The Casertana striker made his Serie A debut at the age of 18 with Palermo: “Just a few minutes, but unforgettable. It’s my favorite team. Leo had to choose a young talent for Nazione and he mentioned my name, I was speechless. This year I want to go all the way in the playoffs.“

The first person to imagine Accursio Bentivegna’s goals was a psychologist: ”I was shy at school, I had trouble expressing myself. They sent me to a specialist, and after a few sessions he advised me to try to express myself through soccer.” The journey began with a Freud scholar, continued on a Palermo-Milan flight that could have been one-way, even appeared in a documentary about Maradona, and ended at Casertana, in the middle of the Serie C playoffs, with a string of important goals. But at some point, Bentivegna’s résumé from Sciacca, Agrigento, began to fill up with different jobs: “I was an actor once, but it was tough. My father forbade me from becoming a fisherman like him: he wanted me to dream of being a soccer player through and through. I fulfilled his wish. And mine too, despite Messi…”

Yes, he also appeared in his life. And in a big way. Thanks to a list drawn up by La Pulga in 2015: the 10 talents of the future. Bentivegna was also on it.

“An Adidas project asked him to choose one per country. For Italy, he chose me. When I found out, I was speechless. I had played very well in the Viareggio Tournament, but I didn’t think even Messi would notice me.“

In hindsight, did that nomination do you good or bad?

”It certainly created a lot of expectations for me. It’s a whirlwind that hits you and can change your life, even to the point of backfiring on you. It’s no coincidence that I went into decline, going from Serie A to Serie C.“

You were a teenager, yet you had already made your Serie A debut with Palermo.

”It was only a few minutes, but they were unforgettable: the Barbera was a gigantic arena. I was playing with my favorite team, and I almost scored against Cagliari: Brkic saved it.“

Let’s clear up the doubt right away. Did you and the other nine meet Messi?

”We were supposed to, but the meeting was canceled because of his commitments. It was a shame.“

It’s anything but a shame to talk about Casertana’s current form: you’re fourth among the superpowers of Group C.

”We’re going strong and we don’t want to relax. Up there with us are teams that have nothing to do with the third division, but facing them gives us unique motivation.”

What has been Casertana’s standout game this year?

“It’s difficult to choose just one. The one everyone cares about most is the derby with Salernitana, but we lost. So I hope to be able to frame the return match.“

You’ve already scored eight goals. Do you know that every time you score, Casertana wins?

”It’s an honor for me: seven goals is a lot, and it makes me proud. I can only thank the staff, the club, and my teammates who have always believed in me.“

Many people believed in you from an early age. But what were you doing in the short film Maradona Baby as a kid?

”At that time, a director was scouting the fields looking for a kid who could dribble well. One afternoon, he came to Kronion, my soccer school. He chose me.“

And how did your acting career go?

”It was a bit tough: we rehearsed many parts from morning to night. I wasn’t used to certain things; I was a child.”

After cinema, it was time for soccer, the real thing. Inter Milan came calling.

“I took a plane with my dad to meet the youth team managers. On the flight back, he asked me, ‘Did you like Milan?’ I said no. And he said, ‘Me neither.’ The truth is that I was still a kid, and I was put off by the cold and rain I encountered in the city. And if I had accepted Inter’s offer, my whole family would have had to move to the north.“

Would you make the same choice again?

”Yes, because it meant joining Palermo. My favorite team, the one that gave me my debut in Serie A.”

They were blown away, like Messi, by the 2015 Viareggio Tournament. The one where he scored twice against Donnarumma’s Milan.

“Yes, even though Gigio only conceded one goal, because he then brought me down in midfield and was sent off…”

But could you tell he was destined for greatness?

“Absolutely. Within a few months, Mihajlovic gave him his Serie A debut. He’s a champion.”

Like the ones he met during his years in Palermo: Dybala, Vazquez, Belotti…

“Paulo struggled at first, but he came through thanks to his undeniable qualities. He left us speechless in training. I still talk to Belotti from time to time: I exchange messages with him, Emerson, and Lazaar. Enzo Maresca is also on the team: you could see he had a future as a coach because, first and foremost, he was a very intelligent person. He had foresight.”

Between Palermo and Caserta, he spent a decade on loan around Italy. Como, Ascoli, Carrarese, Juve Stabia, Imolese, Novara… were they all the right choices?

“No, not all of them, especially in the early part of my career. I should have focused solely on playing, I had to show what I could do. Instead, I made more than one mistake. In Carrara, however, I had some wonderful moments with Baldini, apart from the injuries: he’s more of a motivator than a coach. An amazing person.“

Any advice from Baldini that stuck with you?

”Everyone has something extra to give. And sometimes I think back to what Iachini said to me when I was about to score my first goal with Palermo.”

Meaning?

“You had to angle it. There was no way Brkic was going to save it…”

A legend other than the inevitable Messi?

“I never missed a Del Piero game. And my favorite shot is still the curling shot, like he used to do.”

Your goal for 2026?

“Double digits to take the team out to dinner. And to see Casertana go all the way in the playoffs: we’re not the strongest, but we know how to suffer more than others. A bit like last year at Pescara: in the end, we were right during those playoffs.”

Would you return to Palermo?

“I wish. It’s my home, after all: we came close when Baldini was there, but I was at Juve Stabia and they wouldn’t let me move from there.”

Fioretto: if Casertana gets promoted to Serie B, what will Bentivegna do?

” I might shave my head.“

Now a provocative question: 15 goals with Casertana or Palermo in Serie A?

”If those 15 goals allow us to go to Serie B, I’ll choose those. But if they’re worthless, you understand…”