A picture says a thousand words, so people say. There was nothing extraordinary about Federico Chiesa’s picture on Instagram back in January, a simple family shot of him as a small child. But in his hand he waved a Fiorentina flag, and the very fact that he had held onto this special memory – captioned simply with a purple heart – signified just how important the 19-year-old can be for the city of Florence.
Around the time that picture was taken, his father Enrico was firing in goals for the Viola. After club hero Gabriel Batistuta had left to chase the Scudetto with Roma, Chiesa was given the main striker position in Roberto Mancini’s side, easing the Tuscan supporters’ loss with 22 goals in 30 games. Supported by Manuel Rui Costa, the Genoa-native helped his side to a Coppa Italia victory in that 2000/01 season, Fiorentina defeating former side Parma over two legs.
It seems as though he had never forgotten that spell in Florence, as he enrolled his ten-year-old son Federico into the Viola youth academy back in 2007. That faith paid off at the start of last season as then coach Paulo Sousa handed young Chiesa a place in the starting lineup for the first game of 2016/17. And what a game it was as Fiorentina travelled to reigning champions and most hated rivals Juventus.
"Do you remember Fede's debut in Turin against Juventus at the first championship? It was not easy to move from the youth team games to the glamorous atmosphere of the Juventus Stadium,” Enrico told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Yet he managed to do his part.”
Despite a good account of himself on his debut, the youngster went on to play a bit-part role in the side, that was until the return fixture when the Bianconeri arrived in Florence on January 15th. A sublime performance from Chiesa helped Fiorentina to a stunning victory, something which his father Enrico sees as somewhat of a turning point.
“Then, for a while, the lights went off,” Enrico continued. “Faith in the rest of the group was restored. He played little. Right at that time he won his challenge. He was not content with that excitement from the beginning of the season. He did not lift his foot from the accelerator. He continued to train at one hundred miles per hour. He almost forced Paulo Sousa to play him. And when they met Juventus back in January, he was one of the best in the side. In six months there was a different player on the pitch.”
From that match onwards, Federico has caught the headlines and his impressive performances for Fiorentina earned him a place in the starting lineup for the Italy U21s in the European Championships this summer. Whilst he has been away on international duty there have been turbulent times in Florence, with captain Gonzalo Rodriguez and club icon Borja Valero forced out of the club alongside rumours that home-grown talent Federico Bernardeschi is about to do the unthinkable and join Juventus.
Just like he was plunged into the side at the deep end last August, Federico now finds himself in the position of having to become the Bandiera (flag-bearer), an icon that fans of the club now desperately need. The club, at least, seem to recognise this and used Chiesa as the sole player to adorn the new kit in an historic launch. Here he stood alongside representatives of each quarter of the city from the unique and culturally important sport of Calcio Storico, held in the centre of Florence every June.
None of this seems to phase Federico, and nor does his father Enrico feel envy as his son’s popularity in Florence threatens to surpass his own. “There’s no jealousy,” he said. “It just makes me proud. He makes my heart beat. It brings confirmation of how far Federico has done in a year. This time last summer he was just a promising youth team player, and he’s a boy who has not changed a bit after the wave of popularity. He’s kept the same humility.”
For all the heartache caused by departures this summer, Chiesa has been the one bright light for Fiorentina fans. The youngster has so much promise on the pitch, but it is his Viola roots that will endear him to those supporters, easing the pain of what they have lost. His future is tied to the past of his father, the symbolic passing down of the same shirt from father to son recognisable not only to Florentines, but to football supporters all over the world.
Those roots, and that family history bind father and son to Fiorentina. Supported by that legacy, the time is now for the boy that once waved a Viola flag to step up and put some pride and passion back into that squad. After another turbulent summer, Federico can be the latest Chiesa to give Florence something to believe in.
