Milan Obsession

Milan are playing their first official, televised friendly of the season as they open their International Champions Cup by facing our old friends, Bayern Munich. It almost seems like a summer tradition, as we have often faced one another in the Audi Cup each summer. But this year, we meet in the United States. Freunde.

I don’t know anyone who would argue that money is a necessary commodity if a team is going to win the Champions League. In fact, I think most people would assume that only the richest clubs can actually win the Champions League. It takes money to buy the best players, and only the teams with the best players can win, right? So can you buy a Champions League trophy? Perhaps you should ask Juventus.

It’s not unheard of for a player to have other family members who play or have played football, but it’s also not that common. However, one of our new signings has the unusual distinction of not only being a second generation footballer, but also having a sibling who currently plays. Not only that, but all three of them are defenders. Additionally, he comes to us from the only club to have won more Champions League titles than Milan. That is quite the football pedigree.

With the start of a new season this time around, there is so much news to discuss. New directors, a new coach, new players and the potential of a new stadium are just a few of the things that made Raduno, or rally, more exciting this year. This season proves to be an exciting ride, and if you blink, you might miss it. So hold onto your new jerseys and press start.

So much has happened in the last few weeks. Milan chose to give up the Europa League for a season to rectify their FFP violations. Milan got new directors, a new coach, and a couple of new players. Montolivo and others left the club, seriously diminishing our wage bill. Plans for a new stadium were announced. But most importantly, the legend that is Daniele Bonerahas returned as an assistant coach. After so many changes, what is your current mood?

Yesterday, both Milan and Inter announced that they had filed the official “Technical and Economic Feasibility Study” for a new stadium as well as a surrounding urban district for sports, entertainment and shopping. Both clubs have been working together on these plans for some time now, and it remains to be seen whether or not the city of Milano being awarded joint-host of the 2026 Winter Olympics will impact these plans. For fans, though, this step made the whole idea a lot more tangible.

Today is the day. The day that optimism runs the highest amongst fans, possibly to a delusional level. Despite the fact that the mercato has only just begun, all of the players have a clean slate for this season, and this might be the one day per year that most fans will not give players hate. Well, that may be delusionally optimistic, too. But still. With our new management, a new coach, and a couple of shiny new players, it’s time for Raduno 2019.

Footballers are amazing. They perform amazing feats of beauty and athleticism that defy gravity and imagination. And they do it while wearing only a tiny pair of shinguards to protect themselves, and they also do it for 90 minutes straight. But if you think that football is only for men, you might actually be a dinosaur. Because the rest of the world is finally starting to realize that the football realm is populated with some badass women.

Milan seem to have been turned over into the proper hands now to get us back home where we belong: the Champions League. And while the previous owners that we trusted did more harm than good, we have learned from their mistakes and gone to battle with UEFA. Despite taking a big hit in abstaining from the Europa League next season, we’ve shown ourselves to be older and wiser. However, we are still far from home.

Now that Zapata’s contract with Milan is officially up, he has signed to play with Genoa next season. I am really happy that he found a club so quickly, and I am sure that he will be a blessing to them. There was a time that his inconsistency was so maddening that I probably wished that he would just leave the club. But now that he is gone, I find myself looking back with gratitude.