Ricardo Rodriguez reflects on Milan spell including coaches, team-mates and exit

Ricardo Rodriguez has reflected on his time at AC Milan, including when – in his eyes – he was forced out by the club.

Milan signed Rodriguez back in 2017 when they paid €15m to Wolfsburg. He was part of a huge summer window in which over €200m was spent by the Chinese ownership to completely overhaul a squad that had endured mediocrity for years.

After a couple of years as a regular starter, the Swiss international was then displaced by Theo Hernandez on the left, who arrived from Real Madrid in the summer of 2019. Marco Giampaolo initially preferred him, but Torino came calling and he left in 2020.

Rodriguez speaks out

The left-back did an exclusive interview with Calciomercato.com in which he reflected on his time in Italy, with Milan and Torino. Now he is at Real Betis, who just lost the Conference League final to Chelsea.

In 2017 Milan came calling, how did the move develop?

“Mirabelli really wanted me, I had asked the club to leave because after five and a half years at Wolfsburg I wanted to have a new experience.”

It is said that the Rossoneri snatched you from Inter…

“A few months earlier I had spoken to Ausilio, but Mirabelli really liked me and before going to Milan he worked at the Nerazzurri.”

It was the Yonghong Li era, one of the most difficult in recent years. What was the atmosphere like?

“We didn’t feel this heaviness, we were a good group with many new players. From day one they told me that at Milan you play for the Scudetto, but when there are 8/9 signings it’s not easy, it takes time. And we didn’t have it.”

Who was the best player on set pieces?

“Calhanoglu and Suso.”

You were coached by Montella and Gattuso, can you tell us an anecdote about them?

“Montella was a good coach but it was a period in which we weren’t winning and we weren’t together much. Gattuso was good but tough, sometimes he would berate us and I was berated too.”

Who was the player with whom you bonded the most?

“Calhanoglu, Borini and Kessie were a group.”

After a couple of good seasons you lost your place to Theo Hernandez who had just arrived…

“That year Giampaolo had started, sacked after seven games; I played the first three, then he preferred Theo. Yet I had the characteristics to create a line of defence as he liked.”

Then Pioli arrived…

“He always behaved well with me, but from that moment on Hernandez became the starter. I understood that I would not have had space and that they only saw me as Theo’s deputy, so I asked to leave.”

You scored your only goal for the Granata against Milan…

“And I even celebrated. It was the last home game, I knew that Juric would leave and that consequently I would leave too. Also because the club did nothing to keep me in Turin, and so my contract expired.

“They didn’t even say goodbye to me, even though I had been captain for two years and had given everything for this club. Something like that had never happened to me in my entire career.”