Bernardeschi chooses '33': "The No.10 has to be earned" -

Federico Bernardeschi has been presented to the media, electing to wear the ’33’ shirt, starting the ’10’ has to be earned.

The former Fiorentina winger was unveiled as a Juventus player this evening and explained that he didn’t feel ready for the ’10 shirt yet.

“There’s a lot of respect for this shirt,” he explained in his presentation Press conference.

“I think it’s right like that, and I think I have to prove I deserve to wear it as I proved in Florence

“So this year is the right one to show the club, the Coach and my teammates that I can wear it.

“I absolutely like the number 10, and if it was for me then I’d have taken it. It’s right like this though, I repeat, I have to deserve it.

“I took the 33 because I’m a believer, I’m religious, so I think that’s the meaning. It’s heavier!

“Juventus represents one of the top clubs in the world, one of the four or five top clubs in the world. It represents history, a part of world football history.

“It’s a great emotion to be here and I want to live these emotions from first to last.

“I’ve always been impressed with one thing: the mentality which Juve have always had and maintained over the years.

“Mentality, grit, tenacity and determination. When you face Juventus as an opponent you know these things and you feel them on the pitch.

“The transfer from Fiorentina? I think this is a bit of a delicate subject.

“I think this is part of an unhealthy society we’re living with in today’s world, like fans wishing death or serious illness to people on social media.

“That’s a bad thing, and I’m not here to feed this unhealthy part of society. Indeed, I thank the fans who, despite everything, wished me good luck.

“These are the people to thank, then there are maybe those who said to me: ‘We won’t be supporting you anymore, but despite that we hope you grow as a professional’.

“That part of society is healthy and should be supported, I’m thankful for it and I appreciate it.

“However, I think the unhealthy part of society should be left alone. I have a strong character, so there’s no problem, the problem comes when these attacks come on fragile people, and I think that’s a societal problem in today’s world.

“Baggio is Baggio, and there’s no-one like Baggio. In my opinion comparisons are always wrong, because there are lives, men are different from each other.

“Baggio was perhaps the greatest Italian footballer of all time, he showed that, so I don’t think you should compare me to him.

“I’m flattered by it, but I think it’s a bit disrespectful to him.

“Well it was long, but it was beautiful. It was a nice and exciting negotiation. It wasn’t easy, but I thank Juve for the confidence they’ve shown in me.

“I thank my agent and those close to me. In the end we managed to get it over the line.

“The compliments I received? First of all I thank them, I really appreciated it. I think when legends like Del Piero and Buffon compliment you, it’s a nice thing for we youngsters.

“I want to thank them publicly for their words, for a youngster like me it was really emotional.

“I’ve always said that Gigi is an example for me , but then I think he’s an example for everyone around the world.

“His story speaks for itself, there’s no need to talk about it. When you have a leader like him, you feel more like following him.”