Brescia's soul travels to north London: De Zerbi, Tonali and a city's football faith

Tottenham's recent revival has carried a Brescia accent. Even as the old club from that Italian city was wound up this week, the football obsession Roberto De Zerbi brings to north London was forged inside its curva. De Zerbi, who kept Spurs in the Premier League last season, grew up on the Brescia terraces. His father Alfredo was president of the supporters' clubs. In Salim Lamrani's book Football According to Roberto de Zerbi, De Zerbi describes how deep that influence went. "My dad is crazy about football. He was one of the leaders of the Brescia tifoseria. At home, we lived and breathed football. He was the one who passed that passion on to me." The Spurs boss has called himself "born an ultra." That Brescia thread runs through the squad, too. Sandro Tonali, Tottenham's new record signing, joined Brescia at 12, made his senior debut at 17 and helped the club return to Serie A before joining AC Milan in 2020. De Zerbi followed his progress closely. Tonali said on Thursday: "Brescia is so small. I had two weeks there and met him two or three times. We spoke about Brescia, about the difficult situation facing our club." Tonali's £100m move had an Italian twist. Brescia Calcio, owned by Massimo Cellino, had been expelled from professional football last summer amid mounting debt. Union Brescia now carries the city's sporting identity, playing at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti where Roberto Baggio, Pep Guardiola, De Zerbi and Tonali each left an imprint. Tonali and his wife watched Union Brescia during this year's Serie C playoffs, but the club lost to Ascoli in the final. Reports suggested Cellino might look to revive the old club and potentially claim around £3.5m from the transfer via FIFA's solidarity mechanism. Tuesday's court ruling to wind up Brescia Calcio ended those hopes. Rosanna Pedrollo, who spent half a century at Brescia after joining the club's administration department in 1968, met Alfredo in the early 1980s. She remembers him as a constant presence and a true football man. "He organised the away trips, knew which players were going to visit which supporters' clubs and when. He took care of everything." Pedrollo also recalls a young "Roby" serving as a mascot at four or five, following the team home and away, watching training sessions and preparing tifos. De Zerbi's own route began at USO Mompiano before he moved to Lumezzane and then AC Milan at 12. Pedrollo says Alfredo badly wanted to see his son play for Brescia; that wish was fulfilled when De Zerbi spent 19 games on loan at the club in 2008. His first coaching steps came in the city as well, helping a friend work with youngsters at ADC Mario Rigamonti. His brother Rocco told Corriere Della Sera: "Roberto's love for Brescia shaped his career." The principles De Zerbi now applies at Tottenham were also shaped by hard times. During the early '90s economic crisis, his father was forced to sell the family mat factory and the home De Zerbi grew up in, moving them into a small flat. "We had to rebuild our lives from scratch," De Zerbi said. Those roots explain the fire still burning in Spurs' dugout.