AC Milan are still without a management structure less than one month until preseason begins, and uncertainty is all that fills the power vacuum.
When owner Gerry Cardinale spoke about Paolo Maldini the day after the season finale – emphasising that he fired him from the club in 2023 because he wanted to be a one-man show – the surprise was huge.
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Not so much for the veracity of the story, but for the fact that Cardinale’s number one advisor is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has built his entire career on being in the spotlight and centre stage, often supported by world-class players too of course.
The events of these last few weeks, of the last year, and of the last few seasons, seem to confirm that Zlatan is in no mind to relinquish control. While waiting to see how this latest drama pans out, check out casino slots at Mr Q.
The real one-man show
After being under the spotlight as a Milan director during the Fonseca and Conceiçao season – despite everyone always insisting that formally he isn’t – last season Ibrahimovic actually seemed to have stepped back and retreated in his role as a senior advisor.
However, towards the end of the season, worrying details emerged about the situation at Casa Milan: clashes with Allegri, internal disagreements with other members of the management, and messages to the players consistently against the coach.
At the end of the season there was a clean sweep that Ibrahimovic survived, and from there he only seems to have gained power. For example, Ralf Rangnick set clear conditions for becoming Milan’s technical director, including full powers and no interference from ‘above’.
This request didn’t go down well with Ibrahimovic, who rowed against Rangnick. Due to the Swede’s opposition, and given the increasingly long waiting times, in the end the German decided not to wait any longer and to cut off all communication with Milan.
Moreover, Ibrahimovic is currently in the United States as a Fox Sports commentator for the World Cup. Every day he posts some social media content that infuriates Milan fans, and last night, straight from Los Angeles, he even showed up dressed in red and black, almost as if he wanted to make headlines.
It’s clear, in light of Rangnick’s choice, that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will have an impact on this Milan and is pushing to build it according to his vision. The question that arises spontaneously is: given the recent precedent with Allegri, given the one with Rangnick, and given his exuberant personality, who will agree to come and work in Ibrahimovic’s shadow?
Will an experienced and skilled manager like Krosche accept being commanded by Ibrahimovic? Or someone like Planes? It’s hard to say, but the scorched earth and rejections that Milan are receiving are perhaps worth more than many words.
