Federico Bernardeschi is surprised by the MLS and admits it’s ‘strange’ to see Paulo Dybala at Roma.
The Italy international left Turin at the end of his contract in June. He had spent five seasons at the Allianz Stadium, scoring 12 goals in 183 appearances.
He has signed with Toronto FC in the MLS, joining his compatriots Lorenzo Insigne and Mimmo Criscito.
“Football is intense here, it’s very hot and there are long trips for away games,” he told DAZN.
“Technically, they are slightly behind European football, but the intensity is really high. I didn’t expect this. I was surprised when I came here. Every detail is organized and I was really surprised.
“We have found an Italian connection in Canada and us former Serie A players often help each other.”
Bernardeschi won three Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia and two Italian Supercups at Juventus and is one of Italy’s Euro 2020 winners. The Bianconeri failed to reach an agreement over his contract extension, so the Carrara-born winger walked away for nothing in June.
“I would rate my spell at Juventus 7+, surely something could have worked better,” he admitted.
“I didn’t stay because we had different visions, but the good thing was that we spoke openly, understanding that we had different visions. It wasn’t a technical or financial problem, we only had different views.”
One of his ex-teammates at Juventus, Paulo Dybala, also left at the end of his contract in Turin but has continued his career in Europe signing with José Mourinho’s Roma.
“It’s strange, but Paulo deserves it,” said Bernardeschi.
“He is an excellent person and talking about the player would be redundant. After so many years with the same jersey, it’s strange to see him there.”
Dybala will return to Turin on Saturday, facing his ex-club in Juve-Roma. Berardeschi has had a strong start to his MLS career, scoring four goals in six appearances.