Defender Francesco Acerbi has earned praise for emerging as a leader at Inter Milan, both on and off the pitch.
Today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, highlight the 35-year-old’s growth into his role.
By now, the story of Acerbi at Inter is well-known.
Initially, the Italian international was not very well-received by Nerazzurri fans.
The reason was that Acerbi seemed to represent a lack of ambition and financial resources in the transfer market from the club.
The former Sassuolo defender had certainly done well at Lazio under Inter coach Simone Inzaghi.
But compared to more glamorous names like Bremer or Manuel Akanji, Acerbi seemed to represent the fallback option.
A league-tested veteran to back up Stefan de Vrij. Little more than that.
But the reality could hardly be further from that.
Acerbi has become one of Inter’s key players in the eighteen months since he joined.
Francesco Acerbi Praised For Leadership Role At Inter
Acerbi’s leadership is evident on the pitch.
The veteran defender is often the player seen organizing the rest of the defense around him.
But Acerbi has also become a strong personality off the pitch as well.
Even though the Italian has only been at Inter for a year and a half, that has not stopped him from having the courage to face the cameras and speak his mind.
Acerbi is often the Inter player who is on media duties after a bad result.
And that was also the case after Friday’s Serie A draw against Genoa.
Acerbi gave a brutally honest assessment of the match. The 35-year-old admitted that the team needed to do better, and that the draw was the fair result.
More than that, Acerbi also took a bit of a swipe at rivals Juventus.
The Italian international was not afraid to point out what he saw as a double standard between how Inter and the Bianconeri are treated by media figures and pundits.
Acerbi may not have roots as deep as some of his teammates at Inter. But the veteran defender doesn’t lack a feeling of responsibility to the shirt.
