AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has issued a Christmas message to supporters, once again reiterating that his vision for the club is to win many trophies and admitting he is not fully content with the current situation.
The best Christmas present for Milan fans would of course be three points against Salernitana tonight, which would make it three wins in a row and would continue to ease the pressure after the difficult period in November.
The Rossoneri followed up their Champions League victory over Newcastle United last midweek with a comfortable 3-0 victory against Monza at San Siro in Sunday’s early kick-off, closing the gap to Juventus in the process.
Cardinale published a message on the official website that is addressed to fans and discusses a number of different topics, from on-field results to the financial future of the club.
“Dear Rossoneri Nation:
“As 2023 comes to a close, I wanted to share with you holiday greetings and best wishes for the New Year from all of us at RedBird and AC Milan. Like every year, our season so far has had its fair share of positives as well as challenges.
“As we enter the holiday break, we are still in contention for the top of Serie A, and while we fell short of progressing through to the next round of Champions League, we now have our sights set on advancing through the Europa League competition.
“Like all of you, I am not content with our current position in Serie A or Champions League, but I know from my decades in sports that sporting competition is a marathon, not a sprint, and there is a virtue to continuity and consistency.
“Since we assumed ownership of AC Milan over a year ago, we have endeavored to strike the right balance between the immediacy of winning and the foundation building that will ensure a return to the championship legacy that AC Milan achieved long prior to our ownership.
“Sports and European football is emotionally charged, and that is also the great beauty of football. But emotions cannot get the better of those who, like us, have the responsibility of making decisions that balance the immediacy of winning with the foundation building that will ensure a return to the championship legacy that AC Milan achieved long prior to our ownership.
“For our fans and our team, we will continue to bring best practices to AC Milan both on the pitch as well as off the field – and if we get this right with a level of consistency and professionalism, then AC Milan will have a realistic shot at achieving its goals in Serie A and in Europe.
“The great thing about European football is that it is the ultimate team sport, and this team includes the fans right alongside our players, the coaching staff, management and ownership. Everyone on this team wants the same thing – to win, to be number one, to be Italian champions and to be European champions.
“There is no ambiguity there and there is no settling for anything less. But European football today has never been more competitive with more money – individual, institutional, sovereign – chasing elusive championships.
“Money alone, however, will not win championships. To be successful, both in the short term but also importantly for the long term, we should focus on spending smarter, more creatively and more disciplined than our competitors.
“So as we reflect over this holiday break, all of us at AC Milan are well aware of what we’ve done well, and more importantly what we have not done well and need to improve. As with everything we do, we will take our sense of urgency for improvement and ground it with thoughtful, methodical analysis that balances change with foundation building.
“The goal is not to win episodically but to win consistently for the long term. That is what our fans, our players and our coaching staff expect from ownership, and that is what we will give them. You should expect that we will continue to make whatever improvements we can to be more competitive on the field and to enhance our financial resources off the field to invest further in the club.
“On behalf of our players, coaching staff and the team at Casa Milan, I want to thank our loyal and unwavering fans for their continued support and for always holding us to the highest standards that honor the winning legacy of this historic franchise. I wish serenity to each of you, to your loved ones and to the ever-growing family of Milanisti.
“Forza Milan, always! Gerry Cardinale.”
