Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson has revealed how re-watching Aberdeen’s painful 2018 Scottish League Cup final defeat to Celtic inspired him to a historic Coppa Italia triumph in Rome on Wednesday.
The Scotland midfielder skippered the Serie A side to their first trophy in 51 years as they defeated AC Milan 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to Dan Ndoye’s second-half strike.
And the 25-year-old confessed that he screened a rerun of the Hampden showpiece on the morning of the game to remind himself how bad it felt to come out on the losing side – and ensure that it didn’t happen again.
Ferguson, who was a teenager in the Dons side that lost out to Ryan Christie’s winner, said of this week’s happier occasion: ‘It means a lot. I played in one final before in Scotland and I lost.
‘I remember the feeling after that game and this morning I rewatched that game to feel how I felt all those years ago. I used this for motivation for tonight. It means so much.’
Lewis Ferguson (left) joins his team-mates in lifting the Coppa Italia on Wednesday night
The cup final victory came after a difficult year for Lewis Ferguson due to injury
Ferguson, son of former Rangers star Derek and nephew of Ibrox interim manager Barry, played the full 90 minutes of this week’s Coppa Italia showdown, with the Rossoblu making history and securing a Europa League spot for next season in the process.
Bologna’s triumph provided a glorious end to a difficult 12 months for Ferguson, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in April last year that cruelly denied him his chance to represent Scotland at Euro 2024.
He returned last November to play a part in Bologna’s first appearance in the Champions League since 1965, or European Cup as it was known back then, but his momentum was then stalled by muscular issues he picked up in February and April.
‘Obviously I had a serious injury,’ Ferguson told a post-final press conference in Italian. ‘I worked hard for six or seven months, even more, and when I came back I had to work even more
‘Then I hurt myself again, and then again. So it has been a difficult year, but I’m happy now. I’m here and tonight I played in a historic match.’
Under Ferguson’s captaincy, Bologna have enjoyed a record-breaking period.
Manager Thiago Motta led the team to a fifth place finish in Serie A last season with a club-record points total.
At the same time, Ferguson scooped the prestigious Bulgarelli Number 8 award for midfielder of the year after scoring six goals, which saw him surpass Denis Law as the most prolific Scottish scorer in the Italian top-flight.
Motta’s subsequent move to Juventus, and the sales of key players Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori to Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, meant that few predicted Bologna would maintain those same standards in the 2024-25 campaign.
Instead, they have gone one better, with new coach Vincenzo Italiano keeping his team in the top-four race all season and now leading them to some elusive silverware.
‘We have grown a lot in the three years I have been here,’ added Ferguson, who was left with a bloodied nose in the final after taking a boot to the face in the first half.
‘Every year we raise the level of our game and our work ethic. Last year we made history, we achieved a record points total and qualified for the Champions League. ‘Today we made history, too, and we’re happy. Now we need to push even more.’