At the start of Serie A, Bergamo were considered one of the contenders for a coveted spot in the top quarter of Italy's elite division and, as a prize, on the path to qualification for the Champions League, while our boy from Ukraine was assigned the role of perhaps the most important creator of future successes for Gian Piero Gasperini’s team.

The first half of the season "Goddess" still held up, but a failure in the second deprived Atalanta not only of a place in the Champions League but also any chance to qualify for any European competition. As for Ruslan himself, things did not go as expected there either. Injuries, positive tests for coronavirus, suspensions, and tragedy in Ukraine introduced unwelcome corrections to his potential leadership status.

However, if we consider Malinovskyi's purely statistical indicators compared to the previous season, then everything does not seem so black. In the 2020/2021 season, the Ukrainian played for Atalanta in 43 matches, scoring 10 goals and providing 12 assists. In the next season, these figures were as follows: 41 matches, 10 goals, and seven assists. So, despite all the negative that surrounded Atalanta and Ruslan, he maintained his level. And this gives hope for the future.