Interviewed by Gianluca Di Marzio, Rodrigo Ely, who is celebrating his birthday today, recalled his time at Milan. The defender, who came up through the Milan youth academy and wore the Rossoneri's shirt from 2015 to 2017, remembered an interesting anecdote about Thiago Silva, another former and legendary Milan defender:
"At that time, he was the best around, but he was also a very calm person and knew how to transmit that calmness to you. He saw that I had the qualities, but sometimes I was nervous, things didn't come out the way I wanted, and he knew how to calm me down. For me, as a kid, it was extremely important."
Ely continued:
"At the beginning, it was very complicated. I think about the first times they put me to do specific tactical work... In Brazil, this didn't exist, it was like they were speaking Chinese to me! For a defender, the years in Italy are a very important baggage, you carry it with you throughout your career. It's like a master's degree in defense."
