Serie A have introduced a new badge of honour for the new season where individual players will wear a special gold crest on their shirts throughout the 2019/20 campaign to celebrate significant individual accolades. Last season's top goalscorer Fabio Quagliarella was the first to debut the crest as the Sampdoria striker kitted up for his side's final pre-season game.
The Italian top flight have been keen to promote their brand over the past twelve months, led by a re-design of the league logo and listening to clubs such as Juventus who want to stage earlier kick off times so that they can raise their profiles in Asia. This latest move is something that would sit closer to American sports where MVP culture is huge; it's reported that Quagliarella isn't the only player to wear the badge this season, he's expected to be joined by the winners of the 18/19 Best Goalkeeper (Samir Handanovic), Best Defender (Kalidou Koulibaly), Best Midfielder (Sergej Milinkovic-Savic), Best Young Player (Nicolò Zaniolo), and MVP (Cristiano Ronaldo) when the season kicks off this weekend.
The golden patch is taken from the top of the trophy that each player has picked up – a golden take on the re-branded league logo. Serie A have confirmed the decision in a statement by explaining; “The player who in the previous season won the Award as Best Player in one of the categories identified by the Lega Nazionale Professionisti Serie A, will be entitled to put the official celebratory badge on his shirt. This badge will be provided to the Company directly by the Serie A National Professional League and will be affixed to the front of the shirt, in the centre."
So there you have it. Individual recognition celebrated on the pitch of a team game, it's a mixed message but one that gives Serie A a USP that can be used to elevate the profiles of their players. It's all neat and tidy when all six players remain in the league the following season, but it could get a bit lost. Assuming it's also another tactic to sell club shirts with the patch on.
What do you reckon? Is it a case of modern football being rubbish or can you see it catching on in other leagues?
