Maldini: “Theo was getting a bit lost”

Milan is another, nobody can dispute it. After many years adrift, not only without winning Serie A, a thing for Juventus and Inter in recent times, but also far from Europe, the arrival of Stefano Pioli revitalized the team. The foundations had been coming little by little (Theo Hernández, Hakan Calhanoglu …), until Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the icing on a cake full of youth and that he needed that dose of experience. All this has been commented by Paolo Maldini, architect of this Milan reborn from the sports direction.

The legend rossonera He has spoken in 'beIn Sports' and has highlighted, to begin with, the change of course experienced at the end of last year: “We started the year with a coach, (Marco) Giampaolo, with whom it unfortunately did not work (…). We change during the season, in October. When this happens, it is normal for footballers to grow little by little. After a loss (against Atalanta 5-0, on December 22, 2019), we decided to give them references to the youngsters by buying Kjaer and Ibrahimovic. It was listened to by the owners and there we saw the first excellent results. “

Theo Hernández, the right bet

With the forward and the defender, it was possible to bring packaging to a group already loaded with talent and youth, since the previous signings followed that premise. “We are not going to take the best players, but we are going to look for young talents to make them grow in the club.” Thus came Theo Hernández, now one of the best left-backs in Serie A and one of the most promising on the continent. However, it was a risky bet at the time: “Theo is excellent for Milan. He had already won the Champions League with Madrid. He was losing himself a bit. When we spoke daily, I did not pay any attention to what was said about him. I found a sensitive boy thirsty for revenge. I believed in him and the club believed in him. He was the most expensive signing of the year with Rafael Leão last year. His response on the field of play has been exceptional. I think I should go with the French team and do it as a starter. He must want to become one of the three best defenders. “In that gloomy stage, where Maldini understands that he was losing, Theo saw his market value drop to 15 million euros. Now, already up for 50 (according to Transfermarkt), thanks to 4 goals and 6 assists he accumulates this course, and going up …

Zlatan, project guide

As we said, the arrival of the Swede was the piece that put all the gear that Pioli had in mind to work, as Maldini also explains: “Our team is the youngest in Italy and one of the youngest in Europe. Those who have played soccer know that young people need time, a guide, a positive example. When we decided to choose Zlatan in the winter transfer window, we tried to do that, give a guide to the young people to take control of this team. “In addition, it was not the first time that the sports director was interested in the Swede, since, as he admits, he already tried” to achieve it in 2018, but he already had a contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. ” In addition, he does not rule out that he continues to score goals dressed in rossonero: “When he arrived, we tried to offer him something more than the six months he signed, but it was he himself who told us that he wanted to see what his body's response was (…). With everything he's doing, I don't see why he won't play with us next year. “