Any time there is an international break during the season, it is painful without Serie A. But this new super break, designed to make fewer breaks during the season, felt like an eternity. I mean, sure, there was a lot of drama if you have interest in Manchester City or the 115 charges against them, or if you are, for some god forsaken reason, a Cristiano Ronaldo fan. For those of us who don't care, I can only guess that much popcorn was procured and eaten. But now that Milan and Serie A are coming back, it feels right to end the long break with a short wrap-up.
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| When the players were told Serie A was finally coming back. |
Milan Players on International Duty
Not only did Milan have 15 players called up for national team duty during this long break, but of the Serie A teams, Milan players clocked the most playing time of any other club as well. The players who played the most minutes were: Jashari, Ramos, Pavlović, Maignan, Vladimirov, Moreira, and Modrić, who all played 200 minutes or more over the break. For those who played in the UEFA Nations League, this translates to cash: UEFA pays clubs nearly €4,000 per player per match they appear on the teamsheet for, cash which Milan should see next Spring.
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| Ramos celebrates his goal & assist in Portugal's win over Denmark. |
Ramos had a fantastic break, scoring 3 goals and putting up an assist for Portugal, directly benefitting from Cristiano Ronaldo cementing his legacy as the world's biggest Primadonna during this international break, after not playing at all for ONE 90 minute match. Croatian legend Luka Modrić scored his 30th international goal for the winner vs. Czech Republic, his 203rd cap for Croatia, and was celebrated as the oldest player to ever score for Croatia (a far cry from that other 41 year-old Diva.) Unfortunately, that memory for Croatia was soon marred by a 7-0 demolition by England and two losses to Spain in the same break, even if Modrić himself received another standing ovation in Spain, being subbed on with less than ten minutes left..
Maignan and Rabiot both made three appearances in four matches for France as Les Bleus won three and drew one match in Zidane's first matches as France manager. Jashari's Switzerland won all four matches, and he featured in all four. Pavlović also played in all four of Serbia's matches, but his country had the opposite luck, losing all four of their matches. Musah was handed the number 10 shirt and got minutes in three of USA's four matches, all four wins. Chukwueze only featured in one match for Nigeria, and Estupiñan played all 90 minutes for Ecuador's first two matches, but then incurred a muscle injury. Luckily, his injury seems to be minor, and he is expected to recover in time for Sassuolo.
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| Modrić just continues to add to his legendary status. |
Moreira's appearances for Belgium largely impressed, despite earning two yellow cards which saw him suspended for one of the matches, while Belgian teammate De Winter did not feature at all. Belgium's new manager and former Milan player, Mark van Bommel, did not call up Saelemaekers, and personally, I blame his poor decision making for Saelemaekers' injury in training (as he would have been with Belgium and would not have been injured in that incident.)
The official club statement confirms Alexis Saelemaekers' injury is to the same ankle he previously injured, so he will travel to Amsterdam on Monday for further consultation. It is speculated that he could be out for at least three months, and despite the setback, he posted a positive statement on social media ahead of what will undoubtedly be a tough time for him. Aside from Saelemaekers, everyone was expected to train normally on Friday.
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| Alphadjo Cissè cannot stop scoring or winning, for Milan or for Italy U21. |
The U21 players impressed, including an Italy U21 warmup match vs. Empoli Primavera where they won 15-0, with Alphadjo Cissè scoring a hat trick, and Camarda and Bartesaghi also on target. Cissè also scored the winner for Italy U21 vs. Armenia. All three Milan players featured in Italy U21's 6-2 demolition of Poland U21 that saw Baldini's side qualify directly for the U21 Euros. Vladimirov featured in all three matches for Bulgaria U21.
Milan Friendly with Padova
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| Loftus-Cheek and Ossola celebrate the latter's goal vs. Padova. |
Last Friday, Amorim had Milan play a training match with Serie B side Padova behind closed doors at Milanello. The match was a chance for him to look at certain players who had little to no playing time, such as Hutchinson, Tomori, Diawara, and Comotto from the 12 players who were not on national team duty (along with some Futuro players, obviously.)
Amorim reportedly used similar tactics to those he used in the Lecce match, beginning with a starting lineup of: Pietro Terracciano; Gabbia, Gila, Tomori; Diawara, Loftus-Cheek, Comotto, Filippo Terracciano; Idrissi, Hutchinson; and Pulisic. Futuro players Ossola and Perera replaced Idrissi and Hutchinson. Ossola put Milan ahead with a goal assisted by Loftus-Cheek in the 79th minute. 1-0 Milan. Silvano Vos came on late, and unfortunately Padova also found a late equalizer from Sgarbi so it ended 1-1 all.
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| Comotto is another player that is still looking for minutes who was able to play vs. Padova. |
Amorim Comments
Amorim spoke to the media over the break, and was asked about a number of different subjects. First of all, on his attachment to Milan:
"I think everyone knows that AC Milan has been one of my teams since I was a child... when I was a boy, AC Milan was the strongest team in Italy, and Italian football was the best league in the world... But it's not just that: I felt that connection with the club, with the moment it's going through, and then everything they did to bring me here. I felt it was the right move for me.... I'm really happy to be here and I feel a great responsibility to help this club get back to where it belongs."
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| It is definitely evident that Amorim is happy to be at Milan and is giving his all. |
Asked about Ramos, he said he is "not going to say Ramos should run less," he'll "never say that about a player... I know very well that a striker needs to score, and he will... he's working hard, and if we're scoring, it's also thanks to Gonçalo Ramos... the goals will definitely come."
He commended Luka Modrić on "training like a kid, with a desire and enthusiasm that pleases everyone. He loves football, he loves being on the pitch," although the manager also mentioned that it would be impossible for "a player of that age to always play with that intensity."
He acknowledged the need to create more chances as a team, but he said, "it's not just about Camarda and Gonçalo... My main concern is creating chances for all my players: for Pulisic, for Camarda, for Cissè. It's a team effort."
Amorim has specific ideas to manage his players, regardless of age or position.
Speaking about squad rotations, he said, "I'm not thinking about giving everyone time, but always fielding the best eleven to win."
As for Milan's goals this year, he said, "Every time we step onto the pitch, we have a responsibility to win, and not only that: we have to try to play good football."
From his own experiences, he believes, "everything I've experienced in my career has served to reach this point, at this very special club, to be ready to help it."
Amorim feels that everything has led him to Milan, and feels a responsibility to help the club.
Certainly, the humility he showed after the brutal loss to Benfica and being willing to change his ideas for the match vs. Lecce won him a lot of points with the fans and in the media, and kept this long break a much, much more positive one for both him and the team. Let's hope that translates into a positive mentality and results as we enter this tough run of matches this month.
Gentleman Fair Play Awards
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| The serious winners. |
Three Milan players were honored at the Gentleman Fair Play Awards on Wednesday evening. Bartesaghi was honored as "Revelation of the Year" (also known as "Breakthrough Young Player") following his positive season under Allegri.
Pavlović was awarded "Best Rossoneri Goal 2025-26" for his absolutely incredible goal vs. Torino in March. Pavlović earned some smiles when he joked that maybe Amorim would move him up front.
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| Message to Amorim: Put him up front. |
Rabiot was not in attendance, perhaps in protest of his ludicrous treatment by referees last season and their "missing ref cam footage," yet he was awarded "Serie A Gentleman of the Year." This shiny award is given to players who meet certain behavioral standards, such as fewest cards and best sportsmanship, and then is voted on by the fans (maybe the fans liked that he didn't react when the ref sent him off without reason?) Bartesaghi accepted his award on his behalf. The most ironic part is that he is only at Milan due to a full-blown brawl at Marseille, now he's being recognized for sporting values and a lack of violence.
Stadium Update
If you have followed the stadium situation in Italy for any length of time, you will know that only one new stadium has been built in Serie A since 1990 (Juventus' stadium.) There was one more stadium in Serie C also built recently, and four stadiums in Italy which have seen major renovations since the early 2000's. That makes six stadiums in all of Italy which have been built or seriously upgraded in the past 25-35 years.
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| Serie A teams could earn €75m each per year with new stadiums, but sure, piracy is the problem. |
In that same time period in the rest of Europe, 226 new stadiums have been built or radically upgraded. The average age of Serie A stadiums is 56 years old, whereas the average age of Serie B stadiums is 74 years old. Compare that with the Premier League, with an average stadium age of 35 years, and the Bundesliga with an average age of 38 years. The comparisons are staggering.
Additionally, since 82% of Italy's stadiums are publicly owned, teams miss out on valuable revenue. Stats show that the stadiums built around Europe in the past ten years alone have resulted in an average of 40% increase in attendance, and a growth in over 70% of stadium revenues beginning from the first year for the clubs that own them.
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| The San Siro literally just turned 100 years old on September 19th. |
Italy are attempting to make up for lost time with a surge in building and renovating of stadiums in time for Euro 2032, which could have a projected €4.8 billion economic impact on Italy. Last week, the FIGC released their list of candidate stadiums for the 2032 UEFA Euro tournament, and the new San Siro stadium was on that list.
That means the deadlines become tighter for Milan and Inter to get approvals and begin building the new stadium. One more hurdle was cleared this week as the TAR (Regional Court of Lombardy) rejected the final appeals against the sale of the San Siro to the two clubs. Next, the final stadium designs by Foster + Partners and Manica will be presented shortly, by the end of October or early November.
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| No official plans are out yet, but here is what GdS has gathered, both layout and costs for the new stadium. |
There is a new public forum involving the Strategic Environmental Assessment, The final approval for that is expected by mid-December. Then the feasibility and implementation plans should be presented by March of next year, with construction hopefully beginning next summer. The plan is to have the new stadium ready by 2031.
A portion of the old San Siro will remain, namely the blue section and part of the orange section. There is an idea to give away or sell the actual seats from the San Siro to season ticket holders, so they can keep a physical memento of the original stadium.
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| The iconic stadium will be demolished, but season ticket holders may get a piece of history. |
The new 71,500 seat stadium itself is projected to cost around €700 million. However the total cost of the project will be €2.3 billion, including the demolition, as well as the hotel, shopping, offices, and extensive green areas to be built around the stadium. Most of us fans, after more than 20 years of talks of a new stadium, are in an "I'll believe it when I see it," but I must admit that after the actual purchase of the San Siro by the two clubs nearly a year ago now, it is starting to feel like it could happen in this lifetime... maybe.
Milan's 2025-26 Balance Sheet Shows a €24 million Loss
Another consequence of Gerald Cardinale's ill-advised purging of Milan's management at the end of the season is that Furlani was unable to make his oh-crap-we-need-to-sell-a-big-player-by-June 30th-to-balance-the-budget sale before he was sacked. And Gerald's inaction in replacing anyone before the end of June did not allow anyone else to make that move, either. After Maldini gifted Gerald Milan's first ever profit in 17 years by taking the team all the way to the Champions League semifinals, Milan have managed to stay in the black (barely) the following two years by selling players before that June 30th deadline.
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| "Did someone say there was a budget to balance, no matter the sporting costs?" |
Obviously, the Club announced the €24 million loss with a positive spin: "Strong Foundations Power the Next Phase of Growth." Blaming the loss of Champions League (which was also a factor the previous year, when the balance was still in the black,) they tried to spin the -6% drop in revenue from the previous year, which was still a 1% increase in revenue from the previous year by pointing out that the club's revenue has increased by 56% since 2022. But once again, they are taking credit for the giant €100m jump in revenue that occurred in the 2022-23 year due to the success of the Sporting Sector in the Champions League and other income that was already in place from Elliott.
If you have two working brain cells, you'll note that their revenue dropped 6% this year, the Club's debt has increased, and that Gerald and his minions were directly responsible for the failure to even qualify for the Champions League two years running. And that includes them selling off all of the top players for profits who had accrued such value over time, having been signed for low amounts under the previous management and nurtured to become champions. Trying to positively spin all of this is absurd.
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| "A -€24m budget means Strong Foundations Power the Next Phase of Growth!" |
Literally, this new "owner-operator model" management with their "deep operational expertise" (sorry, I cannot even type this BS without falling on the floor laughing) are literally cashing in on everything they can and taking credit for everything from the previous management, and still showing losses. There is a claim by Calcio e Finanza that Milan's brand value will reach a new high this year, and also that Milan had the highest average attendance in the league this past season, although I have seen that claimed by Inter as well. The entire press release is just a distraction from how poorly the club is being run.
The one solid piece of good news they mention at the end, though it does not effect this balance sheet, is the purchase of the San Siro this past year, as well as the (hopefully) upcoming new stadium project. Those things actually will "enhance the Club's long-term economic profile."
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| When will this guy ever get the message? |
Gerald Cardinale Comments
That brings us to Our Dear Owner's comments. After he and his corrupt buddy David Ellison forced their illegal merger with Paramount/Skydance and Warner Bros through, apparently avoiding the reported €7 million per day losses they would have had to pay Warner Bros because of the originial deal, Gerald was clearly feeling pretty full of himself. Despite the fact that RedBird only invested an additional $4 million in this $110 million merger deal, bringing RedBird's total investment in Paramount/Skydance to $6 million, Gerald had a lot of advice for other people.
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| Paramount/Skydance |
"Serie A was the Premier League. AC Milan was at the top. What happened? In these sectors, if you become lazy and don't reinvent yourself, if you don't show up every day with a sense of urgency to innovate, you will be crushed by the competition," he mansplained, making the comparison with Hollywood, and how Netflix crushed Hollywood's DVD market.
He went on to say, "I have said many times that we must improve the product, make it more attractive and interesting." Yes, the man who took a Scudetto-winning team to second, then eighth, and then fifth, with worse performances each season. The man who changes his players more often than his socks. Milan's very own Deadbeat Dad who finally showed up this year. That guy is telling people how to "improve the product, make it more attractive and interesting."
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| The Deadbeat Dad shows up. Finally. |
Then, after calling Milan "The New York Yankees of Italian Football" (puke) and talking about how important they are to the Fashion industry (I am a fashion designer, and I would NEVER say this,) he bragged about how his whole thing is to invest where things need to be fixed and "accelerate the process." Dude. You have DESTROYED Milan in just four years. That is the only "acceleration" you have managed.
I'll just quote this next part word for word, because I think he may be having an actual mental breakdown:
"I think everything in America is terribly overpriced right now." (Agreed. So why the hell are you making everything in Italy as expensive as it is in America? Like seriously, make it make sense.) "The challenge in Europe is that they don't particularly like entertainment when it comes to sports, they don't accept compromises." (Duh. YOU like entertainment. Why are you trying to force your idiotic way of thinking on them/us?)
Football and the circus are two completely different things, dude.
"What I'm trying to explain to Europe is that entertainment is needed to finance sports." (No, it's really not, bro. Check out the Premier League you're so fond of referencing. No circus acts there.) "We bought San Siro, the iconic stadium in Milan, and we'll build another venue with 80,000 spectators. And then we hope to bring the NBA team to Milan, build an NBA arena." (Dude, they already have a great basketball team in Milano.) "We'll create a Milanese sports and entertainment industry platform, which should accelerate the growth of Italian football to reach levels similar to those of the Premier League." (No, dude, you seriously don't get it at all. Just pack it all up and go back to America.)
There is innovation, and there is insanity. The latter has to do with not listening or paying any attention to your customer, or any of the people around you. Luckily, we got some help on this one. Even before Gerald said all of this nonsense this time, eccentric Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis was receiving the Sports Award for Lifetime Achievement at the headquarters of the Foreign Press Association in Italy, and he called out our apparently mentally fragile owner:
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| If this guy thinks you make no sense... you need to go. |
"I invited Gerry Cardinale to dinner three years ago, he gave me a speech in which I raised no objection–otherwise I would have had to grab him and throw him out, he told me things that made absolutely no sense from my perspective: he is an owner who had the demands of a financier rather than those of a true entrepreneur."
"There is a business concept that not everyone respects, Cardinale and the funds invested money to make it profitable for their investors: if after a while, they don't make a profit, then what benefit has been delivered? None."
Be careful, Amorim, the crazy could be contagious.
I would like to point out that if the man who infamously hopped on the back of some random person's scooter after raising a huge scene at a Serie A meeting, and consistently made his players pose for bizarre calendars or even unveilings is saying that you "make absolutely no sense," then you probably should really just pack it all in and go home. (Please?!)
Another Italian Governance Failure
To be fair, I do agree with Gerald that Italy is resistant to change. to the point that they will turn their legal system inside out to avoid doing something differently. Earlier this summer, Malagò was "elected" as FIGC President. But as it turns out, he was not only not even registered with the FIGC, he hadn't fulfilled most of the other requirements to even run. Marotta and many others put this guy up for election, and the guy literally couldn't even fill out paperwork or pay his dues to be part of the FIGC.
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| Maldini and Leonardo appointed under false pretenses... Italy will never change. |
So, after attempting to sweep under the carpet that the President of the FIGC was not even a member of the FIGC, there was a lot of hand-wringing and anxious reporters. Meanwhile, Malagó finally appointed Maldini to be the FIGC's new technical director, only to undermine his every choice for Italy manager so that Maldini resigned after less than two weeks. Malagó immediately appointed 74 year-old Claudio Ranieri to replace the Milan legend, and appointed Mancini as Italy manager. Because why not let the person who had previously failed to get Italy to the World Cup fail again, right?
All of these decisions were seen as stepping backward, and were highly unpopular. So, when it seemed that the disqualification of Malagó was going to go to CONI, many seemed relieved as a way to remove him from office without blame. In fact, some were confident that he would be removed from office and a commissioner appointed until another election could be held, the traditional legal steps for a President who did not meet qualifications.
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| Ranieri, Malagó, Abodi, and Buonfiglio all at the stadium, and body language tells you everything. |
But then Ceferin and UEFA stepped in and poiinted out that a commissioner being appointed might mean that Italy would forfeit their right to co-host UEFA Euro 2032. Oh the drama. And, right on cue, Mancini and Italy lost their first Nations League match to Belgium at home. So embarrassing.
However, then, Mancini's side started winning again, or at least drawing, and suddenly, all was forgiven of Malagó. Apparently, so long as the national team were not embarrassing themselves on the pitch, it was fine to have an FIGC president who was not qualified and could not even fill out paperwork properly.
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| The mental gymnastics alone are unbelievable. |
So, Italians, being the crafty little devils they are, came up with the perfect scheme to solve all their problems: CONI did remove Malagó as President (because how could they not?!) but then they appointed him as FIGC Commissioner until such time as he can be re-elected. And no one could be prouder of himself than CONI President Buonfiglio, like the 'good son' that he must be, who said "the rules must be respected."
For me, it just seemed like one old man who was incapable of even filling out paperwork was "elected" in a popularity contest, then when he was exposed, everyone wasted a LOT of time and money and effort to make sure he stayed in power, because why not?! When you keep doing the same thing you've always done, and it's not working, why not do it again? Here's to Italy spending a FOURTH World Cup watching from home. This was just another Italian Governance failure.
Saturday, October 10 • 13:00 CEST (7am EDT)
This match is not being televised in the U.S.
Milan Futuro vs. Rovato Vertovese
Sunday, Ocotber 11 • 15:00 CEST (9am EDT)
Sunday, October 11 • 18:00 CEST (12noon EDT)