Former AC Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta believes that there is a lack of Italians in the current squad which is hurting them.
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Costacurta spent over two decades with Milan from 1986 and 2007 and the only time he spent away was a season-long spell on loan at Monza early in his career. He formed one of the best defensive lines ever with Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, and Mauro Tassotti.
The Italian won seven Serie A titles and five Champions League/European Cup trophies throughout his career, along with many other major honours. Simply put, he knows what it takes to win with the Rossoneri.
He also played into his 40s, even scoring a penalty in his final game to become the oldest goalscorer in Serie A at the age of 41, a record that was broken by Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Milan lack Italian influence
Costacurta gave an interview to Il Giornale (via MilanPress) in which he spoke about his time at Milan and also compared it to the current era, in which there is much less of an Azzurri influence.
You never left Milan…
“At thirty-five I had an offer from an American team. It was an opportunity. I refused it. Why? Everyone said: well done, you were great, you are attached to Milan, your whole career to Milan, in reality I wanted to stay in my Milan, with my friends, with my family, my girlfriend, my teammates: my comfort zone.”
Do you regret it?
“Yes. It is a regret of mine. I would have had an important experience, I would be a different person from what I am. Maybe better.
You won two Champions Leagues after…
“Winning five or winning three doesn’t make much difference.”
Did you feel important?
“I felt more important when I saved a goal and helped the team win.”
Is it true that the mentality in football has changed?
“I played with 15 Italians and we were the strongest team in the world. Today it seems to me that Milan has only one Italian starter: Gabbia.”
What was Sacchi like?
“Arrigo Sacchi was the Leonardo of the renaissance of Italian football.”
And Silvio Berlusconi?
“I have only had one president. Extraordinary. Berlusconi transmitted ambition to us. He arrived at a Milan that had been doing badly for years. The first thing he told us was: I want you to become the strongest team in the world. We thought he was crazy.
“Then Sacchi arrived and told us: ‘We will become the strongest team in the world’. And we thought: two crazy people. Then less than two years passed and we were the strongest team in the world.
“Did you understand who Berlusconi was? He transmitted this desire to us that then exploded in success. A special man. How many men like him have there been on earth? I think very few.”
Who was your teacher?
“Franco Baresi. He was a great teacher. For me, for Paolo Maldini, for many others. [And] Fabio Capello.”