MN: Decisive for club and for country – Giroud, Theo and Leao shine in Qatar

By Oliver Fisher -

Three of AC Milan’s key performers have demonstrated their qualities on the biggest stage of all, shining for their countries at the World Cup.

MilanNews recalls that there are no less than seven players representing Milan at the World Cup in Qatar: Theo Hernandez and Olivier Giroud with France, Simon Kjaer with Denmark, Rafael Leao with Portugal, Fode Ballo-Toure with Senegal, Charles De Ketelaere with Belgium and Sergino Dest with the USA.

Of these, only Ballo-Touré and De Ketelaere have not played so far with the others having each played their role. Giroud scored a brace against Australia while Theo provided an assist, Leao got his first goal at the World Cup against Ghana, Kjaer helped Denmark keep a clean sheet and Dest had his moments against Wales.

As for Giroud, the French striker has perhaps never experienced such a golden moment while Theo Hernandez replaced his brother who got injured and showed how damaging he can be in the opposition third, while they will both face off against their team-mate Kjaer over the weekend.

Leao meanwhile netted only three minutes after he came onto the field and scored a goal with his first touch at the World Cup. If 2018 was the World Cup in which everyone got to know Kylian Mbappe, this could be Leao’s time, which could make a renewal more difficult for Milan.

Tags AC Milan Olivier Giroud Rafael Leao Theo Hernandez

1 Comment

  1. A club that wants to win the Champions League in the next few years doesn’t sell or give away its stars to the EPL, PSG, Bayern, and Real Madrid before it has achieved that objective. Leao is a unique talent – the new Kaka – and while it may make economic sense to sell him now, it would be football madness to do so. I agree that AC Milan needs to live within its means and keep its financial affairs in order. But AC Milan is more than a business enterprise. It’s a renowned cultural institution with a global following that has enjoyed great success during its long and distinguished history. Rossoneri fans judge their club not just by how many Scudettos it wins, but also by how it performs in Europe. It’s now more than 15 years since AC Milan last won the CL. How many more barren years must Milanista endure before their club tastes European glory again? It will be forever if we don’t keep our stars. So how should the club balance the need for financial stability with the imperative of success on the pitch at the highest level? It seems we either bring in new investors with deep pockets who will plough lots of money into the club but don’t demand a quick financial return and instead are willing to take a long view (e.g. a Middle East sovereign fund); or the club leaves Serie A and plays in a new competition – a pan- European league – that can generate lucrative TV broadcasting revenues that match those of the EPL. Unless one of those two transformative things happens, the future of the once mighty AC Milan – an aristocratic club which has produced some of the finest teams in history – will be to serve as a nursery for the EPL, PSG, Bayern, and Real Madrid, and a retirement home for their aging and fading stars. Milanista deserve better. Leao is Portuguese and plays for its national team, but he was made in Milan – a product of Milanello’s superior technical knowhow. RedBird must make every effort to retain him, and AC Milan’s next CL-winning team should be built around the skeleton of him and our other stars like Magnian, Theo, Tomori, Tonali, Bennacer, and Giroud.

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