AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni spoke at the launch evening for the club’s 125th anniversary events, and he couldn’t resist taking a dig at Inter.
The 2024-25 season will be the 125th anniversary of Milan’s founding and they have announced a number of different initiatives that will mark the occasion, which we broke down in an article earlier this evening.
Milan have won 49 national and international titles – including seven Champions Leagues, 19 Serie A titles, five UEFA Super Cups, and a FIFA Club World Cup – but they are also a global brand that have branched into entertainment, media, fashion, music and lifestyle culture.
However, that pressure to keep winning remains and there is a ‘new era’ of sorts under Paulo Fonseca, who arrived to replace Stefano Pioli after he departed following a spell of just under five years in charge.
Scaroni spoke at an event tonight about a number of topics from the way that Serie A is run to Milan’s accounts and even their standing within the city. His comments were relayed by Calciomercato.com.
“All of Italian football lives for Serie A, we give money to Serie B, to the referees. Paying all the bills and not counting for anything in the FIGC has always seemed strange to me. The system must change. The Premier League takes in 2.2 billion, Serie A 200 million. Eleven times as much,” he said.
“The fourth longest-serving president in the history of Milan? I would like to at least get on the podium. With Yonghong Li we were never in order with the accounts, the money to register for the season arrived at the last minute. The five darkest years at Milan. We have taken a few steps forward.
“The Scudetto was an emotion like never before in life. We are an iconic institution but we manage to be very young. The young people around me show me passion. We remain the biggest club in Milan… we don’t know any others.”
Franco Baresi – the great former Milan captain – also spoke from the stage during the event at Terrazza Martini in Milano for Milan’s 125th anniversary.
“My journey at Milan has been long. I have experienced good and bad things, it has been an intense journey. When you think of Milan, you think of passion, style, sacrifice and success,” he said.
“Milan embodies all these words. It is one of the most important clubs in the world, the second most successful in the world behind Real Madrid. The history of Milan is beautiful and important. We have also lived through difficult years, I have also lived through Serie B.
“I hope that in the coming years Milan can be what it has always been, that is, an example on and off the pitch. Winning is important, but also how you win. And on this Milan has always given a signal.”
Sure, but let’s not turn into Man United by relying purely on past glories.
United maybe the self proclaimed biggest club in Manchester but let’s be honest, City win the league every year (and even the UCL in 2023).
We need to be the biggest because of past AND present performances. Otherwise we risk becoming a relic.
You alongside others, you turned it into a jokes
Milan United))
Always being trapped in the past.