Maybe the Bologna fans were right about Aaron Hickey after all.
When the Scot moved to Italy three years ago, they jumped on that age-old stereotype and assumed he was some sort of hatchet man. Now, anyone who knows the former Hearts kid will appreciate how wide of the mark that is. If anything, Hickey was a success story in Serie A because of how technically gifted he is with both feet. But he might be more of a baby-faced assassin than we think.
After all, type his name into a YouTube search engine and it’s not a goal or a piece of skill that flashes up. Instead, it’s a clip of Hickey absolutely bodying none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s had tens of thousands of views already.
During Brentford’s stunning 4-0 hammering of Manchester United in August, the 20-year-old cemented the Portuguese superstar with a shoulder charge that sent him flying. It typified the Bees’ performance that day. It gave Hickey hero status among the home crowd.
And it was the beginning of the end for Ronaldo in his second ill-fated spell at United. But above all of that, it showed what Hickey is all about.
Nothing fazes him. You don’t play for Hearts in a Scottish Cup Final at 16 if you’ve not got balls. You don’t leave Scotland on your own to play in Italy if you’re afraid of what's around the corner.
And now in the Premier League, Hickey is showing that he doesn’t care who he comes up against on the wing. Ronaldo found that out.
So ahead of Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifying clash with Spain at Hampden on Tuesday night, Hickey isn’t about to get rattled at the thought of taking on some of La Liga’s top boys. As he reflected on the Ronaldo incident - as well as his own mental strength - he said: “Sometimes you do get a little bit nervous when you’re up against wingers that you’ve watched as a kid.
“It seems a bit mental at times. But I just try to get on with it and treat it like another game. When I was younger, I had that a bit when I faced Celtic or Rangers. And now I’m up against top Premier League wingers.
“Obviously, it was Ronaldo at the start of the season. And once the games kick off, my nerves disappear. People are always bringing up that challenge on him. All my pals keep sending me clips of the tackle, saying it was brilliant.
“I guess you can’t really respect reputations too much. It’s a game of football - you’ve got to do what you have to do. At the time, I just saw out of the corner of my eye that it was him and thought: ‘I’ll leave one on him’.
“But after it I went over to make sure he was alright! He’s probably the biggest star I’ve faced. It’s an amazing experience to come up against players like that.
“When I was in Italy at Bologna, the fans didn’t know much about me or Scottish football. They just think aggression. They thought I was a hard man.”
Hickey is far more cultured than that. Going to Serie A at such a young age helped take his game to a new level and earned him a move to London.
He’d never admit to being a trailblazer. But with fellow Scots Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig now plying their trade in Italy, he hopes he’s led the way for even more.
Hickey said: “Going there helped me massively. I knew within myself that I had to do it. I was in two minds about it - I didn’t really want to go.
“But I had to go away and learn and I’m happy that I did. A lot of people are doing it now. It’s funny watching Lewis play for Bologna now, living the life I used to.
“He’s always messaging me asking where the best places to eat are. It definitely made me mentally stronger and more mature.
“I would recommend going abroad to other players. Lewis said to me on the bus one day in Scotland that Bologna were interested in him.
“I was like: ‘What? Another Scottish guy at Bologna’? But I told him to try it because I was sure he’d like it. Me going there has shown other people that they can do it as well. Lewis and Josh are both doing really well so I’m sure that will open doors for others.”
He’s now very much settled at Brentford, though, and trusted against the Premier League big guns. At Hampden in midweek, he might face Bees team-mate, keeper David Raya.
And in a September friendly in Glasgow, he might go up against England striker Ivan Toney in an Auld Enemy clash. But as ever, Hickey will be ready for whatever is thrown at him.
He said: “I haven’t spoken to David much about the game, just individual Spanish players - I’ll ask him: ‘What’s he like’? I’ve actually played against Alvaro Morata before in the past.
“David has been really good for us, probably one of our best players at Brentford this season. So I’m looking forward to it. Spain has a lot of young, amazing players so it will be good to play against them.
“Ivan is also very good. He’s such a big guy up front for us and probably the best striker I’ve ever played with. He’s not got his England call-up which is great. I could come up against him in September for Scotland - I would love that.”
