Diogo Dalot’s spell at AC Milan was an interesting one. He arrived during a transitional period and today he discussed his time at San Siro.
The late 2010s were a transition for Milan. They had opened the decade fighting at the top of Italy, before succumbing to the banter era, which lasted far too long. Towards the end of the decade, though, they slowly started to progress.
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Certainly not towards much, but there was a clear sign that things were getting better and the crowning moment of that was the Scudetto win, perhaps even the Champions League run a year later.
Dalot’s interview
With this year’s finale, there are fears that a return to the 2010s could be closer than most thought, but structurally, it seems a distance away still.
Speaking to the Players’ Tribune about the year before the return to Italy’s pinnacle, Dalot shed some light on his experience at San Siro, as Calciomercato.com relays.
“I remember the warehouse worker giving me a tour of the training center. ‘Oh yes, Nesta used to sit here.’ ‘Ronaldinho loved that massage table over there.’ San Siro still has a unique elegance. I like to call it ‘vintage.’
“The same goes for AC Milan. Whatever the league table says, this club never goes out of style.”
The chance to return to Europe…
“We would have returned to the Champions League for the first time in eight years if we had beaten Atalanta away. It was May, and thousands of fans showed up at the training ground before the match. A couple of tattooed guys, with megaphones in hand, approached the players and said: ‘This is one of the most important days in our history. We are with you. Don’t let us down.’ I turned to my right and saw Maldini.”
Maldini’s influence and advice…
“At the time, he was a club director. He could have spent his days in his office, sipping coffee and simply being Paolo Maldini. But I assure you, every single day, come sun, rain, or cold, he was there watching us train. Always in a suit and tie.
“I remember one day he took me aside and I thought he was going to give me some advice. Like, ‘Mark like this,’ ‘Tackle like this,’ or something like that. Or he could have said, ‘This is my club, I’ve won everything here, so you have to do this and that.’
“Instead, he was mostly focused on the mental aspect. ‘Diogo, you’re trying too hard. Don’t worry. You’re an extraordinary player, everything will be fine.’ When Maldini believes in you, how can you not believe in yourself?”
Re-loving football…
“Milan made me feel like a footballer again.
“I also learned a lot from Zlatan. He could be out for five weeks with a bad injury, and in his first training session back, he’d throw himself into one-on-one situations and kick everyone’s ass. He was forty years old. ‘Don’t come here and ruin my training.’ If you didn’t give 99%, you were out.”
The value of a legendary player for the club, one of the best all time in the world as your director overseeing your training is priceless