AC Milan might be set to undergo some big changes this summer but one figure who will remain into the new era is Daniele Bonera, and the club have a role lined up for him.
La Gazzetta dello Sport speak about the current first team coach as being someone who feels an immense sense of attachment to Milan, something that carried over from his playing days at the club which lasted nearly a decade. They recap his journey to the present day, starting with his return.
Recalled in 2019
Bonera is classified as Pioli’s technical collaborator, but it would be more correct to define him with the generic term: technical collaborator to the head coach, because he did not come to Milan with Pioli and rather he was already there.
And he will still be there, even now that Pioli is at the end of his tenure. He returned to Milanello in the summer of 2019, after his last experience as a player with Villarreal, and was named in Marco Giampaolo’s staff.
Also in this case, with a peculiarity: he was not a ‘Giampaolo’s man’ but rather it was Milan that called him. They felt that after the chaos of the Yonghong Li era there was a need for someone who knew the club well, was trustworthy, serious and above all could be used by the coach on duty.
It would probably be more accurate then to define Bonera as an independent figure, linked in practice only to the club. Thus, Daniele remained in his place when Giampaolo was sacked, and he will again now Pioli is close to leaving.
Silence, experience and a license
Bonera is a silent but experienced figure, reserved but incisive, who at a certain point added the UEFA Pro license to his CV. Sooner or later that will come in handy, all while Pioli has learned to trust him more and more, month after month.
The former defender moved from the stands to experience the matches in the dugout, in the heart of the team, and was even more involved in the weekly work. This has not gone unnoticed by those who plan for the future.
In fact, Bonera is currently the main candidate to become the head coach of the Under 23 team, and before that he could take charge of the friendly match in Australia on May 31st against Roma if Pioli were to have left by then.
The battle with Rino
However, it wouldn’t be the first time that he has taken charge of a game. In November 2020, in the midst of the pandemic – with Pioli and deputy Murelli testing positive for Covid – Bonera was chosen to officially lead the Rossoneri against Napoli.
He was the head coach for the day against Gennaro Gattuso’s side and then it ended up being three games with fixtures against Lille and Fiorentina following. He emerged undefeated, for the record: two wins and a draw.
Another interesting curiosity is that Bonera also managed Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored a brace in the win over Napoli and who is now his boss. He is waiting to speak with the management, in order to understand his role for next season after Pioli’s departure. Rven if it were the U23s, it would still be Milan.
“Coaching Milan is everyone’s dream, but I think there’s quite a waiting list and I have to get in line,” Bonera told the paper three years ago.
“Now, thanks also to Pioli, I have a degree of preparation to be able to manage situations not only on the pitch, but also in the locker room. If a call came I would evaluate it.”