Toronto FC captain Federico Bernardeschi, left, and Lorenzo Insigne react during their team's loss to SC Nashville on May 24.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Toronto FC is parting ways with Italian designated players Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi, ending an expensive and unsuccessful partnership.
The struggling Major League Soccer club said their contracts had been mutually terminated, with TFC using its two permitted buyouts of their guaranteed deals.
“After several meaningful discussions, we are happy to have found a solution that is agreeable to all parties involved,” Toronto GM Jason Hernandez said in a brief statement Tuesday.
The two Italian designated players arrived to much fanfare – with paycheques to match – midway through the 2022 season. But they could not return the club to its former glory.
Insigne, 34, was making US$15.4-million this season, second only to Lionel Messi’s US$20.5 million. Bernardeschi, 31, was earning US$6.295 million this season, sixth-best in MLS.
Insigne’s contract ran through June, 2026, with an option for the remainder of the year, while Bernardeschi’s deal covered 2026 with option years through 2028.
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It was not money well spent.
Toronto (4-10-5) currently sits 13th in the 15-team Eastern Conference, four places and 11 points below the playoff line, and 26th overall in the 30-team league. It has not made the playoffs since 2020, when it stumbled at the first hurdle.
Their departure means Toronto is without a designated player, with two such spots available.
Under MLS roster rules, a designated player aged at least 24 only carries a salary budget charge of US$743,750, no matter how much they are paid.
“The designated player strategy is a critical component to Toronto FC’s success in Major League Soccer and the club will continue to prioritize TFC’s short-, medium- and long-term strategy in the weeks ahead,” said MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley.
Insigne scored 19 goals and added 18 assists in 76 games for Toronto across all competitions. That includes one goal and three assists in 12 appearances this season.
Bernardeschi scored 26 goals and added 22 assists in 99 appearances across all competitions. An all-star in 2024, he has four goals and four assists through 15 matches this season.
Bernardeschi offered a parting message via social media.
“Every single day on the pitch, I gave everything I had. All my passion. All my drive. All of myself. I never held back,” he wrote. “I gave everything for this shirt, for this city, for its fans.”
“Now a new journey begins for me,” he added. “A new chapter, a new challenge. But the bond with this city, with its people, will forever live in my heart. Toronto FC, MLS: thank you for this extraordinary adventure. This is not goodbye. It’s see you soon.”
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Bernardeschi has been linked to a move to Italy’s Bologna.
Insigne sat out the last two TFC games. He did not make it off the bench in a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls and did not dress for Saturday’s 3-0 win over Portland.
At the time, Toronto coach Robin Fraser said the club wanted to give other players a chance.
Toronto sat Insigne for the first four games of this season after failed attempts to move him to clubs in Italy, Spain, Turkey and Brazil. Insigne kept training with the first team while out of favour.
“It wasn’t a happy time for me,” he told The Canadian Press in May. “But I’m not going to keep thinking about it.”
“I’ve always been happy here, and as long as my contract lasts, I’m going to do the best I can to make us win,” he added.
The club eventually returned him to action, but with one goal and three assists in 12 league outings, he did not make much of an impact.
Bernardeschi has not played since May 24 when he picked up a fifth yellow card that earned him a one-game suspension. He missed the last three games with what Fraser described as a “lingering” injury.
At his best, the flamboyant Bernardeschi was a sight to behold, marauding down the wing and heading toward goal, looking to unleash his dangerous left boot. But with 26 yellow and four red cards in 88 league appearances, he was also volatile and somewhat unreliable.
Insigne showed only flashes of past brilliance that earned him the nickname “Il Magnifico.” Injuries and family health issues did not help.
Unlike Bernardeschi, who was able to converse in English, Insigne’s limited language skills meant his side of the story was rarely heard.
In May, however, he said he was going to finish out his contract.
“With the money I earn, I could just sit down, I could have said, ’Who cares? I make a lot of money. I don’t have to do anything,’” Insigne said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “But that’s not who I am. I’m going to always, every day, come and work hard. And as long as my contract’s here, that is my goal at the end – I’m here to work hard and respect everybody.”