AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali has talked about how his perspective changed in seeing his team win the Scudetto as a child compared to winning it as a player.
Tonali arrived at his boyhood club on an initial loan deal from Brescia in the summer of 2020 and found it tough to adapt right away, even leading to a negotiation regarding the option to buy the following summer, but he became a permanent Milan player thanks to a salary cut too.
In 2021-22 Tonali was simply outstanding, demonstrating all of his talent to become a leader of the midfield department, scoring some absolutely vital goals along the way such as the brace away against Hellas Verona and the last-minute winner against Lazio.
He was interviewed by DAZN as part of a special programme they made for the Scudetto win and he reflected on some of the crucial moments within the season, and PianetaMilan have relayed his comments.
On Lazio-Milan: “We thought we had drawn, but we know that until the referee blows the whistle the game is not over. It was a goal that gave us an incredible boost. It will be difficult to forget that goal, that I scored under our Curva.”
On Leao: “He has shown that he has an edge. He has given us a great hand to everyone, he is something unique. He has proved to be a great player, he is at the top levels.”
On Pioli: “He always tried to keep his concentration high. He did a great job, it wasn’t easy.”
On Theo Hernandez: “He’s our train.”
On the last match against Sassuolo: “We were close to the goal, we couldn’t miss it. The only mistake we could make was to face this match with the wrong attitude.”
On winning the Scudetto: “In 2011 I was a small Milan fan who was cheering with his family and friends after winning the Scudetto. Now something has changed, I’m on the other side, but the emotions are the same.
“Winning a Scudetto with Milan is important for me. Having lived it both as a fan and as a player is something fantastic. I was 11 and there was Ibrahimovic in that Milan. He is still in this Milan, it feels a bit like playing still with him.”
