After kicking off their 2026 season with matches against Betim Futebol and North Esporte Clube, Atlético Mineiro will return to action on Sunday against Tombense before facing off against América Mineiro, Palmeiras, Pouso Alegre and RB Bragantino, followed by a match-up against Rui Duarte’s Athletic in the Campeonato Mineiro. One man who will be watching eagerly and following the exploits of the ‘Galo’ is Leonardo Bertozzi.

Born and raised in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Bertozzi got hooked on football after watching the 1986 FIFA World Cup and watching, at just five years of age, as his neighbors painted the streets green and yellow and gathered in hordes to watch the national team play. That same year, Bertozzi started attending Atlético-MG matches at the Mineirão with his grandfather, a season ticket holder. Whilst he never dreamt of becoming a footballer, he did harbor ambitions of working in the football industry, prompting him to launch the Futbrasil newsletter, which evolved into a website, and enroll in the Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte in 1999. Bertozzi started covering Atlético-MG matches for a fan site, and in 2013, he co-authored the book Nós Acreditamos: Campeão Libertadores with Mário Marra and Mauro Beting, which analyzed Atlético’s maiden 2013 Copa Libertadores conquest.

Bertozzi struggled for opportunities after graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor’s in Journalism, but he nevertheless decided to create a new brand new website – Futebol Europeu com BR – where he established a niche thanks to his ample coverage of the European game. He then parlayed this into regular broadcasting gigs with Canal FX and BandSports as well as an editorial job with Revista Trivela before finally getting his breakthrough in 2009 and joining ESPN Brasil as a commentator. 

“The knowledge from 15-20 years ago is not the same knowledge as today. I always feel that, for me, the importance of being up-to-date and informed and understanding the new terminology is crucial to success. The idea that we would have so many game broadcasts on YouTube as we do today, for example, was unthinkable until recently,” stated Bertozzi in an exclusive Joy News interview. “This is a language that is growing today; today, we not only have television programs, but we also have podcasts like "Futebol no Mundo" (Football in the World), which recently reached 500 episodes and is available in audio and video as well. I also participate in a program called Mundo Futebol, which is the equivalent of ESPN FC on ESPN International, and which airs every afternoon. There's also the podcast "Futebol no Mundo" (Football Around the World), another program on the same topic but with a different format.”

Bertozzi has spent the past 17 years establishing a legacy as an ESPN commentator and a pundit, but he hasn’t just stuck around in Brazil. He’s also travelled to Spain to commentate a 2010 UEFA Champions League match at the Santiago Bernabéu between Real Madrid and Milan, and the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, where he watched his boyhood club compete against the world’s biggest clubs in Morocco. The following year, he covered a total of six World Cup matches in Brazil, featuring France and Italy’s national teams. Bertozzi balances his time raising his teenage daughter with his wife in São Paulo whilst also studying a number of different competitions from the Premier League, LaLiga, Brasileirão, Liga Portugal, Eredivisie, DFB-Pokal, the Argentine Primera División, Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. However, his #1 focus is Serie A, whether it’s analyzing the relegation battle or discussing the Capocannoniere favorites or taking a look at Juventus’ current form.

“I think Juventus has a minimum objective, which is to always be in the UEFA Champions League, especially because the investment requires it. Juventus is currently struggling off the field and need to become a profitable team again. They can't afford to keep bleeding its coffers dry for the rest of its life. We're talking about a club that suffered almost 200 million euros in losses in the 2023/24 season; they managed to reduce that somewhat, but it's still a club operating at a loss. It’s still paying the price for the megalomania of wanting to sign Cristiano Ronaldo and trying everything to reach the top of Europe. Due to a combination of factors like poor investments and the pandemic, Juventus ended up entering a very complicated vicious cycle. I think they can stabilize things, but it will be very difficult for them to win the title because there are a lot of more qualified teams like Napoli and Inter. However, I think Juventus has the potential to, at the very least, get back into the top four and qualify for the Champions League again.”

Last summer, Bertozzi was unable to experience the FIFA Club World Cup in its glory after taking a two-month hiatus from social media and undergoing mental health treatment. This summer, however, he’ll be watching proudly from São Paulo as he cheers on his Seleção in the hopes of seeing them secure their sixth World Cup title in North America.

“We will stay in Brazil because ESPN doesn't broadcast the World Cup here, but we will do parallel coverage. Our idea is to do a daily edition of the Mundo Futebol podcast that will be on YouTube and audio, so we want to take this niche of ours here and feed it with daily game analysis and follow it, but I’ll also be staying active on my social media. With regards to Brazil, they may not be among the favorites, but they also weren’t when they won it in 1994 and 2002; everyone was talking about teams like France and Argentina. There have been times where Brazil was the big favorite and ended up not reaching the final, but I think that the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti gives a certain hope, because we are talking about a coach who is highly respected and known and admired by the players. He’s already worked with many of these players, and while it’s only been a few games, it's already possible to say there's been an improvement compared to what it was like before with Dorival Júnior.”

“Brazil has the players to have a good World Cup, but winning is another story. You’ve got so many strong teams like Spain, Portugal, Argentina, England, that could win a World Cup, but we can't rule Brazil out of the list of candidates because they have very good players. Today, Brazil has top-level defenders; perhaps they lack higher-quality midfielders, but Brazil has excellent wingers. They also have center forwards who are starting to stand out more. In short, I think they have the human resources to make a good team, and I don't think it's so bad that Brazil isn't in the main spotlight as a favorite. Sometimes, it has been beneficial for people to look more at other teams than at Brazil; sometimes, it’s good to travel with the headlights low.”