.jpg) Berardi playing forLeeds United in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gaetano Michel Berardi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1988-08-21)21 August 1988 (age 37) | ||
| Place of birth | Sorengo, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2005 | Lugano | ||
| 2005–2007 | Brescia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2007–2012 | Brescia | 112 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Sampdoria | 35 | (0) |
| 2014–2021 | Leeds United | 157 | (2) |
| 2022 | Sion | 9 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Bellinzona | 30 | (0) |
| Total | 343 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 2007–2008 | Switzerland U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Switzerland U21 | 20 | (0) |
| 2011 | Switzerland | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gaetano Michel Berardi (born 21 August 1988) is a Swiss former professionalfootballer who played as aright-back,left-back orcentre-back. He also played one match for theSwitzerland national team.
Born inSorengo,[2] Berardi started his career at Swiss clubLugano's youth team. In the summer of 2005, he was signed bySerie B sideBrescia. Berardi made his professional debut on 30 June 2007, in a winning away game againstPescara (1–3).
In his first season, Berardi made ten appearances in all competitions under the management ofSerse Cosmi. In the2008–09 season, Berardi was used in 26 Serie B games. Before finally becoming a first team regular inGiuseppe Iachini team during the2009–10 season, Brescia earned promotion toSerie A after beating Torino in the Serie B play-offs.
Berardi made his Serie A debut on 12 September 2010 in a 3–2 victory againstPalermo. He made 26 starts in total for Brescia in Serie A, although Brescia were relegated at the end ofthe season after finishing in 19th position.
Upon the opening of the January transfer window, Berardi signed for fellow Serie B sideSampdoria.[3][4] Berardi made his debut in a 2–1 victory againstPadova on 14 January. At the end of the2011–12 season, Berardi gained his second promotion to Serie A after winning the Serie B play-offs by beatingVarese 4–2 on aggregate in the two-legged play-off final.
The following club season in Serie A, despite stiff competition from Italian internationalLorenzo De Silvestri, Berardi made 21 appearances in Serie A during the2012–13 season. However, after the club appointedSiniša Mihajlović as head coach in November 2013, Berardi lost his place in the starting lineup and only made five Serie A appearances during the subsequent2013–14 season.
On 19 July 2014,Leeds United announced that they had signed Berardi to a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[5][6] Club presidentMassimo Cellino confirmed that Berardi had taken a wage cut to join Leeds.[7] Berardi made his Leeds debut on 12 August 2014, starting theLeague Cup match againstAccrington Stanley, but was sent off for a "mid-air sliding tackle" and received a three-match ban as a result.[8][9] With regular right backSam Byram suspended,[10] Berardi was set to start againstBradford City on 27 August, but was ruled out after picking up a concussion the day before the game.[11] His full league debut was in a 1–1 draw away atBirmingham City on 13 September 2014.[12] On 20 September, Berardi received his second red card in just his fourth game, after being sent off in a 3–0 win over local rivalsHuddersfield Town.[13] With regular left backCharlie Taylor pushed forward into an attacking left wing position, during 2015 Berardi became a regular fixture in theleft-back position for Leeds.[14] Berardi finished the season in strong form at left back, starting 10 of the last 11 games and becoming a fans' favourite for his performances.[15]
On 21 September 2015, after becoming a highly popular player with the fans for his consistent displays at both right back or left back positions, Berardi signed a two-year contract extension with the club lasting until 2018.[16] On 21 November, Berardi received another straight red card for Leeds in the 73rd-minute of a 1–0 home defeat toRotherham United; after being left with a bloodied nose following an elbow to the face fromLeon Best, Berardi pushed Best to the ground before being restrained by his teammates, with both players receiving a straight red card as a result.[17] The ban was later reduced after appeal due to the severity of the elbow Berardi received from Best, provoking the reaction.[18] After returning from suspension, Berardi suffered a torn ankle ligament on 14 December againstCharlton Athletic which ruled him out for two months.[19] After returning from injury, in April 2016, in the return fixture against Rotherham, Berardi – in similar circumstances to the reverse fixture – suffered a bloodied face/head injury after being elbowed by Rotherham strikerMatt Derbyshire, which resulted in Derbyshire's being given a straight red, albeit in a 2–1 defeat for Leeds.[20][21] Berardi was nominated for the Leeds United Player of the Year award, alongside Charlie Taylor,Liam Bridcutt,Mirco Antenucci andLewis Cook, though it was awarded to Taylor,[22][23] whilst he also finished second in the voting for theYorkshire Evening Post Player of the Year award, runner-up to eventual winner Taylor.[23]
Berardi missed the entirety of Leeds'2016–17 pre-season friendlies due to injury, although he did return to the substitutes' bench for the final pre-season friendly against Italian sideAtalanta.[24][25] On 7 August, in the opening fixture of the season againstQueens Park Rangers in a 3–0 defeat, Berardi was substituted early in the first half after picking up a hamstring injury.[26] As a result of the hamstring injury, Berardi was ruled out for around six weeks. On 26 October 2016, he made his return when he started in Leeds' penalty shootout victory againstNorwich City in the League Cup, after a dramatic 2–2 draw in normal time.[27] However upon his return from injury, Berardi was kept out the side due to the impressive form of new right backLuke Ayling. After an Achilles injury to regular left back Charlie Taylor, on 29 December 2016 againstAston Villa, Berardi came into the side as a left back for a run of games.[28] Berardi's form at left back managed to keep out the returning Taylor for the remainder of the season.[29]
On 6 August 2017, Berardi suffered a dislocated shoulder in the 3–2 victory againstBolton Wanderers in the first game of the season, and had to be replaced by debutantVurnon Anita in the first half.[30] On 8 August, he signed a new three-year contract at the club, keeping him at Leeds until the end of the 2019–20 season.[31] On 30 December 2017, Berardi was named as captain and made his 100th appearance for Leeds in the 1–0 defeat againstBirmingham City.[32][33] On 7 January 2018, Berardi again captaining Leeds scored his first goal for the club and his first ever professional career goal with a "low, swerving shot" from 25 yards in a 2–1 defeat againstNewport County in theFA Cup.[34] On 7 April 2018, Berardi who was captaining the side, was sent off for a two footed lunge onSunderland'sCallum McManaman, with the sending off being his third red card of the 2017–18 season, Berardi was given a five match ban, missing the final five games of the season.[35] After missing 10 games combined through suspension for the 2017–18 season, Berardi apologised for his poor discipline in an interview with LUTV, stating that "it's not good enough for a senior professional player", adding that he will "stop making mistakes when I die".[36][37]
Ahead of the 2018–19 season under new head coachMarcelo Bielsa, Berardi was training in a new position as acentre back, and used during pre-season in his new position.[38] He started the season as first choice centre back alongsideLiam Cooper, keepingPontus Jansson on the bench, however Berardi was ruled out for a number of weeks[39] after picking up a knee injury againstMiddlesbrough on 31 August.[40] After returning from injury after six weeks out injured, Berardi in only his second game back, picked up a separate serious injury on 24 October 2018 in a 2–0 win againstIpswich Town after suffering ahyperextention injury to thehamstring, which would rule him out for several months.[41] Rob Price, Leeds' Head of Medicine, revealed the seriousness of the injury by revealing Berardi "tore his hamstring completely off the bone".[42] During the2018–19 season, Berardi played 13 matches across the regular season after an injury hit campaign,[43] with Leeds finishing the regular season in third place despite spending the majority of the season in the automatic promotion places, and therefore qualifying for thepromotion play-offs.[44][45] Berardi started the Championship semi-final first leg as Leeds went 1–0 up away toDerby County, but was sent off in the 78th-minute of the second leg for a foul onBradley Johnson as Leeds lost 4–2 (4–3 on aggregate).[46] The red card was the seventh of Berardi's Leeds career, equallingAlan Smith as the most red-carded player in the club's history.[47]
Berardi scored only the second goal of his career on 13 August in theEFL Cup tie againstSalford City to help earn a 3–0 victory.[48] He received his eighth red card for the club againstMillwall on 5 October, at the time making him the most red-carded player in Leeds United history.[49] However, the controversial red card was overturned on appeal on 8 October.[50] After the English professional football season was paused in March 2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the season was resumed during June, where Berardi earned promotion with Leeds to thePremier League asEFL Championship champions for the2019–20 season.[51][52] However, Berardi injured hisanterior cruciate ligament in the penultimate game of the season as Leeds defeated Derby County 3–1 on 17 July 2020; the injury was set to rule Berardi out for nine months.[53]
Having signed a short extension to remain with Leeds duringProject Restart, Berardi's contract ran out at the end of the 2019–20 season.[54] However, he was allowed to remain at the club'sThorp Arch training ground while completing his rehabilitation from the ACL injury, and on 16 October 2020 signed a new one-year contract for Leeds' first season back in thePremier League.[54] He made his Premier league debut on 19 May 2021, coming on forDiego Llorente in a 2–0 win for Leeds away toSouthampton.[55] On 21 May 2021, it was announced that Leeds would release Berardi at the end of the season.[56]
On 23 May 2021, after a 3–1 home win againstWest Bromwich Albion, Berardi alongside teammatePablo Hernandez officially departed Leeds United, bidding an emotional farewell to their fans after making their final appearances for the club.[57]
On 30 January 2022, Berardi returned to Switzerland, joiningSion until the end of the 2021–22 season.[58]
On 31 May 2023, Berardi announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 34.[59]
After playing for theSwitzerland national under-20 team, Berardi debuted for theSwitzerland U21s againstGreece on 19 November 2008.
Berardi played his first and only match forSwitzerland at senior level againstLiechtenstein on 10 August 2011.[2]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brescia | 2006–07[60] | Serie B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[60] | Serie B | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09[60] | Serie B | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10[60] | Serie B | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 2010–11[61] | Serie A | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[61] | Serie B | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 103 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 108 | 0 | ||
| Sampdoria | 2011–12[61] | Serie B | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| 2012–13[61] | Serie A | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14[61] | Serie A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Total | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| Leeds United | 2014–15[62] | Championship | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[63] | Championship | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17[64] | Championship | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18[65] | Championship | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19[43] | Championship | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| 2019–20[66] | Championship | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 25 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21[67] | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 144 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 157 | 2 | ||
| FC Sion | 2021–22[61] | Swiss Super League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 292 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 310 | 2 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Brescia
Sampdoria
Leeds United
