Lewis Ferguson has already written his name into the history of Bologna Football Club.
Who knows? In future years, the city’s ancient university – believed to be the oldest in the western world – might harbour dusty tomes recounting the feats of this team and its Hamilton-born leader.
A year ago, Ferguson captained Bologna to Champions League qualification for the first time since 1965, winning the Serie A midfielder of the year award as the club finished fifth and broke its points record with its highest finish in more than half a century.
In doing so, he became the top-scoring male Scot in Serie A history, surpassing the great Denis Law. But for all that, greater glory could await Ferguson in Rome on Wednesday night.
On the grandiose stage of the Stadio Olimpico, a desperate AC Milan side stands between Bologna and their first major trophy in 51 years.
The stakes could not be higher for this Coppa Italia final in the Eternal City. For Bologna and Ferguson, legend status is at their fingertips. For Milan, it could be their last chance to qualify for Europe.
Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano celebrates with Charis Lykogiannis and Lewis Ferguson
Lewis Ferguson has been a revelation since his move to Serie A from Aberdeen
Ferguson will face AC Milan on Wednesday in the final of the Coppa Italia in Rome
Few Bologna fans are old enough to remember the names, let alone the faces, of previous trophy-winning captains. Although the club are seven-time Italian champions, the last of those Scudetti came in 1963/64 and the others were all won by the 1940s.
Since then, two Coppa Italia titles in 1970 and 1974 have been the only major trophies the club’s fans have been able to celebrate.
But for Ferguson, this final offers a chance at a happy ending to a story of personal, as well as collective, travails.
An ACL injury last April cruelly denied the midfielder a dream Scotland call-up for Euro 2024 and potentially a lucrative transfer too, as he watched team-mates Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori complete moves to Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.
He was back on the pitch within six months, attributing a ‘Scottish mentality’ for recovering sooner than expected. ‘This is just the nature of a Scottish player – we have the desire and the will to win,’ he quipped at the time.
A contract extension to 2028 followed in November, but Ferguson faced more bumps in the road as muscular problems in February and April stalled his momentum.
Ferguson has had his moments. He made his Champions League debut last year, captaining the club four times on the biggest stage. He netted a penalty against Roma and set up one of five goals in an extraordinary 5-0 thrashing of Lazio in March.
But for most of this season, he has had to listen to Billy Gilmour and especially Scott McTominay being lauded as the new Scottish darlings of Italy as the pair close in on a sensational Napoli Scudetto.
It would be a wonderful end to a difficult year, then, if Ferguson could trump them by becoming the first Scottish man since Graeme Souness at Sampdoria 40 years ago to win a major trophy in Italy.
The fact Bologna find themselves in this position at all, balancing a top-four push with a cup run, comes as a surprise after the club lost Zirkzee, Calafiori and coach Thiago Motta last summer.
Vincenzo Italiano’s appointment has proven to be a savvy one, with the former Fiorentina boss getting his team playing slick, effective football after a slow start.
He has brought out the best in talisman Riccardo Orsolini and developed exciting Argentinian talents Santiago Castro and Benjamin Dominguez, although his record in finals at Fiorentina – three defeats in two years between Coppa Italia and Conference League – is a cause for concern.
The Rossoblu’s cup run has electrified the city, with Italiano calling it ‘a historic appointment’ that ‘all of Bologna is ready’ for.
Full-back Charalampos Lykogiannis has taken to printing photos of the trophy and sticking them on the walls, while there was even a Coppa/Conclave crossover last week when Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi was asked about the next big event to hit the Eternal City.
‘I never hoped (to be Pope) – firstly Bologna need to win the Scudetto. Let’s start with the cup final against Milan,’ he said.
For Milan, the final represents their last chance to make something of an otherwise hugely disappointing season.
The Rossoneri sit eighth in Serie A with two games to go and winning the Coppa Italia final is by far their best route to European football for next year, with a Europa League spot on offer for the winners.
‘A historic club like Milan can’t be content with being (eighth) in the standings. Everyone is hugely frustrated and disappointed,’ said boss Sergio Conceicao, who replaced the sacked Paulo Fonseca mid-season.
However, Milan did enjoy ideal preparation, winning a dress rehearsal against Bologna 3-1 in Serie A on Friday at the San Siro in a game where a Santiago Gimenez double and Christian Pulisic strike completed a comeback after Orsolini’s opener.
Fightbacks have been something of a trademark for this team under Conceicao. Only Atletico Madrid (23) have won more points than Milan (22) from losing positions in Europe’s ‘top five leagues’ this season.
The former Porto manager’s decision to switch to a 3-4-3 formation last month proved sensible, with the team looking more balanced and winning four of their last five games as a result.
This is, after all, a squad packed with individual talents: Pulisic, Gimenez, Rafael Leao, Tijjani Reijnders, Theo Hernandez, Kyle Walker, Mike Maignan and Joao Felix are not players you would expect to find in a mid-table side.
They have already lifted one trophy this season, claiming the Italian Super Cup in January, and doubling up with the domestic cups is now seen as the only route to delivering damage limitation.
Former Milan midfielder Riccardo Montolivo said this week that the season ‘could not be negative with two trophies,’ but that was where the optimism stopped.
‘I finished eighth and didn’t win any trophies with Milan, for God’s sake, but my team didn’t have the quality that this team has,’ he said.
‘There is regret for the unexpressed potential of these players. And we will notice it when Milan watches the Champions League on TV next year.’
