Sandro Tonali, AC Milan midfielder, spoke to Corriere della Sera about his roots and his style of football among other topics:
"Where do I come from? From a place like many in Lombardy. There is a strong passion for sport: I believe it is the basis for achieving great results in life."
He added:
"In my country, apart from my Inter uncles, they are all Milan fans. My father conditioned me, when he could, he took and went abroad to follow the away matches of the Champions League. He passed on to me this "Milanism" that I feel strongly even now. There was no chance of reaching Milan at the age of ten: I got there at the right time. And I want to stay there."
On his free time:
"Not much, in the evening I often stay at home, I don't go out much. TV? Not so much series, but my favorite was Prison Break. I like watching tennis, I became friends with Sinner, who is a Milan fan. Music? I especially listen to what Theo (Hernandez) puts in the locker room, Latin stuff."
On the Scudetto and how Milan won it:
"It was a combination of things: Pioli was decisive, as he was in a difficult situation when our climb began."
How would you describe Pioli to a newcomer?
"Pioli is someone who, however he goes, is always on your side. He doesn't want to protect himself, he wants to protect the group."
What is the goal for the new season?
"Like last year, playing as a team, playing football well without goals: even if you don't aim for the top, you get to the top."
On Ibrahimovic, Tonali said:
"He knows us all, he cares a lot for us, and we for him and this is the time to be close to him because he is going through a bad time. He speaks to everyone, from the 1st to the 23rd player, always finds the right motivation. After the end of the first half in a difficult match he comes to spur us on, then if we need other ways he knows how to do that too."
On taking a paycut to make the move permanent at Milan:
"It was the right thing to do. I think the leap in quality was a natural thing: for a player being owned is always different from being on loan. It is not what you think about going to sleep, but it is that detail that alone counts for little, but added to others it makes the difference. If you play badly and you are on loan maybe you worry that they will not redeem you."
Tonali with a message to the fans:
"I show them the new tattoo on my hand: 'Impossible' in black and a red dash to erase the letters 'im': nothing is impossible, this is my message."
