Ismael Bennacer, exclusively speaking to calciomercato.com. He discussed his past, present, and future.
For you, it must have been difficult not being able to do what you love, playing football and helping AC Milan, in these six months. How was it psychologically?
“At first, it was tough. The night of the injury was very difficult because I didn't know what I had. The next day, I had an MRI and they told me I would be back after 8/9 months. I was very, very sad, but in those moments, we have to see the glass half full because that's how you move forward. I had more time for myself, for my family, to work on things I didn't have time for before. Playing every three days, you don't have time for these things. Now I'm happy because I'm ready."
Can you share the secrets behind your remarkably fast recovery?
"Sleep, sleeping well. Yes, maybe I slept very well, also eating well. My family was there, and that's very, very important. Then I set goals for myself every day, I only thought about that. I didn't want to rush back, but the facts have shown that I'm ready. Now I'm just waiting for this, I want to get back to playing."
Bennacer also spoke about the possible return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic:
"Of course, I would be happy about his return because Zlatan is truly a legend in the club, as a player. I would be very happy about his return with us because he has always helped the team, the club. I'm sure that if he returns, he will do his best. We are always in contact, he's more than a former teammate."
On Gianluigi Donnarumma and the fans behaviour towards him, he said:
"Gigio knew what would happen, it's part of football. The football world is like this: on the field, you have to remove all this pressure from the atmosphere. It's not that Milan fans don't love Donnarumma, it's that when you've played for Milan and won something, it always hurts when you leave. Maybe there's something we don't know and will never know. Maybe it was a bit tough, but every player can experience these things."
There has been a lot of talk recently about Milan's real strength: in your opinion, is it a title-winning team?
"Of course, of course, we are Milan. Regardless, without looking at the players' names, we always have the Scudetto in mind. It will be very tough, but we believe a lot."
What is your dream: winning the second star or the Champions League with Milan?
"The Champions League, for sure. The Champions League with Milan. Even though it will be tough, I believe it, I believe because when you play for this team, you understand that anything can happen", said Bennacer.
On Yacine Adli, he said:
"We have a good relationship, not only because we are from France and also have the same origins. We haven't played together yet, but in training, one can see the strong chemistry between us."
Bennacer added:
"Yacine like a little brother to me; I'm happy that he has played more this year. He deserves it, he works hard for it, and he will play even more."
