Riccardo Saponara has put in some brilliant performances at Fiorentina and Giancarlo Rinaldi analyses what’s behind his ‘Florentine Renaissance’ after a few dark years.
The sensation is a little like two protagonists of some long-running television series finally admitting their feelings for one another. After a string of will-they won’t-they moments, it looks as if Fiorentina and Riccardo Saponara might have ultimately fallen for one another. You might well be tempted to let out a little sigh and say: “At last!”.
It is early days in the Vincenzo Italiano era but he appears to be confirmed in Florence the understanding he had of his elegant but fragile star when he coached him at Spezia. The appearances have only added up to a handful so far this season but the evidence is growing that Ricky could be ready to give his best to the Viola cause. It has only taken four years for the club and player to reach this stage.
Loan spells at Sampdoria, Genoa, Lecce and Spezia all saw his gifts flicker and occasionally burst into life but never with the consistency he and his teams craved. This summer, it looked like his return to Florence would only be a brief one before being dispatched elsewhere once more. He stayed, though, and is starting to affect games once more in the way his abilities deserve.
It is the curious nature of modern football that he is one of a handful of players who remain in Florence who were part of the set-up when they lost their captain, Davide Astori, more than three years ago. Most of them – including coach Stefano Pioli – have moved on to pastures new. Saponara, though, is back at the club and has written most poignantly about the influence Astori had on him as a player and, more importantly, as a person.
The fact that it has taken so long to open Fiorentina’s eyes to the player’s merits perhaps only makes the story more enjoyable. It feels like someone finally managed to pull the cork on some fine vintage that has been sitting on your wine rack for far too long. Now all you have to do is sit back, savour and enjoy.
Because Saponara on top form is a sumptuous thing. His little back-flick to help set up one of Dusan Vlahovic’s treble against Spezia was a joy to behold. And his strike to help end Milan’s unbeaten league run was the stuff that FIFA 22 Team of the Week cards are made of. But it is his overall play that has truly captivated supporters. These have been virtuoso performances that have hinted at the prospect of a key role in the weeks – and even seasons – to come.
It might be another false start, of course, but as the player himself would say – that’s probably OK. For a professional footballer, he has a remarkable sense of perspective about the importance of the game in relation to events that really matter. It means that he is able to enjoy the good times when they come but not stress too much when things go wrong.
That’s what makes this moment so special, however long it might last. We get told that nice guys always finish last but this is one occasion where that is being disproved. Saponara is becoming a quiet leader, dictating the tempo and style of his team whenever he takes to the pitch. His goal celebration salute to his lost skipper was touching in the extreme. Only the most callous of Calcio fans could fail to take some pleasure in his time in the sun.
We can get so caught up in our obsession with results and scores and VAR penalties given or denied that we sometimes miss the bigger picture. Footballers are people too and it is easy to forget they have feelings, thoughts and emotions just like the rest of us. That’s why we should all enjoy seeing one of the game’s more sensitive individuals getting the chance to shine. Ricky Saponara’s success is chicken soup for football’s soul – and everyone needs a bowl of that from time to time.
A call up for the national team will be good for him to keep up. He is doing pretty well along with Vlahovic