Some interesting excerpts have emerged from Pippo Inzaghi’s autobiography, and he criticised former head coach Max Allegri for the way he was treated towards the end of his time at AC Milan.
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The striker’s record speaks for itself given he won two UEFA Champions League titles with Milan, as well as two Scudetti, winning eight trophies overall. He scored 313 goals in official matches and holds the record for most hat-tricks in Serie A with 10.
Inzaghi spoke about his time at Milan as part of his new book ‘The Right Moment’, and he began by talking about his final goal at San Siro against Novara in the 2011-12 season, with his comments relayed by FootballItalia.
“Dictating the pass is like a long-distance dance step with your partner, you have to work well in pairs, he has to serve you at the right moment and you have to be in the right place. I’m all there in this action,” he said.
“I started on the offside line. Seedorf had understood in advance, his pass was perfect, I stopped it with my chest and deflected it slightly to the right. But I didn’t need to look at the goal, I never needed to, I ‘felt’ it.
“Fontana, the Novara goalkeeper, came out to meet me promptly and closed the door, at least that’s what he thought. I made a right turn and the ball ended up in the net. I went crazy. I ran under the curva, the first to embrace me was Nesta. The last shot of my life was a goal.
“I had no more doubts, I wouldn’t be tempted by any offer, this was my last game. It’s over. Before returning to midfield I stopped, turned towards the fans, knelt down, lifted my shirt and kissed it. An emotional kiss, sweet, swollen with eternal gratitude.
“The referee blew his whistle, I saw my nephew Tommaso running to me. I squeezed him tight, my heart closed. I look at my team and waved goodbye to them…. Goodbye Milan, goodbye San Siro. It was beautiful.”
Inzaghi then spoke about his decision to retire from football in 2012, revealing that it was not really his intention but rather was forced upon him by Allegri.
“It was Allegri who ended my playing career. In fact, Milan and I had reached an agreement in the spring of 2012 to extend my contract by one year.
“I would have been an important glue in the locker room that had lost Maldini, Pirlo, Nesta, Gattuso, Seedorf in a short time. Substantial figures who had left a deep void. I wouldn’t have made any claims…. Galliani was happy to have found this solution with me.
“Allegri, on the other hand, rejected it, he didn’t want me in the dressing room anymore and told the directors, asking that my contract not be renewed. For me it was a blow.”
It has been well documented that a lot of players suffer after retiring from football given that their world and all they have ever known suddenly vanishes, and Inzaghi was honest about his battle post-retirement.
“In the autumn of 2015 for the first time the ball was deflated, it no longer bounced. And I couldn’t absorb the distance from my world, from the smell of the grass, from the sanctity of the changing room,” he said.
“I would get up in the morning and not know how to get there in the evening. I would go to the gym, but without enthusiasm, just to pass the time, fill the day and prevent boredom and discouragement from taking over.
“My body was sending me unmistakable signals of malaise. I became frightened. In fact, I say it clearly and without shame: I got scared. I had four gastroscopies and other unpleasant tests, I always travelled with a bag full of CDs with ultrasounds and MRIs that I showed to various specialists.
“I feared I had something serious, even ALS. They were months of discomfort and suffering, in which I struggled to find a way out. Some call it sickness of living, some another way, I preferred to dribble away definitions and diagnoses and face reality.
“I understood what the problem was and overcame it little by little, surrounding myself with the love of family. My parents were exceptional: they understood what I needed.”
