Gerry Cardinale did not celebrate a great birthday despite the fact he treated himself to a trip to San Siro for the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, as he saw the Rossoneri lose to Inter.
The owner of Milan actually shares a birthday with both Franco Baresi and Sandro Tonali, but he kept a low profile during the game on Wednesday night, and Cardinale will return to San Siro for Tuesday’s match as well.
After watching the first leg Cardinale left for the United States, but he is ready to board a new flight in the next few days because the Champions League is the centre of his world, so much so that qualifying for the next edition is a necessity.
“From a business point of view, I will not lose sight of the fact that we also have to qualify for next year’s Champions League,” he said.
“AC Milan are one of the best global brands in European football and an underrated asset. It’s a hidden gem. As far as the cash flow is concerned, there is work to be done: it will not appear magically.”
Being in the Champions League means exposure, income and the possibility of developing the sporting and commercial project. In the meantime, all proceedings are suspended as is Cardinale’s entrepreneurial nature.
He prefers not to dwell on the moment, be it positive or negative, and postpone every decision until the accounts can be drawn. The renewal of Rafael Leao is an added boost too thanks to the work of Maldini, Massara and the CEO Furlani.
It is a big investment from a top European club that has been given the green light by Cardinale, one which he wants to see repaid with the Champions League.
