In tonight’s game against Sandro Tonali it seems almost certain that Sandro Tonali will rack up his 100th appearances in an AC Milan shirt.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have picked out five big moments from Tonali’s time with the club so far, which began in the summer of 2020 when he joined on an initial season-long loan deal from Brescia with an option to buy.
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Debut: On 17 September 2020, after a negotiation that lasted what felt like months months and a lot of competition, Tonali made his debut against Shamrock Rovers in Ireland, in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.
Lift off: It took him a year to win the hearts of the fans after a first season with no goals in 37 appearances and some teething problems. A leap in quality came last year, when his first goal for the club came against Cagliari via a stunning free kick. It was a goal identical to that scored by Pirlo against Parma twenty years earlier.
Biggest stage: That Champions League music came last season, with Tonali achieving another dream. A tough group awaited as Liverpool, Porto and Atletico Madrid were the opponents, as Tonali made his debut against the Reds on 15 September, replacing Ismael Bennacer for the last twenty minutes. Today he is a permanent starter in a team which will face Tottenham in the round of 16.
Decisive: Tonali gained a reputation for being decisive in the Scudetto run. Back on 24 April, Milan arrived in Rome to face Lazio virtually needing a win. Immobile scored after four minutes, but Giroud equalised and in the final minute Tonali sent the thousands of Milan fans at the Olimpico into raptures with a late winner.
Champion: The image of Tonali smiling with the Scudetto in his hands has been on the shelves of his house since last May, when Milan won the Scudetto after a 3-0 win against Sassuolo. Tonali’s journey from an initial loan to taking a pay cut so he could join permanently was complete.
Tonight he will remember the time of the letter he sent to to Santa Lucia, kept by grandmother Gina. The question was only one: “Will I become a footballer?” Time has given the answer.
You speak a lot about Tonali, however Bennacer is more important than him
A classic example of ‘False dilemma’ fallacy: pointing out the qualities and above all the spectacular upward trajectory of Tonali in no way means ignoring and/or underestimating Bennacer’s ability/importance.
Anyway… a little bit of LOGICAL reasoning doesn’t hurt anyone: it doesn’t kill, it doesn’t make you fat, it doesn’t make your hair fall out.
n tonight’s game against Sandro Tonali it seems almost certain that Sandro Tonali will rack up his 100th appearances in an AC Milan shirt.
This Sandro Tonali team is good 🙂
Tonali is doing great and is on his way to becoming a legend. Isma is also excellent, but they are different and shouldn’t become a duel.
There are certain players that I hold in high esteem in the current milan team based on how passionate they hold the team, they are: Theo, Tonali, Ibrahimovic, among others.
Tonali took a pay cut to join Milan, his renewal didn’t need media frenzy to settle.
Theo: when renewal was tabled, he also was decisive, no media speculations.
But some are still dragging because they are more focused on the business part rather than passion (passion remains why we are fans), it is not out of place to paraiss those that are passionate and respect the club above aggrandizement.