Domenico Berardi Marks Career Milestone While Staying Loyal to Sassuolo

REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – APRIL 21: Inter linked Domenico Berardi of US Sassuolo during the Serie A TIM match between US Sassuolo and US Lecce at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on April 21, 2024 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy.(Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

To regular football fans, Domenico Berardi may just be another Serie A footballer, but to Sassuolo fans, he is a loyal icon. Since making his Sassuolo debut on 27 August 2012 in the Serie B, Berardi has given his all to the Serie A club.

Having played football for most of his career, he is one of the few one-club players. After fifteen years with Sassuolo, he has made 400 appearances across all competitions and scored 148 goals. To Sassuolo fans, Berardi is the heart of the club.

Across the football world, matchdays come with many traditions, one of which is sports betting. A small group of platforms allow fans to place bets without verification, meaning they use minimal identity checks and faster registration systems. These sites usually cover major leagues, including Serie A, and various sports.

They typically operate differently from traditional bookmakers that require full KYC. Such services are often used by fans who want a simple way to follow their teams, the same way Sassuolo supporters keep track of Berardi’s performances week after week.

Berardi has remained loyal to Sassuolo even when they were relegated in the 2023–2024 Serie A season. However, on 9 November, when he led his team to a 3-0 victory over Atalanta, he reached a career milestone for the Italian club.

Before the game against Sassuolo, Atalanta had one of the strongest defences in the Serie A. Although both clubs were level on points before the game, Atalanta were seen as favourites to win the game as they had lost just one of their last 10 league games, but that story changed when they faced Berardi and Sassuolo.

Against one of the best defences in the Serie A, Berardi recorded two goals and an assist, earning his team a 3-0 win over Atalanta. Berardi opened the scoring with a first-half penalty before providing an assist for Pinamonti’s goal to make it 2-0. He closed the game in the 66th minute by finishing off a team move.

Interestingly, Berardi’s last goal on the night helped him reach a career milestone as it marked his 126th Serie A career goal, meaning that he has one more Serie A goal than Gonzalo Higuain and one less than Andriy Shevenchenko. On the all-time Serie A goalscorers list, Ciro Immobile and Paulo Dybala are the only active Serie A players with more goals than him.

In addition to his legendary goal status, Berardi extended his contract with Sassuolo until 2029.  Berardi would be 35 when this new deal ends, cementing his status as a club legend.

Despite his historic achievement and the new contract, Berardi remained loyal to his childhood club.  The winger stated in his speech that Sassuolo is his home and that wearing the Neroverdi jersey makes him proud. He became a man and a footballer at the club, and he remains grateful to the club, its owners, management, his teammates, and fans.

Although Berardi has openly declared that he wants to play in the Champions League, with reports linking him to Juventus and Inter, he still remained loyal to Sassuolo, explaining that the club represents his passion, history, and career. He also added that he looks forward to achieving more things at the club, as there is still much to explore.