Written by Matteo Ciaramella
People often ask me: “What is so good about Serie A? It is such a predictable league! It’s not like the Premier League, where any given weekend you can have enormous upsets.”
Bullshit.
Serie A, and Italy as a whole, is exactly where underdogs thrive. The passion displayed by our small teams is truly a sight to see, and they always give big opponents a tough time. Pride and grit are essential ideas in clubs like Lecce, Livorno, Udinese, Brescia, Hellas Verona, Genoa, and many, many more, which is exactly how the legend of the bomber di provincia was born.
But what exactly is a bomber di provincia?
A bomber di provincia (BDPs as I like to call them) is the most Serie A thing ever. Translated, it simply means “provincial or suburban goalscorer”. The idea is clear here; BDPs are exceptional players that represent the smallest clubs in Italy. Now, the teams in question don’t have to come from tiny towns in the middle of nowhere. We are focusing on Serie A sides who have a proud history of shedding blood, sweat and tears to stay in the top flight, like the aforementioned gritty underdogs so commonly found in Serie A grounds. In my eyes, they are the true heros of our league, and without them, it loses meaning. How could one possibly want to watch a championship filled to the brim with brand-name superstars, astronomical sponsorship deals, and relentless media attention? If you’re a true football fan, that’s just not what you want, and this is coming from a die-hard Milan supporter. Mid-table and relegation-bound clubs are what define Serie A, and have given us some of the most memorable moments in league history. However, I would also argue that the most remarkable gifts that these teams have to give are their BDPs.
BDPs are fascinating. They are unsung heroes in the media, but worshiped by their loyal supporters. They represent the working class, the blue-collar communities that essentially make up the Italian football fanbase. More often than not, these guys are the main orchestrators of the football miracles we all love so much. There’s Livorno’s unbelievable 2006 UEFA Cup qualification, in big part thanks to Cristiano Lucarelli’s 19 goals that season. We have Di Natale’s 28 league goals in 2010-2011, which resulted in Udinese’s third place finish. What about Palermo’s 2009-2010 miracle of a season, in which they came fifth? Fabrizio Miccoli’s 19 goals. If we go further back in time, we find Brescia’s 2000-2001 unexpected eighth place finish, largely stemming from Dario Hubner appearing 17 times on the scoresheet. The list goes on. Players like Sergio Pellissier, Diego Milito, German Denis, and more recently, Fabio Quagliarella and Joao Pedro, take entire teams on their backs and charge at the opposition, fighting for the best possible result. In fact, these collectives rarely have someone else other than their BDPs to rely on, resulting in hard-fought games week in and week out. They can’t afford to play beautiful attacking football that enchants the media. These guys stay in the shadows, scrapping for points in whatever way they can, with the BDP always leading the way. This relentlesness and desire to “survive” is what characterizes these teams and their bomber di provincia.
But BDPs are wonderful also because they provide their teammates with hope, and their supporters with something to look forward to. They inspire neighborhoods, and at times, entire cities, uniting tens of thousands of people. For these communities which are so poorly represented by the mainstream media, seeing a player from their club, someone that represents their own city at such a high level, is a question of pride.
It makes them feel noticed.
This might be exactly why the love that BDPs receive from the fans is incomparable to anything else in football. When you have a team whose only hope every weekend is that one goal scoring machine, you cannot avoid adoring him. He is possibly the only reason your team even wins some games, so you have no choice. In Italy, football is a religion, we are all aware of that. Some people base their entire identities around the club they support, and this usually happens in places that have nothing to offer but their football teams. So when these individuals see someone putting their town on the map, expect nothing less than fully devoted love.
BDPs are truly mesmerizing. They live in the mud and do everything in their power to get their teammates and supporters out of the swamp, to the magical land of top 6 league finishes.
They are leaders. They are unstoppable. They are inspiring. And they are downright sensational.
Great article!