AC Milan are once again experiencing the strange situation of not having a single member of the Italian national team.
La Gazzetta dello Sport write how once upon a time there was a core group of Italian players at Milan who played a vital role, regardless of whether they were playing or sitting in the dressing room. They were senators, an Azzurri platoon formed at the express behest of Silvio Berlusconi.
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Today, there is not even a single member of the senior Italian national team that wears the Rossoneri shirt at club level, as has been the case in the recent past too. The highest level of representation is the U21s.
A globalised squad
Why? At first glance, one of the most obvious reasons, quite simply, would seem to lie in the composition of the squad. It’s well known that Milan have increasingly looked into the foreign market for players in recent years.
Yet, this is only partially true, revealed simply by looking at the percentage of Italians in the total squad. This season, 19 out of a total of 27 players are from abroad, but a comparison with other clubs reveals a surprise.
Inter, for example, have a higher percentage of foreign players (75 percent), yet among Mancini’s 34-man squad four Nerazzurri players are included. There’s even one player (Kean) from Como, a club expressly committed to a global vision of football (77.8% foreign players).
The explanation from the Rossoneri’s perspective then becomes a bit more worrying: the Italians playing for Milan are not deemed good enough to even make an expanded 34-man squad, one hoping to head in a more positive direction under Roberto Mancini.
The last Milan players to grace the Azzurri jersey were Matteo Gabbia (who later fell victim to a terrible end to his season with the Rossoneri and subsequent injury issues), Samuele Ricci (who emigrated to Como), and Davide Bartesaghi (in the youth revolution spearheaded by Baldini).
It’s not so much a matter of squads built in the name of a fascination with foreign players, but rather the degree of desirability of the Italians playing for Milan. Something is moving though: Bartesaghi along with Comotto, Camarda and Cisse could form a future core, as they do now for the U21s.
This is sad indeed, and it is not only the management to blame but the fickle fans as well, Ricci is a prime example, he did not emigrate to Como he was kicked out because noone, including so called fans, gave him a proper chance, 1 season and everyone says he is not good enough, after 1 season Tonali was apparently not good enough !!! Look what happened then. So many fans quick to say not good enough, just like Gabbia, noone has any faith, a fancy foreign names is always better. Look at our clubs history and you will see we should be nurturing and supporting our Italians, Inter was created for the foreigners, but now we have become just lime our biggest rivals, very sad. I hope the future is different, but I can see it happening to Bartesaghi already, fans so eager to replace him with some fancy foreign name.
Gabbia – Bastoni, Bartesaghi – Dimarco, Ricci – Barella. Get it now?
If they can’t be starters in Milan why should they be called to Azzurri? The quality just isn’t there.
We’re “more European” now /s