AC Milan went to the Spanish capital and painted it red and black last night by beating Real Madrid, and some behind the scenes information has arisen.
La Gazzetta dello Sport begin their article by stating that – due to closure of Madrid Airport – the team did not return to Italy immediately, and it was perfect that way. There was time for a party in the dressing room, then for a dinner in the hotel all together.
There were hugs, celebrations and speeches. One speech above all stands out from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who took the floor in the dressing room and sent a clear message, summed up in one sentence: “This is Milan.” That’s what the fans thought too, who are thirsty for nights like this.
Gerry Cardinale also came down to the locker room to congratulate the players. As ANSA reported, he stated that he appreciated that the team remained united during a tough moment, underlining that the ownership and management are always at their side to support them.
Rafael Leao, when he saw Mike Maignan enter with the UEFA man of the match trophy, started a chant of “MVP MVP”. He and Tijjani Reijnders would have deserved it too, but that’s another story.
As in the video published by Milan on TikTok, other moments included Fonseca giving a high five to Theo Hernandez, Ibrahimovic patting Maignan’s chest, Youssouf Fofana going around to hug everyone and Samuel Chukwueze enjoying things too.
Alessandro Florenzi asked the club for an iPad to watch the game again. He was joking of course, but it gives you an idea that the team immediately understood that this is an ‘instant classic’ which will be spoken about for years to come.
The challenge now for the club and especially for Fonseca is to keep the attention high in view of the game against Cagliari. Milan play in Sardinia on Saturday afternoon, against a team that defends deep, battles hard and will want to cause a surprise just like the Rossoneri did.
This is why Fonseca – when a journalist said that ‘if Leao improve further, Milan can win the Champions League’ – responded by talking about Cagliari. This is why Ibra mentioned Cagliari in his speech to the team.