From Serie A flops to Premier League Superstars: Henry, Bergkamp... Gabbiadini?
During this time the league boasted the world’s best, including Marco van Basten, Franco Baresi, Hernan Crespo and Michel Platini to name a few. In fact during the early part of this century the league kept producing players with Kaka, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edgar Davids keeping up with the quality in both on the pitch and domestically.
It’s hard to ignore the quality of managers too, with Carlo Ancelotti, Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho all spending time in Italy – the Portuguese currently has the honour of being the last Italian side to win the Champions League back in 2010.
However, despite all the glamour and glory not every player has been a success. In fact, many well-established named and heroes of the game today found their time in Italy difficult. Very difficult in fact. Many of these flops were given a chance to revive their careers in England and never looked back.
Thierry Henry
In January 1999, a young Thierry Henry’s performances at AS Monaco rewarded him with a move to Turin Juggernauts Juventus. However, during his short stay at the Old Lady, Henry found it a struggle to live up to his promise. He was often played out of position and even spent a game playing at left back. His pace and trickery he is famous for today was ineffective against the defensive discipline of Serie A and he only managed 3 goals and 16 appears for Juventus.
That summer, after just 7 months, Henry was given a chance to play in the Premier League by reuniting with his former boss Arsene Wenger. At a staggering £11 million pounds Wenger stood by his evaluation of his new striker and it was his faith paid off. Despite not scoring in his first 8 games, Henry went on to become a legend at Arsenal and in football. Moulded as a centre forward, the Frenchman went on to score 174 goals in 254 games, making Henry the highest goal scorer in the clubs history.
His belief in his own ability to succeed and that of Wenger, meant that Henry went from being a Serie A disaster to a Premier League superstar. His statue outside of the Emirates represents how far he has come since his time in Italy.
Patrick Vieira
Although he returned to Serie A in 2005 and found success, things were not quite as rosy for Patrick Vieira during his first stint. In 1995, the 6 ft 4 midfielder was signed by AC Milan after making his name for Cannes back in France. However he played mainly in the reserves and made just two first-team appearances at the San Siro side.
After just one season, Vieria joined Arsenal in a £3.5 million move. Again his career was turned around by manager Arsene Wenger – who was appointed after he was signed. Again, like Henry, his transfer raised eyebrows but Vieira never looked back and he went on to have 9 successful seasons with the Gunners, winning the Premier League 3 times and 4 FA Cups.
There is no doubt that he was instrumental in this success as this also included the ‘invincibles’ season of 2003/04 where his performances in the middle of the pitch were dominant and consistent. As well as skill and presence Vieira also had flare and his infamous battles with Roy Keane have only added to his iconic status in North London. His presence in midfield was deeply missed by Arsenal when he left in 2005, and it is safe to say he has still not been replaced.
Even though Milan ignored him, he found a home in English football where he was able to play to his strengths. He was allowed to grow and develop as a footballer and this meant he could live up to his potential. If it was not for the Premier League then Patrick Vieira would likely to have been lost in the lower leagues, becoming unheard of and never being able to become the player he went on to be.
Dennis Bergkamp
Although this seems to be the Arsenal show in this article it is hard to ignore the fact that North London has produced some of the leagues finest. In 1993, Bergkamp left his hometown club of Ajax to sign for Internazionale in which he regarded as the best league in the world.
Despite his early promise in Holland, Bergkamp also endured a largely underwhelming spell in Milan. He struggled against the strong defences of Italy and he scored only 8 times in his first season. Unable to form a successful partnership upfront and Inter’s poor form in 1994 (finishing only 1 point off relegation) saw the Dutchman continue to find his feet. This was made even more so with a number of injuries to the striker, all combining to create an uncomfortable relationship with the Italian press and fans. He too was looking for a way out.
Then-Arsenal manager Bruce Rioch made him his first signing at the club, where he was their most expensive deal in their history back in 1995. From then on Bergkjamp made remarkable strides in his career where he went on to score goals, and glorious ones at that. One of his most notable was a spectacular hat trick at Leicester City and a stunning goal at St James Park against Newcastle in 2002.
During his 11-years at Arsenal, Bergkamp was able to live up to his potential, where he too was rewarded with a statue back in 2014. Again, his abilities were limited due to the Italian style and his move to England allowed him to blossom and to show what the Serie A was missing.
Manolo Gabbiadini?
On transfer deadline day back in January, Southampton signed Napoli’s Gabbiadini in a £14 million deal. Not getting a look in in Naples, meant that Gabbiadini needed to move on. England came calling again as it has for so many during the years and he is already starting to show signs that he too can achieve greatness.
Scoring on his debut against West Ham and getting two in a 4-0 win at Sunderland, the Italian is the signing of the season. Last Sunday, he added two more goals to make it 3 in 5 for the Saints. His versatility up front and his hard work on the pitch seems to make him the perfect fit for the Premier League.
He has hit the ground running and made a bigger impact than the likes of Henry and Bergkamp could have ever dreamed of. If he carries on this form, then Serie A would have lost another talent and the Premier League will reap the benefits of this. Maybe he is destined for a move to Arsenal in the future. Who knows?
As shown over the years, the style of Serie A is a stumbling block for many players who want to express themselves on the pitch. These four players were able to have more freedom and more expression in their play in England.
Although Serie A is changing, it still has a long way to go in dominating the football landscape once again. One of those is to address the fact that they let many players slip through their fingers.
Only time will tell.
What other players have also failed to make the grade in Italy but have moved on to pastures new? Let us know in the comments!
Reece Hainseborough, @Haynezy24