Current Atletico Bilbao head coach Marcelino, who won the Copa del Rey 2019 against Barcelona when he was in charge of La Liga side Valencia, has revealed in an exclusive interview granted to Sky Sport, that he was close from joining AC Milan in the past.
On coaching in Italy:
"I don't speak Italian very well , but I hope in the future to be able to live an experience in Italy, so I will also learn the language. In the past I have been very close to the two Milanese teams”.
On Milan:
“Also in this case there was the opportunity, in 2019, but I was not ready to face such a feat. It was certainly a very attractive proposal, but out of honesty towards the club and its fans I decided not to marry the Rossoneri project”.
On Sacchi:
“Arrigo Sacchi. During my football career I played a few games against his Milan. At first it was difficult for him to emerge, but it was normal. Playing with the synchrony of all movements and defending high was difficult, but Milan were a perfect machine. I compare Sacchi's Milan to Guardiola's Barcelona, even if different in several respects. From my point of view they were the two best teams ever. When I started coaching Sacchi he was one of my main points of reference. I analyzed his game and we even met by chance in a restaurant once. We talked about football for hours and hours…”.