Milan suffered a lot of losses this past season. But I would argue that the greatest loss was Sporting Director Igli Tare. Not only was he one of two people in all of management who was qualified and experienced at his job, he was the only one reportedly distraught by way the season ended and not being able to have helped Milan achieve Champions League qualification as the goal. He actually achieved everything he was supposed to, and then some, yet Gerald just threw him out like garbage. His love for Milan, for football, and for our players quietly shone through the entire season and all the behind-the-scenes drama. And looking back, history will show why losing Igli Tare was Milan's biggest loss of the season.
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| The biggest loss in a season of massive losses. |
When Tare arrived at Milan, I was uncertain what to expect. After all, he had spent his entire post-footballing career working with Claudio Lotito at Lazio. Who knows what both of those things could do to even the best of men. But sometimes, maybe slumming it at a club with such despicable fans and working with degenerate owners like Lotito builds character.
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| Imagine having to sit next to Lotito for 15 years. What that could do to a man. |
I mean there was that one time Lotito wanted to hire Mihajlović after Berlusconi foolishly sacked him. Tare as a player had beef with Mihajlović during the 2005-06 season when Mihajlović was playing for Inter, and there was a confrontation between the two. And even if we got to know the better side of Mihajlović, Tare stood his ground on that one. But I respect that. I kind of go insane thinking of Mihajlović wearing an Inter shirt, too, may God rest his soul.
I think most Milan fans did not bother to find out much about Tare's background. Born in Albania, he launched his football playing career at Partizani Tirana, the club he spent most of his youth career at. From there, he went to the Bundesliga, where he spent the majority of his career. As a forward, his most prolific years were from 1997-99 at Fortuna Düsseldorf, where he scored 24 goals in 63 appearances. He also made appearances for Albania's national team.
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| Tare as a player at Kaiserslutern in the Bundesliga. |
In 2001, he moved to Italy, playing for Brescia, then Bologna, and finally landing at Lazio in 2005. He played his final three seasons in the capitol, and upon retiring, took a job as Lazio's Team Manager. As soon as he passed the FIGC exam to become an Italian Sporting Director in April of 2009, he became Lazio's Sporting Director. He held that position until 2023, which says a lot about who he is, because Lotito is not only cheap, he is unpredictable and difficult to work with. Yet Tare managed to stick with him and work miracles with very little cash.
Anyone who knows anything about Lotito knows he is very cheap and reluctant to spend. Over the 15 years Lotito was Sporting Director at Lazio, his average annual transfer budget was between €30-€35 million. In spite of those limitations, he brought in names like Ciro Immobile, purchased for €8.5 million, top valuation €50 million; Sergej Milinković-Savić, purchased for €12 million, reached a top value of €90 million; Luis Alberto, purchased for €4 million, valued at €55 million at his peak; and Felipe Anderson, purchased for €7.5 million, sold for an amazing €38 million. Tare also brought in Miroslav Klose on a free transfer, Stefan de Vrij for only €7 million, and Lucas Leiva for only €5.5 million.
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| Tare playing at Lazio... even if it was Lazio, you have to admit he is 100% loyal. |
In addition to finding excellent players for such incredibly low transfer fees, players who would carve their names into Lazio's history, during Tare's time at the club, Lazio won three Coppa Italia trophies and three Supercoppas, which is incredible when you consider the difference in wage bills between Lazio and the big clubs they were competing with. (Lazio's annual wage bill averaged around €51 million, most of the top clubs average between €90-150 million) And he built teams that competed in Serie A, as well, finishing in the top five in eight of the 15 years he was at the club, including second place in his final season.
Why am I telling you all about his history at Lazio? Because it's important to understand what could have been. Since Gerald sacked Maldini and Massara, he spent over €440 million in transfers. And while he's just figuring out that it has been poorly spent, he still has no idea how to spend well. Leaving his transfer market to the narcissistic amateurs, Furlani and Moncada (neither of whom ever even played football professionally,) resulted in a massively bloated roster of players on foreverloans.
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| Gerald wouldn't understand what a good Sporting Director is even if they hit him on the head like an anvil. |
Enter Tare. In a single summer window, he cleaned up that roster, getting actual sales and loans with obligations for those players, resulting in profits of over €100 million. That's right, capital gains on player sales reached over €100 million, I think for the first time ever at Milan. Player sales have always been Milan's weakest spot on their financial spreadsheets, embarrassingly lower than even many of the smaller teams in Serie A.
And yet this badass quietly walks in, a little late in the game even, thanks to the children in management not being able to agree on a Sporting Director. And he cleans up their bloated roster and gives them over €100 million in capital gains. Like why is no one talking about this? Sure, Jesus reportedly turned water into wine. But right up there on the list of the great miracles was Tare finding over €100 million in cold, hard cash for players the clowns who hired him could barely even loan out for free.
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| Modrić left Real Madrid, was wanted by everyone, and Tare was the one guy who convinced him. Let that sink in. |
Now, think of the incredible work he did at Lazio. And imagine what Tare could have done with over €400 million in the same time frame as Furlani and Friends. I mean, you don't have to imagine that hard. The man was hired, immediately went out and hired the best manager available, and then flew to Croatia to convince Luka Modrić to sign for AC Milan. Like whatever with Galliani's endless stories of his almost-signings, this man just went and locked the Ballon d'Or winner down. Like a boss.
And he didn't stop there. He went through the entire summer-long drama to sign Jashari from Brugge last summer. For the people ready to give up on him after his first year (half of which he was out injured,) just remember the story arc of the last player we gave €35 million to Brugge for. These ignorant clowns gave that guy away, and yet this summer he was literally the only player to score against World Champions Spain. I'm just sayin'. If Tare signed Jashari, there is something there worth investing more than half a season in. Don't make the same dumb mistake twice, people.
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| Do we really trust the guy on the left to understand Jashari's value? |
Tare also notably brought in Adrien Rabiot, a great deal after his falling out at Marseille. And with just those three signings alone, our previously imbalanced midfield turned into a formidable midfield, a weakness turned into a strength. Again, all in one transfer window. And remember, he still had Furlani making deals behind his back, and withholding transfer funds and blocking deals, too. And despite it all, he did an incredible job.
While these examples speak to his strengths in the transfer window, let's talk about the daily grind of a Sporting Director, the less glamorous, but honestly more important part of the job. Tare was at Milanello every day. He came to every match, he created relationships with the players, and with Allegri. He supported them, and he did so with his whole heart. That showed up on the pitch, with the players being much less affected by the management's drama than in previous years. And even if the team missed the target, it was not for anything Tare lacked or failed to do.
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| He was capable, committed, worked hard, and exceeded expectations. Why is he gone? |
This is why, when his job was rumored to be at stake, Maignan and Allegri immediately spoke up and had his back. Game recognizes game. Tare had given his whole life to football, too. And it is also why the Curva Sud supported him as well. Because not only did he show exceptional skill above and beyond mere competence, he worked quietly and calmly with the turbulence of drama surrounding him. Nothing was about him, he only worked for the shirt, for the good of the team. And even though he worked calmly and quietly all season long, he stood out for doing exactly that.
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| Surveying the wreckage of Milan's season, Tare was the treasure we truly lost. |
In losing Igli Tare, Milan lost their most successful Sporting Director in terms of player sales ever. Which is important, especially for an owner like Gerald who claims to be interested in his bottom line. We lost a man who had the balls to go and sign a player like Modrić, and did not take no for an answer. We lost a man who probably spoke his mind and did not back down to the clowns in charge, which is likely what ultimately cost him his job. But most importantly, we lost someone who truly loved Milan his whole life, and was the singular person in management working for the good of the club instead of for himself. Not since Maldini was sacked have we had someone who truly cared like that. And that is the real reason why losing Igli Tare was Milan's biggest loss of the season.
This post inspired by the music of The Marias' "No One Noticed"