In a GOAL exclusive, the Dutchman discusses the Rossoblu's remarkable rise, as well as former team-mates Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Calafiori
Sam Beukema speaks for just under half an hour – and not once does the smile disappear from his face. It's easy to understand why, of course. On Wednesday, he's likely to line out at Anfield for the first time as a player, with Bologna taking on Liverpool at one of the most famous venues in football.
Beukema still can't quite get his head around it. He was on FaceTime with team-mates Lewis Ferguson and Dan Ndoye when the draw for this season's Champions League was made back in August, and they knew because of the nature of the new format that they were guaranteed to face one big, Pot One team away from home.
"But when we got Liverpool at Anfield, we were all like, 'This is going to be so cool!'" he tells GOAL in an exclusive interview. "I've only been there once before as a kid with (current Netherlands international) Tijjani Reijnders, as we were playing together in the Twente youth team at the time.
"The club brought the whole squad to a Europa League game against Zenit (in 2013) and Luis Suarez scored twice. Hearing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' before the game was so impressive and the atmosphere was amazing right until the end. It was a great experience, so going there now with Bologna is going to be magical no matter what happens."
'Meant to be'
The Rossoblu's mere presence in the Champions League is unquestionably the stuff of fairy tales. They are the provincial club that stunned the world by finishing fifth in Serie A last season to qualify for the European Cup for the first time since 1965, when they were eliminated in the preliminary round in their one and only previous appearance in the competition.
Nobody at Bologna ever thought such a thing possible. Even when Beukema first spoke with Marco Di Vaio before joining the club from AZ Alkmaar last summer, the sporting director told him, "We have a project here. We want to work with young talents and take Bologna to another level, so that in a few years we can qualify for the Conference League." But, as Beukema is only so happy to point out, "We've ended up in the Champions League instead!"
Beukema had felt good about his move to Bologna from the get-go. His mother had lived in Riccione for 10 years, so he had plenty of fond memories of visiting the nearby coastal town.
"She never taught me Italian, though!" he says, feigning anger, "so, I had to learn that for myself! But I think I speak the language pretty well now and, besides, I always felt like I had a bit of a bond with Italy, and this region in particular.
"I'd never been to Bologna, but when I arrived last year, I thought it was such a beautiful city. The people are so nice, and then you have the food and the weather! So, overall, I think it's a really great place to play football.
"Also, years ago, I had a very good season at my first club, Go Ahead Eagles, and I chose to move to AZ. But Bologna was interested as well. I said no, though, because I preferred to take the next step in the Netherlands, as that also meant playing in the Conference League with AZ. So, when Bologna called again last year, they had to pay more money to sign me, so they were pretending to be upset with me, joking, 'We told you that you should have come three years ago!' So, it was quite funny in that sense – maybe it was just meant to be."
Advertisement'Started to feel unbeatable'
If Beukema joining Bologna felt somewhat inevitable, the club's qualification for the Champions League was anything but. The Rossoblu sat 11th in the Serie A standings after winning just two of their opening eight matches last season – and that was pretty much where everyone expected them to be.
However, under Thiago Motta's tutelage, Bologna became Serie A's "biggest ball-breakers", as the coach put it. And not by employing dark arts or roughhouse tactics; Bologna tormented teams by patiently building from the back and keeping near-constant possession of the ball in order to draw opponents out, before quickly playing through them.
A rough patch just after Christmas silenced giddy talk of a top-four finish, but Bologna won six games in a row between February 3 and March 3 to propel themselves into the Champions League places. It was at that point Beukema and Bologna began to believe.
"Our way of thinking last year was game-by-game, but when we started to beat the other teams up near the top of the table, like Roma, Lazio and Atalanta, we started to feel unbeatable," he admits. "But we knew that we needed to remain grounded, and consistent."
Motta's management had been key in that regard.
"The coach kept saying 'Game by game, guys' but a few weeks before the end of the season, he said it publicly in a press conference, 'Our goal now is the Champions League.' But he had asked us beforehand.
"Ahead of training one day, he said to us, 'How are you guys feeling? Because if you guys want me to say it, I'm going to say it.' And we were like, 'Yes, now is the moment. We're ready to fight for the Champions League.' So, I think that was the right way to do it, just before the end of the season, because if he'd done it beforehand, I think it would have created extra pressure or unrealistic expectations."
'Goosebumps just thinking about it'
The approach paid off spectacularly, with Bologna losing only once – at home to runaway champions Inter – before sealing qualification with two games to spare when rivals Roma were beaten in Bergamo by Atalanta.
"We were such a close group the whole season," he explains. "Any time we had a dinner, everybody came. There are obviously always cliques and close friends in any squad, but we were all really tight. So, when Atalanta won that game, we were all together, all celebrating. It was really special, absolutely unforgettable.
"And then, after our final home game, against Juventus, there were like 30 or 40 thousand people in the city centre afterwards. We arrived on this bus and it was just an incredible experience. I still get goosebumps now just thinking about it.
"We did something that nobody could have ever imagined. I'll never forget it. And I can't even imagine if we won the league or something – it would be crazy! But just to qualify for the European Cup for the first time in like 60 years, it was unbelievable."
Getty Images'Everything a top striker needs'
The obvious question now is whether Bologna can make further history by reaching the knockout stages – particularly after losing two key players and their coach during the summer.
Joshua Zirkzee, the fulcrum of the attack, has joined Manchester United, where Beukema is in no doubt his compatriot will eventually become a big fan favourite.
"People constantly asked me last season, 'Who's the best striker in Serie A?' And I always said, 'I play against him in training every day – it's Joshua!' We had so many great battles. I'd like to think I made life difficult for him because he definitely made life difficult for me," he says, laughing.
"He's so unpredictable because his technique is so good and he's so strong. He's a great finisher, too, and really fast over the first few metres. He really has everything you need to be a top striker, but it's his technique and his strength that give him such an advantage, because it's so hard to get around him to get the ball off him. He's just such a good player, and a really good friend, too. I've no doubt he'll do well at United."
Riccardo Calafiori has also moved to England, with the versatile Italy defender joining Arsenal. "I still speak a lot with him," Beukema reveals. "I follow him everywhere and watch as many of his games as I can, so I'm very happy to see him doing well.
"And I'm not surprised either. He's such a talented footballer. He did so well last season and fully deserved such a big move."