In recent weeks, Koni De Winter has gone from being a summer regret to perhaps arguably the most consistent player in the entire AC Milan squad.
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Corriere dello Sport (via MilanPress) rewind to the summer when De Winter joined from Genoa for €20m after the sale of Malick Thiaw for double. The deal sparked doubts from many, who were expecting a more high-profile and experienced signing to steady the defence.
A dip and a climb
His initial performances didn’t help, and the Supercoppa Italiana match in Riyadh against Napoli – in which he had a very difficult night against Rasmus Hojlund – almost seemed like the final straw in terms of the Belgian being a regular starter.
The former Genoa player, however, didn’t give up. Massimiliano Allegri (also due to various injuries) continued to play him, and he’s now a key member of the best defence in Europe and a starter that seemingly cannot be moved.
Since that night in Riyadh, De Winter has started 12 of the Rossoneri’s 14 matches, coming on as a substitute in the remaining two. In those, the team kept seven clean sheets, all while he played across all three centre-back positions.
While it is a team effort of course, the individual numbers are also excellent from De Winter, 1 goal and 1 assist, 3.8 defensive tackles per game, 2.9 recovered balls, just over 3 tackles won and almost 2 aerial duels won per match.