Adriano Bertaccini: ‘If I were called up for Italy and the Red Devils at the same time? Then I would choose Italy’

In an interview with LDH, Sint Truiden striker Adriano Bertaccini was asked about a wide range of issues, such as his footballing heroes and where his national allegiances lie. The 24-year-old has quickly become a fan favourite amongst the Sint Truiden faithful as he sits alongside Nigerian forward Tolu Arokodare at the top of the Pro League scoring charts. In truth, he should be leading the scoring, but a goal against Standard Liege was wrongly chalked off by VAR.

Bertaccini is eligible to represent both Italy and Belgium. While he was part of the youth set up for the latter, his heart is elsewhere. The striker told the paper ‘If I were called up for Italy and the Red Devils at the same time? Then I would choose Italy”. Given that his footballing hero is Pippo Inzaghi and the team he supports is AC Milan, this is hardly surprising. The influence of Inzaghi is clear to see in his game, as he combines the play of the legendary poacher with a willingness to run in behind. His finishing is not quite up to the level of the great Italian poacher, but there are some similarities.

If Bertaccini continues to find the net regularly this season, he may well see himself in the picture of the Italian national team at some point in his career. It is likely that he would need to leave Belgium in order to achieve this, with Serie A clearly a likely destination for the forward. With eight goals in 13 games to start this season, Bertaccini is in with a chance of finishing as one of if not the top scorer in Belgium this season. That should certainly attract a number of Serie A sides in the summer.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson – Author of The Africa Cup of Nations: The History of an Underappreciated Tournament