Gerry Cardinale is back in Italy, and he will be in the stands at San Siro for the first time in a long time to watch the derby.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report, Cardinale is fresh from the roundtable discussion on college sports convened by President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. The RedBird boss arrived in Malpensa yesterday morning and then immediately headed to Milanello.
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The eve of the derby is usually a delicate moment, with concentration and tension high. Cardinale thus simultaneously made his support felt to the group, but was careful not to ‘intrude’ on the coach and his assistants as they prepared for the meeting with Chivu’s men.
Tonight he will be at San Siro, hoping for a better outcome than the last derby he attended, Milan 1-2 Inter on April 22, 2024, a victory that mathematically earned Inter a second star.
Presence felt
Cardinale is in Milan for the third time in the last month and a half. Since refinancing Elliott’s vendor loan and securing the Singer family’s departure from the board, the RedBird founder has also been more physically present alongside the Rossoneri.
Since the summer of 2022, he has been in contact (almost daily) with his executives in Italy, but has mostly limited himself to conference calls and phone calls. He doesn’t tend to be a constant presence, and with this “criterion” – that is, delegating to his trusted people – he manages RedBird’s many interests.
With Milan, however, he’s now changing his approach because he’s understood that in Italian football, the ownership’s presence needs to be felt. Whenever his business takes him to Europe, he comes to Casa Milan and Milanello. “We’re very pleased to see him,” Allegri said.
Yesterday, Cardinale arrived before 13:00 and greeted the players, who hadn’t yet finished eating. Among them was Modric, with whom he had a brief conversation. The owner then spoke with Massimo Calvelli, a member of the Milan board and key figure in the development of RedBird’s sports department.
The owner also chatted with Ibrahimovic, who joined them in the early afternoon. Cardinale attended part of the team’s training session alongside sporting director Tare and advisor Ibrahimovic, and then spoke with Allegri.
There was no collective team talk, as had happened during the first visit on January 21, 2026, which took place just days before the debt refinancing. He holds the former Juventus coach in high regard and appreciates the work he, along with the management and players, has done to lift the club.
The American stayed until shortly before 18:00 and then headed to Milan where he has other meetings today before moving on to San Siro to watch the derby.
He last saw Milan live on 5 November 2024, during their 3-1 victory at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. Tonight, he hopes for another big win.
