Lewis Ferguson has revealed the secret behind his historic Italian Cup triumph with Bologna - he watched a rerun of him losing a Cup Final for Aberdeen ahead of the game.
The midfielder became the first Scot to win the Coppa Italia since Graeme Souness 40 years ago when he captained Bologna to their first trophy in 51 years to spark scenes of celebrations.
It was a personal triumph for the Scotland international after the heartache of missing Euro 2024 with his country after picking up an ACL injury last season.
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And Ferguson revealed the motivation behind the win over AC Milan in Rome - after he replayed the 2018 League Cup Final defeat to Celtic when he was playing for Aberdeen.
Ferguson said: "It means a lot to me to win this trophy with the Bologna shirt.
"I had played a Final in Scotland and lost. I still remember that feeling.
"The morning of the game, I rewatched that match to remember how it felt to lose the game and I used it as motivation.
"I had a serious injury, I worked hard for seven months and when I came back, I had to work even more.
"Then I got injured again twice. It was a difficult season for me, but now I'm happy to have played in a match that will go down in history.
"We played a great game. We were dominant with the ball, we created more chances. We deserved this trophy. It's an incredible thing for all of Bologna.
"We lost at the San Siro in our last match against AC Milan and came back and did four days of preparing ourselves.
"It was a beautiful evening for us. This is the level we have to get to because the Final was like a Champions League match.
"We played eight important matches in the Champions League that made us grow, that's why we're fighting to get back there.
"Every year, we raise the level of play and work. Last year, we set a record for points, made history and reached the Champions League. Now we will push even more and we won't set limits."
