Ruben Loftus-Cheek has given an interview to the microphones of SportWeek, a weekly magazine of La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Englishman talked about many aspects of his new life in Milan as a Milanista. Here are his statements:
"Chelsea? I didn't play as much as I wanted to and I was on the field in positions where I couldn't express myself. The last season was very difficult. Milan? I have a free mind and I play as a midfielder as I like: it's like going back to childhood when we played football without worries. That's the mental state I want to step onto the field with: on the field, you want to have fun, enjoy the game, and also take pleasure in working hard. When you're free, you play your best football. And if the whole team has this feeling, you can achieve great things."
On AC Milan's strength: "
"Yes, we feel like the best, but for these things... it's seen in the end."
On the locker room atmosphere, Loftus-Cheek said:
"The craziest? Florenzi. Who fights the most? Malick Thiaw. The most handsome? I would say Rafa Leao, he's always stylish. Who dresses the best? Yacine Adli. He has that casual look, like a gentleman. I'm a hoodie type, I want to be comfortable. But in Milan, I have to start dressing more elegantly. I have to be a gentleman too..."
On the locker room leaders:
"Everyone, because no one is afraid to let others know how they feel or to encourage others. Mike (Maignan, editor's note) is the one who feels the most, on the field and in the locker room: he talks, encourages, and drags us along."
Loftus-Cheek continues:
"Goals? In football, I want to win the Scudetto with Milan. Outside the field, I haven't thought much about it. I want to enjoy the present. Goals? I can score more than ten. I scored ten with Sarri at Chelsea, but that time I only became a starter towards the end of the season. I can go further. Derby? Sometimes in football, you have a bad day and you can't explain it, but we were good at putting it all behind us."
On his freedom:
"I couldn't choose a moment, but sometimes I feel a general sense of happiness for what I have, for the friends in my life. I'm lucky because money is not a problem, and this gives you freedom. I'm grateful for all of this. No, it hasn't always been like this. The first vacation I could take abroad with my family was at 16: Ibiza. Mostly, I stayed on the street with friends after school, we played football, we rode bikes. Even there, you felt free."
Loftus Cheek on one player he impressed him in Serie A so far:
"Strong player, but underrated that I've encountered in Italy? I think Bologna was one of the toughest opponents. I'd say Zirkzee, their number 9, is good."
On the most beautiful concert ever seen and on Milan:
"Coldplay, just arrived in Milan. San Siro was beautiful. Life in Milan? For us, life is always Milanello-match-away-home to rest, but I've been to the Duomo and I really like the city. If I can, I go to Off-White and Louis Vuitton."
Loftus-Cheek concluded:
"I just watched the documentary about David Beckham on Netflix. At one point, in a conversation with Gary Neville, it's said that football is like a drug for the adrenaline that comes from the people. That's why it's hard to retire. So, if I have an addiction, it's to the adrenaline from goals, the adrenaline from victories."
