes first, and the Juventus and Italy forward has thought back to the financial sacrifices by his family that allowed him to embark on the long journey to Serie A.

It began with 3 ½-hour round car trips across Tuscany to training sessions for an 8-year-old Bernardeschi.

“They invested their money in me,” Bernardeschi recalls. “And of course, sometimes we arrived at the end of the month with little money.”

Now, concerns about wider economic hardship are on Bernardeschi’s mind as the country emerges from the coronavirus lockdown. Italy was the initial European epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak and has seen more than 32,000 known people die from the disease in three months.

“I’m very attached to social issues because in short, my story also represents this a bit,” Bernardeschi told The Associated Press in a video call. “All the difficulties I’ve gone through, all the sacrifices that I’ve made, my family made sacrifices. I’ve gone down that street so I know what it’s like to make sacrifices in order to get to the top and how much you have to sweat.”

So Bernardeschi has been trying to help those struggling through the pandemic, backing a fundraising initiative that provided eight portable ventilators for the Humanitas Gradenigo Hospital in Turin, raising more than $80,000.

“It’s fundamental because we have the duty to do this being public figures,” Bernardeschi’ said. “We have the duty to give positive examples, we have the duty to give something more to the people who follow us, to our fans who follow us and transmit positive things.

Ronaldo shows off skills

Cristiano Ronaldo fans are dying to watch the Portugal superstar in action after a lengthy break due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought the world to a standstill.

As the Italian Serie A plots a return soon, the teams have started training and reigning champions Juventus have also hit the ground running.

The Turin-based club shared a short video on their official Twitter handle showing Ronaldo flaunting his enviable skills.

The 35-year old former Manchester United and Real Madrid star forward is seen tossing a football effortlessly into thin air to score a basket.

The ever-expressive Ronaldo pumped his fists after that effort as the post read: “ Facile facile, @cristiano.”

Juventus’ players have been carrying out individual training sessions in small groups, all whilst keeping their distance at Continassa.

But last week, the Italian giants informed that all its first-team players tested negative for COVID-19 and that training will resume in “larger groups” in the next few days.

All football in Italy has been suspended since March as a precautionary measure against coronavirus pandemic and the authorities are now targetting mid-June as a possible return date for Serie A which remains suspended atleast until June 14.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has set the date of commencement for the start of 2020-21 season as Sept. 1, adding that the current Serie A season will have to be completed by Aug. 20.

Considered retiring: Costa

Juventus forward Douglas Costa said that he had considered retiring due to his frequent injury troubles and has hired a mental coach to help him deal with the side-effects of his fitness issues.

“There are times when I think: ‘Can I still play?’” he told The Players’ Tribune.

“[That’s] because I go out on the pitch and get injured again. Then, when I watch it on TV, I remember this is my passion and that I can still play at a high level.

“This is what keeps me alive, I know football comes easy to me. It has nothing to do with money or being famous.

“The point is to do what you enjoy and have fun doing it. That’s my objective. I joke with Alex Sandro that I’ve had more scans than I’ve played games.”

Costa, who turns 30 in September, was among the foremost wingers in the world during his time at Bayern Munich but injuries have stunted his development at Juventus since he completed his permanent move to the Italian champions in 2018.

He has missed 17 games in three spells for the Serie A leaders this season alone, and has particularly struggled with hamstring and calf issues during his career. The injury problems have also led to him making just over 30 appearances for Brazil.

Agencies