Former AC Milan coach Fabio Capello has agreed that Milan could name a new stadium after former president Silvio Berlusconi, something he thinks the fans would appreciate.
Speaking during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via SempreMilan.it), Capello spoke passionately about the late Berlusconi, who passed away on Monday morning due to leukaemia.
He used to own Milan and was the president, taking the club from near-bankruptcy to being the most successful side in Europe. Latterly, he was to owner of Monza. Berlusconi was also a media tycoon and former Italian prime minister. His legacy includes multiple sex scandals, corruption allegations and a tax fraud conviction.
Speaking about when he passed away, Capello very emotionally said: “I got goosebumps. It’s as if one of the family had disappeared. He represented a big piece of my life. In fact, he changed my life, because Berlusconi was fundamental to my career. Define him with one word? A genius. He had brilliant visions.”
Speaking about the legacy that the man had both in and outside of football, Capello said: “He invented private TV where Agnelli and De Benedetti had failed, he created a party in a few months and won elections, he built a team that won all over the world.
“For me, he was the greatest president in the history of football, even including Santiago Bernabeu, because with Bernabeu in those years, it was easier for Real Madrid to emerge. And then Berlusconi did not use his partners’ money, but his own.”
He was then asked if Milan could name their new stadium after Berlusconi, to which he said: “That would be an excellent idea. Let’s see what the new owners will think of it. I don’t think the fans would oppose it.”
