Ambrosini reflects on favourite Milan memory, captain’s armband and difficult exit

Massimo Ambrosini has shared his thoughts on the success experienced with AC Milan, the Champions League revenge in 2007, his role as captain, and the harsh departure. 

Ambrosini made nearly 500 appearances for Milan, stopping at 488, and he played many of those games with the captain’s armband. Adding the important trophies he won with the club, including two Champions League, there is no doubt that he’s a legend.

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However, his tenure at the club took somewhat of an abrupt exit, which the midfielder has talked about a lot before. After the 2012-13 season, his contract wasn’t renewed and he was never properly told by the club, which resulted in there being no proper farewell either.

Speaking to the Derbyssimo Legends x MilanNews podcast, Ambrosini spoke about the good years with the club, which success story he prefers, and how he felt about the departure. Clearly, Milan could have handled things better.

If you had to choose, are you prouder of winning the Champions League or of being AC Milan’s captain?

“I’d say the Champions League, because in the end it brings satisfaction to the team, the fans, and you. It’s clear that being captain is something memorable, but it’s more of a personal thing. Victories are the things that last forever.”

Was it harder to maintain a high level or share a dressing room with so many champions?

“The level. In one way or another, like in the last years of my career when the dressing room was a bit more complicated, being in there was everything. You know, you can stay there when the human quality is high. Keeping up with those who had a different quality than me, in terms of football, was more complicated.”

Manchester 2003, Athens 2007: which one sticks with you the most and why?

“Personally, I’d say Athens because I played there. Experiencing a Champions League season as a protagonist stays with you longer, compared to the other, which, chronologically and in terms of the opponents we faced, was different.

“In 2003, we won the semi-final against Inter and the final against Juve, so in terms of rivalry and also in terms of quality of play, that team was stronger than the one that beat Liverpool in 2007. But you know, when you know you’re a starter for a team and experiencing everything from start to finish as a protagonist, it leaves you with a different sense of accomplishment.”

Istanbul 2005: Have you ever seen that match again? What really happened?

“I didn’t see it again because I didn’t play it. It was enough for me to watch it from the stands, because I was injured. I’ve always said for 20 years: when you lose games of that kind, of that level, of that importance, and in that way, nothing can heal it.

“If we want to be philosophical, you heal the wound but the scar remains, because when you look at that stuff, it stays with you. It’s right that it should be that way. Football has put us in the best position to heal it, replaying it two years later with the same team, but even if you win, that stuff stays with you.”

Was Athens more about revenge, justice, or liberation?

“Liberation. Justice is when you suffer an injustice, and in that case, we suffered no injustice but a harsh sporting result we had to accept. Liberation because you received excellent compensation, because very few people or teams get that opportunity.”

Leaving AC Milan: Did the decision hurt you more because of the choice or the way it was made?

“Because of the way it was made. If I had built my career, I would have finished it at AC Milan, without a doubt. I wasn’t ready even if they had helped me out in a different way, but I would have metabolised it a little more calmly.

“Not having had the chance to close the circle, a sort of goodbye, I still have that little missing hole in my heart, in my head. I know I won’t fill it. From a sporting standpoint, you can’t take away from a club, from its directors, the ability to decide that you are no longer part of a technical project.

“No one should have the presumption of when to play and for how long, except in very rare cases. Paolo (Maldini) was one of those, but the management wasn’t done correctly.”

So, did you feel it was more gratitude or clarity that was lacking?

“Clarity. At that moment, I didn’t feel the responsibility to speak clearly. The responsibility for the decision was being passed around a bit. That bothered me, because if they had called me in and thanked me for everything, what could you say to them?

“You can have your own ideas, but you have to ‘get over it’. If they had handled it differently, they would have let me say goodbye,” he concluded.