Samuel Chukwueze is full of belief ahead of the new season, pledging to be a reborn player for AC Milan and expressing positive thoughts about the new head coach Paulo Fonseca.
Chukwueze’s first season with Milan was up and down in truth after he became the most expensive signing of the 2024 summer transfer window, as he only really showed flashes of the player he was at Villarreal for various reasons.
Christian Pulisic’s starting spot was never in doubt after a red-hot start while the Nigerian was held back by a couple of injuries plus his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, which took him away from Stefano Pioli in January.
A month ago, the winger thus began a mission to redeem himself and he did so with the belief that the change on the bench would allow him to find more opportunities. He has admitted to feeling confidence from Fonseca, and with Pulisic playing down the middle the spot on the right is his.
Chukwueze has done an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he touched on a number of topics from his background to rejecting a move to Saudi Arabia last summer, as well as of course the upcoming season.
Is Samuel Chukwueze a happy man?
“Yes, the most important thing is to have people who trust you. Milan is a family, not a team. We do everything together. Me, Yac [Yacine Adli], Okafor, Fikayo, Ruben, Cala who is the captain and who I would always like with me. We talk about life, even about things that go wrong.”
Life, from Nigeria to Milan, has been a big journey. The first scene that comes to mind?
“My mother who doesn’t want me to play. In Africa everyone focuses on school and she said ‘football will never give you money’. But I was born with football inside me. So I went to play until seven in the evening, and when I came home she would ground me.
“She would take my football boots and confiscate them, so I had to hide them. The problem is that she always found them. Once she burned my boots and shirts and told me: ‘Samuel, you have to focus on your studies’. I tried, but a part of my body was turned off.
“And then my cousin’s brother told me there was a trial in town. I told him not to even come and call me. Instead he knocked at 5:30 in the morning and my mother opened the door: ‘Samuel isn’t coming from anywhere, he has school today.’ My grandmother convinced her, then she woke me up and gave me money for the transport.
“When I arrived, they told me it was already finished. Then they let me play alone, they saw the ball control and changed their minds: ‘Okay, that’s it, that’s what we were looking for’. They took me to a tournament in Portugal.”
Mom can’t have been happy…
“When he had that dream, yes. He dreamed that I would lift the trophy and score, and luckily the dream came true. He recently told me ‘now I’m starting to believe in football’ but the only one who believed in it from the beginning was my grandmother, who died this year.”
And now what does she say?
“The funny thing is that in Africa you don’t change your mind. She still wants me to study, she wants me to be a doctor, maybe a doctor in football. I first wanted to be a lawyer but she was like, ‘No, no, doctor. You have to study pharmacy’.
“I try to keep my brain active. Sometimes I go over something in my head, I go online and read medical articles. I know I won’t be playing football forever.”
In such a context, what idea do you have of money?
“If they had been a problem, I would have signed in Saudi Arabia. A year ago they wanted me.”
Let’s say €10m net per season?
“No no, it was more…”
It’s hard to say no…
“My mind was set only on Milan. My agent told me: ‘Hey, look, there’s this money…’. But I didn’t: ‘I don’t want to go anywhere else’. So he gave up. If that money comes, it will come. The most important thing now is to believe in myself, I’m still young, I want to make it, I have to stay in Europe.”
How is it going at Milan? It seems like we’re seeing a different player…
“Yes, the coach gives me confidence. Now I have to prove that I’m worthy of Milan. I think this is my moment.”
What didn’t work with Pioli?
“I arrived late, at the end of July, it was a bit difficult to convince him, whoever played in my position [Pulisic] scored. We are all human, I also wanted to play, but the coaches are cautious, it’s normal. I had a good relationship with Pioli, he’s a fantastic man and a good coach but that’s football.”
And Fonseca, what does he say?
“He only told me one thing: ‘Samuel, I don’t want to see last year’s Chukwueze. I want the one from Villarreal.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, no problem.’ It’s like I’ve been reborn. I’m a new player.”
Does the team work with Pulisic as a 10?
“Ah, for me it’s perfect. Rafa is fast, Pulisic dribbles and scores, I can do a one-two. If they double Rafa, then they have to mark us.”
Who is faster, Chukwueze or Leao?
“Without the ball, him. With the ball, me.”
But is Rafa one of the top three in Serie A?
“Yes, and among the other two there is my friend Osimhen, who I hope will stay in Italy.”
Prediction: What will he do? Would it be nice to play with him at Milan in the future?
“I would like to close my eyes, open them again and see him here at Milan. I always say to him: ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come?’. And he says: ‘Samuel, you know it’s difficult…'”
Let’s keep predicting the future. How many goals next year?
“I want to beat my record of six in the league.”
What is Ibrahimovic like?
“He’s very tough, my goodness. But he’s a good guy: he’s tough in business, always direct. He tells me: ‘Chuk, we expected you to score…’. And then, when I score: ‘Ah, finally, but you should have scored two. Next time, don’t mess around in front of goal’.”
What was Morata like as an opponent?
“Strong. He attacks space, provides assists, works hard and knows Serie A better than me. For us wingers, he’s perfect.”
Francesco Camarda: is he special?
“For me he is special. He is young, he is strong but he has to keep working, forget the hype and push hard. He is very intelligent, if he continues to work he will become one of the best strikers in the world, believe me.”
Among your team-mates, who are you closest to?
“Adli is my French brother. Yac explained to me what I should and shouldn’t do in Milan. If I have problems, I call him. Yac is unique.”
There must be something negative about Italy…
“Ah, the way you drive in Milan… crazy. When I go to Milanello, there’s always someone slow in the overtaking lane, it drives me crazy.”
We close with Nigeria. How does the All Star Championship work, the tournament you organise at home?
“I’ve been doing it for three years because I feel I have to do something for Umuahia, my city. The mentality is that, if you make it in life, you have to go back to making people happy. The tournament is for eight teams, six against six.
“I take the shirts of eight teams, this year Milan, PSG, Dortmund, Barcelona… The Milan ones are given to me by the club, the others are a bit original, a bit not, in Africa it’s not easy to find them.”
The tournament is six against six, let’s make the perfect team…
“Maignan in goal. Thiaw and Tomori behind. Reijnders and Musah in the middle. Rafa up front.”
But they are only Milan players…
“Hey, it’s my team, I choose.”
Ok, how about another era?
“Okay, Kaka. He’s my all-time favourite but I’ve never met him. If one day he comes to San Siro, I’ll drop everything and go see him.”
Well done super Star. But this is just pre season we want to see u do great when the league kicks of and opponent defends watches your tricks and movements very beforehand. In the friendly matches not much is done. Forza Milan
When some one is happy he perform.
Great pre-season Chuku, I think the Leao-puli-Chuk with Morata up front will be fire this season. Last season there wasn’t much you could do when the player competing for the RW keeps assisting and scoring, this season will be good for you. Happy to see your confidence is back. You seem very humble, always carried yourself with class even when you were not starting. Stay healthy my guy!!
Believe in Chukwueze