Former AC Milan defender Christian Panucci has reflected on his time with the club and also gave some advice to some of the younger players currently in the squad.
Panucci began his playing career with Genoa and join Milan in 1993 where he won several honours, including two Serie A titles and the UEFA Champions League in 1994 when he started the 4–0 victory over Barcelona as a left-back.
He began as a back-up given the presence of Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, and Mauro Tassotti but eventually broke into the starting line-up, staying with the Rossoneri until 1996 when he went to join Real Madrid.
Panucci was a guest during on Milan’s Twitch channel today and he spoke at length about his time with the Rossoneri, what he managed to achieve and the current direction the club are heading in, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
On his farewell to Milan: “I too, paradoxically, suffered a lot because Arrigo, with whom I now have a wonderful relationship, arrived, but he was tied to his players. So he saw this kid here as a little feisty and he didn’t like me. When you understand that you can’t stay in a place anymore, a place I was very close to and I will always be.
“I will always be grateful to Berlusconi and Galliani, there I won two Scudetti, the Super Cup, the Champions League. I became a man, there I acquired the culture of professionalism, then you understand that when they tell you that Fabio Capello’s Real Madrid wanted me… Arsenal once wanted me but they didn’t tell me either, so I understood that my time there was over. Then I went to Madrid with Capello, so it’s not like I can regret it. But Milan is Milan.”
Did Galliani and Braida come to get you to sign your contract while you were in the U21 national team? “They were the Mediterranean games, they came down and that day changed my life. I remember that I played for Genoa and I had a pre-contract, I earned 960,000 lire. From that moment my life changed, the following year I bought a house for my mum and dad.
“That day there is unforgettable. Buying a house for mom and dad one of the best trophies of my life. I come from a very humble family, my dad was a postman and managed to raise two children. They had been evicted and my thought was to give my parents a roof, I think it is perfectly normal for a son to be grateful to his father and mother.”
The final in Athens, Milan’s match of the century: “The week before Cruijff took all the photos with the Champions League, that he uploaded, he already seemed to have won the match. With a group of men like that of Milan he has done nothing but charge the environment.
“We played the week before in Florence and tried Desailly as a centre-back. We arrived in Athens charged up, but we didn’t expect to play such an overwhelming game. We nullified them in all sectors, they didn’t understand anything. It was a one-sided game, we were too strong for them that evening.
“Every now and then I talk to Guardiola about that evening, he tells me that that evening they didn’t understand what to try. I marked Stoichkov, who moved him to the right after 20 minutes and it was a satisfaction for me…
“That evening we minced them there, it’s an indelible memory. We often talk about it with Pep Guardiola and with Ferrer, I often play golf with them in Spain, they don’t remember it because they didn’t even enter the field.
“I was against Stoichkov, Ballon d’Or… But I had prepared for him, I played him two metres away, I didn’t let him take the ball even once, if he wanted it he had to go deep. I said to myself: ‘He’s Bulgarian, he only goes deep once and then he just wants the ball at his feet.
“When I was there I was always close to him, and when I saw him move to the left after 20 minutes I said ‘Here I did half the job’. I remember when we left Athens by bus people were still celebrating. It was a unique night.”
In that locker room who spoke in times of difficulty? “It was a team of great leaders. Many times since there were so many leaders we were lucky that we lost very little. When you lost there was silence because you couldn’t wait to play the next one. The leaders were Franco, Paolo, Donadoni, Costacurta.
“I was the kid who kept quiet and pedalled, but I also had the personality to express my thoughts. But when they spoke I was absolutely silent, also because in those years I also took a few beatings there. But I always say that they are aftershocks that make you enter the Milan world.”
What advice would you give to a youngster like De Ketelaere? “Now is the right time for the young players at Milan, because I believe that with Paolo the values of professionalism and seriousness have returned to Milan, which make us understand what Milan is.
“Right now, more than ever, he has the opportunity to enter and then, as they once told us, find himself facing two paths: if you take the one on the left, that is, if you stay at Milan, you take the right one, if you take the one on the right, you’re out.
“I think De Ketelaere needs to be given time right now. He comes from a league where the pace wasn’t high, he’s a young boy with many expectations. He probably hasn’t managed to express his worth yet. We’re not always in too much of a hurry to see a player immediately take centre stage.
“Tonali made a change in a year, from the player that arrived he became irreplaceable. Tonali runs for 90 minutes: Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday. He is an extraordinary player. In Milan, you understand what you have to do to become a player: if you understand it, it’s good, otherwise you’re out.”
Do you consider yourself the first modern full-back? “I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I played with both my right and left foot, I consider myself a player who could have been in today’s football. I also played centre-back, I was a versatile player. I think I wouldn’t have had any problems with this football.”
Is it true that you could have gone back to Milan? “Galliani promised me, because he has always admitted the mistake of having listened to Arrigo. I would have returned immediately, for me Milan was my first love, where I became a player, where fortunately I took on the mentality of those guys. Everyone talks about my character, but why did Fabio Capello want me everywhere?
“I played 700 matches, I was sent off only once, when I replied to Farina who yelled in my face: ‘Damn (laughs), if you yell at me like that, I feel sorry for you’. Direct red. But I’ve never lost my head on the pitch.
“Capello wanted me with him everywhere, he also wanted me in Russia. Capello didn’t give you anything. There was always talk of my character, but perhaps it was my great luck. I left an excellent memory at Milan, I’m still friends with Billy and Paolo.
“At 19 you catapult yourself into the strongest team in the world, it’s obvious that for a moment you’ll get rid of it. But just for a moment, I still had the record for the youngest goal for Milan in the Champions League, against Porto.”
Did you see any players at the World Cup who particularly impressed you? “I have to say that in this World Cup I thought I’d find a game idea, instead it was the World Cup of individuals. Before it started I said Argentina would win. I also said about an African team, because I recently went to India for Milan to give a conference and I said that an African team would be a surprise. Messi and Maradona, we are talking about two very great players. Maradona excites me more, they are two extraordinary players. But we live on emotions.”
On Theo and his development in defence: “In the national team there is little time to work. He has a great gift, which is the great resilience. Sometimes you see that even if he goes a little where he wants then he has great resilience and strength in his legs. He is one of the strongest full-backs in the world, absolutely. Pioli managed, not only with him, to get the best out of him.”
On the Champions League match between Milan and Tottenham: “In Europe, Milan have grown since last year. Against Tottenham it is an open match, the English are tough and Conte prepares them very well. It’s a round where it could have gone worse.
“As usual in the Champions League, a complicated quarter-final. In the league we have to see what Napoli does. If they slows down they’ll all come back. But if Napoli go on like this, everyone goes for second place. However, Milan are having an incredible journey.”
One last thought on Milan: “I’ve always been grateful to Milan and I’m also sorry for the fans because I went to Inter, but I made a professional choice and I had chosen to return to Milan.
“I don’t deny anything from my past, but this doesn’t change anything in my love for Milan, I will always be grateful for what they have given me, it can’t be forgotten, from the victories to the affection of the people.
“I’ve been to India for AC Milan and they still remember us. My feelings for Milan cannot be different, I will always have great gratitude towards these colours and this city. Then at a certain point we separated but that’s not why I don’t feel love for Milan, on the contrary, Milan is still home for me.”
Sincerely and openly saying sorry with still being a professional. Nothing but respect. Contrary with that hypocrite Calala.
Personally i was gutted when he left us as would have liked him to stay with us for many years.
I blame Sacchi for that. Dude clearly love Milan, but Sacchi had a bias against him. And yet Sacchi failed to bring Milan to the top at 97 with those legendary squad with weah up front. Milan’s finished on 11th or 12th at that season right?
96/97 – 11th and the next at 10th so it wasnt only sacchis fault how the team fared but in our recent banter years i often tried to make people remember that the legendary squads we had at that time fared even worse than we did in those 2010’s years. In his first tenure sacchi allmost drove out van basten as well if i remember correctly so he propably wasnt easy dealing with even though i adore him for what he has done for our club.
Damn shame panucci left as he could have been a mainstay had he got that chance and even though im a dane and doesnt dislike thomas helveg i would have preferred panucci there instead,
Well, if I remember correctly a lot of players that was under Sacchi hate his team management too. Paolo, Billy and Desaily I think said they don’t like his style. It’s a shame that Panucci leave for Madrid at the time. Honestly after Tassoti and before Cafu, except for Panucci, there were no RB of Milan that stand out. I respect the dude, but Helveg was decent at best. Milan fans nowadays love to nitpick on any faults of the team. Either they are too young to know about our lowest point before(where we were dropped out of Seria A to Serie B, struggling as midtable team even with legendary team etc.), or they are just a glory hunters.