Who is Federico Bernardeschi beyond the game? … If you ask anyone from Italy, they’ll tell you that the people of Carrara are as resilient as the marble for which the region is famous. Among the notable footballers from this area are Federico Bernardeschi and Gigi Buffon. Born just 121 days before the 1994 FIFA World Cup—a tournament that made Bebeto famous for his iconic “baby-rocking” celebration—Federico Bernardeschi has established himself as one of Italy’s finest players.
His journey from humble beginnings is truly inspiring. Federico grew up in a household where his father, Alberto, worked in a marble factory while his mother dedicated her life to nursing. Despite their modest means, they instilled a strong work ethic in their children.
From a young age, Federico showed an unwavering passion for football, refusing toys in favour of a soccer ball. This intense love for the game, however, led to health complications, including a diagnosis of “an enlarged heart.” This biography explores the hidden chapters of Federico Bernardeschi’s life, shedding light on the challenges he faced and the determination that fueled his success.
To give you a glimpse into the engaging life story of Federico Bernardeschi, we have prepared a pictorial summary that captures his journey from a young boy in Carrara to becoming a prominent figure in Italian football.
Federico Bernardeschi Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, Federico Bernardeschi was born on the 16th day of February 1994 to his mother, who is a Nurse and father, Alberto Bernardeschi (a marble factory worker) in Carrara, the region of Tuscany, Italy. Below is a beautiful seaside photo of little Federico Bernardeschi as a child.
Federico Bernardeschi has his family origin in Carrara, a city in central Italy which is known by its popular nickname called; ‘The city of marble‘.
Now the question:… Why the City of Marble?… It’s because Carrara is famous for its quarries of beautiful white Carrara marble.
Did you know?… The City of Marble, as observed here, is also the birthplace and home of Italian Legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
One of Federico Bernardeschi’s parents- his dad worked for a marble firm in the city during his childhood days.
Just like many kids with busy parent(s), Federico could only see his dad every evening as Alberto would work Long hours, getting up from bed by 5 am, leaving home before 6 am, and coming back home at 6 p.m.
Hence, Federico spent lots of his early childhood living with his mum and little sister, Gaia.
The Destiny Encounter with the Soccer Ball:
When Federico Bernardeschi was three years old, his dad took him to this massive toy store in the Carrara city centre.
As young Federico took two steps inside the store, the first thing he spotted was a football. Immediately, he ran straight towards it, picked it up, and told his dad it was time they left.
Alberto wanted Federico to look at the other toys, but he refused, insisting he wanted only the soccer ball.
“Because I saw what I wanted “a football”, I didn’t let anything get in my way.
That’s my character Or I should say, that’s the character of people from my family root.
People from Carrara are as hard as marble — To get more info, ask Gigi Buffon.”
Education and Career Buildup:
Early on in his life, Federico made the ultimate choice of wanting to be a professional footballer. Initially, there were challenges in his quest to get the best football education.
In the area where Federico lived, in the City of Marble, there weren’t enough good youth teams around.
Back then, the best team in his neighbourhood A.S.D. Sporting Atletico Carrara didn’t offer what his parents wanted after spending a short time with them.
In order to get the best for their son, Federico Bernardeschi’s parents had to make a choice.
Both his mum and dad agreed that their son would leave school early at 3:15 pm (45 minutes before school classes normally ended) in order to go play football with a new academy.
At the age of eight, Federico Bernardeschi began receiving his football education with Polisportiva Ponzano, a football training centre affiliated with Empoli, about 70 miles away from his family home.
Back then, his mum would pick him up from school every day before closing time, make him eat lunch (usually pasta), and then drive him towards Empoli with the family’s grey Opel Vectra.
Federico Bernardeschi Biography – Football Story:
Speaking about the daily experience as ThePlayersTribune puts it, Federico Bernardeschi once said;
“Because I know I’d usually be a little late. I will have to tie my boots in the car.
My mum would barely stop. Upon reaching, I’ll sprint out to the pitch in order to get to my training session.
Two hours later, football training would end, and we’d head back the same way we came.”
Even when he got home from a busy schooling and sporty day, Federico Bernardeschi’s parents and other family members knew he was destined for great things as they would still watch him review the skills he learned.
Did you know?… Federico wouldn’t be in bed until 10:30 pm or 11 pm every evening, then getting up very early in the morning to do it all again.
Such determination and hard work later paid its dividends. When Federico Bernardeschi got called to attend trials with Florentina, the pride of all family members (who stayed with him on every step of my journey) had no bounds.
Early Career Life:
A successful trial saw Federico Bernerdeschi in the year 2003 (at the age of 9) joining the academy wing of Fiorentina.
Florence, the city in which the club is located was just a bit further east of Empoli, on the same highway Federico and his mum used to drive.
Early on in his career, Federico Bernerdeschi’s dad would always push me to do better, feeling angry at him for every missed opportunity. In a bid to manage the pressure created by his dad, Federico once said;
“when you’re a kid, sometimes you feel thats too much especially when it came from a dad who gets angry at you for any moment you don’t put in your best.
But as I got a little older, I began to understand my dad wanted more from me because he believed in me”
The pressure posed by his dad led little Federico to make a huge impression with the club. The rising youngster moved up through the youth ranks, thriving over any opponents that came his way.
Road to Fame Story:
At the age of 16, Federico Bernardeschi, who was playing the best football of his life, was very close to making the senior team appearance with Fiorentina.
Just as he thought everything in his life was going on smoothly, the unfortunate happened.
The Sad News:
It all started the day poor Federico went for a routine physical checkup. The Florentina medical team found something that they said was going wrong in his body, prompting them to make further tests and X-rays.
A few days later, the doctor briefed Federico Bernardeschi’s parents on what they had observed in the body of their son.
“Your son has an enlarged heart. We’re not sure how bad it is thou. However, Its possible he won’t be able to continue his football career.”
The doctor told his parents. As expected, Federico couldn’t believe it, in fact, he refused to hear it, screaming.
“No … that’s impossible”. It took so much effort for Federico’s mother to keep the troubled footballer calm.
After monitoring the situation closely, the doctors finally resolved that Federico wouldn’t be able to play football for only six months, a piece of news that made the Bernardeschi family feel very relieved.
During the waiting time, he tried to keep himself busy in what he referred to as the most difficult six months of his life.
After countless check-ups, specialist visits, and meetings, Federico was finally cleared to resume his football.
Federico Bernardeschi Bio – Rise to Fame Story:
On 20 June 2014, Federico made his way into the first team under the directives of Vincenzo Montella.
Less than three years after his professional debut (aged 22), young Federico was handed the captain’s armband thanks to his maturity, hard work, good positional sense, and an eye for goal.
Being the leader at the wee age of 22 was considered very young in the context of Italian football, where experience is treated supremely.
The next season (2015–16), Bernardeschi was awarded the number 10 shirt previously worn by the like of Roberto Baggio.
At the same time, he also got his nickname “Brunelleschi”, after the popular architect. Thanks to his technique and elegance on the pitch.
As a charismatic leader on the pitch, Federico Bernardeschi was awarded the AIAC Football Leader Under-21 Award.
His success continued as he earned the distinction of being the only Italian selected for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament. This feat caught the eyes of some of Europe’s top clubs.
Becoming one of the hottest young properties in Italian football attracted Fiorentina’s main rivals, Juventus, who made him the highest-profile player since Baggio (in 1990) to have left Florence to join them.
As of the time of writing, Federico Bernardeschi has helped his team win nearly everything in Italian league football, namely Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the prestigious Supercoppa Italiana.
Once upon a time, the kid who refused to choose play toys other than a football has now endured a meteoric rise to prominence in front of our very eyes. The rest, as they say, is now history.
Federico Bernardeschi and Veronica Ciardi Love Story:
Behind every successful man, there is a surprised woman rolling her eyes. In the case of the Azzurri international, there was indeed a glamorous WAG who later became a girlfriend. She is no other than the beautiful person of Veronica Ciardi.
Getting to know Veronica Ciardi:
Born to Italian parents, Veronica became one of the favourite contestants on the 2009 Italian version of Big Brother.
During her time on the reality show, she developed a relationship with another contestant named Sarah Nile.
The relationship was one that caused a scandal on Italian television because it was the first girlfriend-to-girlfriend love story to be aired on an Italian reality show.
Veronica and Sarah’s relationship ended in September 2010 after much pressure from the Italian press.
Federico Bernardeschi, who is nine years younger than Veronica, began dating her a few years later after they had a love-at-first-sight meeting in Formentera.
After two amazing years of dating, Bernardeschi, who didn’t look at her Big Brother flaws, decided to propose to his girlfriend what the Italian press said happened at a romantic destination.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go very well for the couple as they announced an amicable split in early 2017. Speaking about his relationship experience with his girlfriend, Bernardeschi said it made him grow as a person.
After five months of their unfortunate split, Federico’s ex-girlfriend officially revealed her separation from him via Instagram.
A few years after their split, both ex-lovers’ crises came to an end as they came back to dating each other, keeping their relationship secret for months. On the 28th of August 2019, Veronica and Federico became parents.
Personality:
Getting to know Federico Bernardeschi’s personal life will help you get a better picture on how he lives his life off the pitch.
Because there was so much white-coloured marble around him while growing up, Federico said these marbles would sometimes leak into his dreams, forming an image in his head while he gets up from bed. This mysterious event started when he was six years old.
Likeness for his Dog:
Popular football players, namely C Ronaldo, Brazil’s Legend Neymar, Sanchez, etc, are genuine dog lovers.
Even though there is a saying that there is no loyalty left in the modern game, it surely doesn’t take into account the relationships shared between Federico and his big dog.
Federico Bernardeschi Family Life:
The Bernardeshi family story explained earlier on teaches football fans struggling, yet aspiring to achieve greatness, to believe that ‘the best way to not feel hopeless is to get up from their comfort zone and do something different’.
Instead of following his dad into the Marble quarry operations, Federico has today made his entire family proud by forging his family’s own past towards financial independence, thanks to football. Now, let’s give you more insight into his family members.
About Federico Bernardeschi’s Father:
Just like most parents in ‘Carrara‘ the city of Marble, Federico’s dad Alberto worked in a Carrara Marble quarry firm for years.
He was the kind of dad who worked for long hours, getting up at 5 am, leaving work by 6 am and coming back home by 6 p.m.
Alberto would take other means of transport while leaving his grey Opel Vectra behind for his wife and son (Federico) to use in shuttling between the home, hospital, school and the football training centre.
Alberto is credited for making his son have his first date with destiny, which began from the moment he took him to the toy store where he picked up his first soccer ball. Also, pushing him to do better in the early moments of his career has paid off.
About Federico Bernardeschi’s Mother:
While her name is not currently known, Italian media reports that Federico’s mother worked as a nurse at a hospital located close to their family home.
She was tough to be so loving, but sometimes flipped the switch in order to ground her son. For Federico, between her and his dad, there was a good balance (The Players Tribune report).
About Federico Bernardeschi’s Siblings:
It appears he doesn’t have a brother, but Federico has a sister whose name is Gaia Bernardeschi. Gaia is known for providing emotional support for her brother even though it means putting her personality to scrutiny.
She caught the attention of fans when she made a controversial post about her brother after he scored against his old club Fiorentina. Federico Bernardeschi’s sister once said;
“Dear brother, you were able to turn the Boos of Fiorentina fans into music. You danced with the ball at your feet and then silenced the stadium up,… You’re a big brother!!!. Dear Fiorentina fans, I feel sorry for you, but as always, my brother has shown the kind of man and player he is. Now everyone is quiet and we are enjoying this a lot”.
On February 9, 2018, Federico Bernardeschi’s sister, Giana, expressed her feelings after her brother faced vulgar insults from home fans during a match. Despite this, Federico scored a free kick in the second half that silenced the crowd.
Lifestyle:
The lifestyle of top football superstars is easily noticeable by their Private jets, big mansions, and simple pleasures. Federico, though an antidote to living very large, prefers to drive simple cars, a feat that depicts living an average lifestyle.
Even in his average living, Federico’s modernist apartment is decorated with his finest arts. They include sculptures of three monkeys, a monkey lampshade, and a marble chess game set. The latter is a gift from his dad, who came from his hometown of Carrara.
For Federico, it’s not about the ease of staying at home but about spending the holidays in beautiful seaside destinations.
Untold Facts:
Now, let’s unfold more facts about the Italian soccer player. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
Once Alleged to have adopted a black Child:
Federico Bernardeschi believes Football is important, but for him, the most important thing in the world is ‘charity‘. Because of that, Federico, together with his wife – Veronica Ciardi, decided to become ambassadors of the Save the Children non-governmental organization. This has seen improvements in the life of the beautiful girl who seems to be under their care.
Federico Bernardeschi’s Tattoo brings memories of a dead friend:
Besides his Ave Maria prayer tattoo, Federico has a tattoo drawing of an old dead friend’s shirt number.
A few weeks after Davide Astori’s passing, he got his number tattooed beside the traditional Catholic prayer.
Federico Bernardeschi’s Religion:
His parents raised him a Catholic, and he is very devoted to the practice of the Christian religion.
Evidence of his strong sense of belonging to Catholicism is found in the Ave Maria tattoo ink on his hands and his photo with the pope below.
Once a Target for United:
Federico, a talented player who has revitalized his career at Toronto FC, was once on the radar of one of football’s greatest managers. When he was still a teenager, he was one of those whose talent impressed Sir Alex Ferguson. The former Manchester United boss was once left so impressed that he wished to sign him back in 2011.
Did you know?… the move could not be completed because Federico’s father convinced him to stay close to his homeland.
Fact Check:
Thanks for reading Federico Bernardeschi’s Story. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver football stories about Italian starts. Just as we have done for the likes of Nicolo Barella and Moise Kean. If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.