Amidst even more smoldering wreckage from this accursed Fiorentina season, here’s a little distraction for you. It’s the attacking cohort of that inexpressibly fun 2012-2013 Viola team that rocketed to 4th place behind a bunch of charismatic players and a tactical approach that made them shine.
Federico Bernardeschi made the bench for several games but wasn’t quite ready for his debut, instead starring for the Primavera. I’m only adding him here because I have it on good authority that 1) he’s actually
quite a lovely man, 2) he still seems puzzled by Fiorentina fans’ animus against him, and 3) his recent interview just reinforces what a legend he could’ve been had he possessed the fortitude to resist the sirens in Turin.
Mounir El Hamdaoui never found his feet after leaving Fiorentina, bouncing between the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia without ever cracking double figures in a season, partly due to persistent injuries and partly due to a personality that saw him fall out with various managers over the years. He’s as hard to pin down online as he was in real life: despite Transfermarkt recording him as playing in the Dutch 2nd division until 2019, several outlets report him taking up a director role at Moroccan outfit Al Hoceima in 2018. Maybe he did both simultaneously? Enigmatic as ever.
Stevan Jovetić is still a year younger than me and that does my head in. He’s playing for Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus and, despite missing time with injuries, remains effective (26 appearances, 9 goals, 8 assists). In a better world, he’d have been healthy for the Conference League run-in. Omonia was eliminated by Rijeka in the playoff (Jojo was hurt) but I can’t help but imagine a world where he led the charge, broke through, and got a chance for a magical European return to the Franchi.
Marcelo Larrondo moved to Torino after his brief Viola sojourn before returning to South America, racking up seasons with Tigre, Rosario, River Plate, Defensa y Justicia, Union la Calera, Bernardo O’Higgins, Audax Italiano and Deportivo Maipú; he last played in 2023 but only officially retired last year, although a cryptic Instagram post could indicate that he’s mulling another ride with Rosario. Regardless of what’s next, I’m glad that he hasn’t gone down as a meme backup striker like el Tanque Silva or Diego Falcinelli.
Adem Ljajić is 34 years old and playing at FK Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina, stacking up 4 goals and 4 assists in 17 appearances so far while captaining the side for the past few weeks. As you might expect from a player who’s always been unpredictable both on and off the pitch, it’s a bit of a swerve: he’d spent the past 3 years with hometown club Novi Pazar and seemed to be parachuting into retirement, not least because he signed a contract that allowed him to play for the club’s basketball team part-time as well. He’s still got that same floppy hair and that same sparkle on the pitch.
Giuseppe Rossi made a 26 minute cameo in the final game of the season after rehabbing a cruciate ligament. It’s easy to forget that he joined before Borja Valero and Gonzálo Rodríguez. His post-Viola career never took off due to his ravaged knees; stints at Levante, Celta Vigo, Genoa, Real Salt Lake, and SPAL were mixed successes and Pepito hung up his boots in 2023. He’s still involved in the game, though, as he’s now the vice-chairman of the post-Commisso New York Cosmos, reborn in the USL and beginning their season in just a few days. It’s very exciting to have Beppe back in calcio world, even tangentially, as long as you don’t look at Rossi’s social media.
Haris Seferović was one of the lesser-known Corvinate but I was convinced he was the prima punta to pair with Jovetić over the long haul. He’s had a very solid career, highlighted by a pair of 20+ goal seasons at Benfica and his presence at 3 World Cups for Switzerland. He’s also had stops at Galatasaray and Celta Vigo before leaving Europe behind for the UAE in 2023, turning out for Al-Wasl and Al-Nasr before moving to Andrea Pirlo’s Dubai United FC (alongside Gian Marco Ferrari of all people) and seems to be finding his feet just fine.
Luca Toni was supposed to take a victory lap in Florence before retiring but he provided Vincenzo Montella with a perfect Plan B. In hindsight, upgrading that with Mario Gómez was a catastrophe, as Zio Luca produced a pair of 20-goal seasons for Hellas Verona before retiring in 2016. He immediately moved upstairs, becoming a club director for the Mastini but stepped down a year later. He’s done his coursework at Coverciano but has ended up taking the media route instead for a few years. He’s currently working in some capacity for Zeta Como in the incomprehensible King’s League, which mostly means he’s catching up with old friends. Hopefully he runs across David Pizarro there too.
Kenneth Zohore never made a senior Viola appearance but was a very exciting Primavera prospect that year. It never quite came together for him as he left Florence at the end of the year and has turned out for 8 clubs across Denmark, Sweden, England, Belgium, and Poland. Still just 32, he’s currently at Fremad Amager in the Danish second division and playing regularly. Maybe he’s never hit the heights his early career and family connections promised—he’s Didier Drogba’s second cousin, which every announcer gleefully reminded us whenever he appeared onscreen—but he’s a solid pro and will always remain the striker of the future in FIFA 12.
