Zlatan Ibrahimovic talks to the media in a press conference for the first time in his new role as an advisor for AC Milan and RedBird. Here are his words:
"Good morning everyone, welcome. I can start by saying that after 6 months I've already gotten gray hair. We're working."
He added:
"After my retirement from football, you have another freedom in life. I have two children and I've been away from my family for a long time. I got a call from Giorgio Furlani, who is our man from Milan: 'Come to Milanello for a visit.' And I didn't know anything, it was all in friendship. I was ready to return to the field. From there we moved forward, I had my first meeting with Gerry Cardinale and we talked just the two of us for a few hours. He asked me about my life and my future, and he made me an offer to return to Milan as an operating partner of RedBird."
Ibrahimovic continued:
"I was clear with Cardinale: if I have to return to Milan, it must be for a winning project. Those who know me personally, know that I do not accept losing: it's not that I don't like it, I don't accept it. I want to win. Gerry responded: 'Welcome."
On Gerry Cardinale:
"Gerry and I talked a lot before starting this adventure. I got to know him as a person, and we speak the same language, share the same thoughts. He is a winner: when he takes on something, he takes it personally. With Milan, he wants to do things his way with strong and clear ambition, with a winning project not just for the present, but with intelligence. I am the perfect man for this."
On his role, Ibrahimovic said:
"It's simple. I understand that many are curious: I am an operating partner of RedBird, and my responsibility is Milan. I work very closely with Gerry Cardinale, collaborate with Moncada and Furlani. I am involved in almost everything between Casa Milan, Milanello, and Vismara. It's not a one-man show, everyone has their own responsibility."
He added:
"Next step for Milan? It's to strengthen the team to make it even stronger and be competitive for the goals we have. At Milan, it's about trophies, not just in Italy, but also in Europe. Milan's history is in Europe. Every year we play for trophies: Milan doesn't just win, Milan makes history. This is the difference between us and the others. Whoever joins Milan must have the same ambition: to win and make history."
Ibrahimovic on the fans:
"Fans? No one said we are satisfied. We finished second, we didn't do well in the Europa League. We agree with them: we want more. After a season, we evaluate to understand where to improve. We want to be stronger than we are today, there are no limits."
Ibrahimovic continued:
"What makes me optimistic about Milan's future? I am very positive, we have a young and hungry management group that wants to make a difference. We have our strategy that we are following, it's not like you lose a game and panic. Everything is under control. The future is positive, everyone does this job for Milan, there are no personal goals."
No promises made...
"I don't want to make promises that we can't keep or tell lies: we want to demonstrate what I say, we work every day. Even if there is silence, it doesn't mean we are not working. We are not a podcast or a talk show. Be aware that silence is more dangerous."
On Stefano Pioli, Ibrahimovic said:
"I want to thank Stefano Pioli for what he has done for Milan on behalf of the ownership, the club, and myself. What he has done for Milan will go down in history. To make history you need to bring trophies, he deserves all the compliments he has received."
On the new coach:
"The new Milan coach will be Paulo Fonseca. We studied well, we studied the criteria. We want him to bring his identity to the players we have, to how we want the team to play with a dominant and offensive style. We wanted to bring something new after 5 years of Pioli for the players and for San Siro. Fonseca is the right man, we are very confident and we believe in him a lot."
Why Paulo Fonseca and not Julien Lopetegui?
"Every day there was a new coach in the newspapers: Moncada wanted one, Ibra another, Furlani a third, Cardinale a fourth and the fans a fifth. Why Fonseca and not Lopetegui? There are names put on the table that we discussed: Fonseca was better between the two."
On Stefano Pioli and the idea of hiring Paulo Fonseca:
"When we decided to let go of Pioli, we immediately started thinking about next year, but we wanted to give Pioli a nice send-off because he deserved it. We've been talking to Paulo Fonseca, and every day we discuss and share ideas and strategies. He has his own ambitions, of course. Our strategy is to improve the team."
On the U-23 team:
"We have a very important U-23 project that is crucial for us; we want to connect it with the first team, and Paulo Fonseca's role is very important because it gives opportunities to young players. These are small details that we are discussing. Next year, we are competing for four trophies, but it’s not just about the coach: the team also needs to be competitive. Our responsibility is to put the coach in the best possible position to succeed."
Ibrahimovic, how do you feel as an executive?
"I don't know how many former players, just retired, have had an opportunity like this: I am one of them. I have to get used to it being different from being a player. You have to be tougher; even if it's a friend, you have to think about the good of Milan. There is work to be done. I can bring my experience from the top clubs where I've been. Being a manager and being a player are two different things: I have a lot to learn, grow, and give. We are young in the group, with a lot of hunger and desire."
Ibrahimovic on Antonio Conte:
"Why not Conte? First, you study the team's identity. When we spoke face to face with Fonseca, his ambition and desire to work convinced us. When we chose: Milan has a coach, not a manager, it's different. With all due respect to Conte, who is a great coach: he wasn't what we were looking for, he didn't fit our criteria."
What's the status of the Joshia Zirkzee negotiation?
"If we talk about the team and look back a year ago, when my colleagues made a great market, this market will be more detailed. The number 9 is free, there's Jovic and there's space for another. Zirkzee is a strong player, it's not a secret, he has potential, plays very well, and comes from the Dutch school. There's a difference between the rumor and reality. Is he another Ibra or not? I don't want to make comparisons."
Suffering for Inter's Scudetto?
"It fired me up and made me more hungry. Milan and I don't look at other teams, we're not losers: we look at ourselves. It doesn't affect us, it doesn't make us suffer. You're talking to a winner here: this fuels me to do more."
On the new stadium:
"Stadium? Gerry (Cardinale) wants to create and bring something new. This stadium idea is brilliant to me: Italian fans and Milanisti deserve a 'wow' stadium. The Americans know what they're doing. How far are we? Furlani will answer that."
On the pillars: Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, and Rafael Leao, Ibrahimovic said:
"Maignan, Theo, and Leao stay because they are stronger players in their positions. They have contracts with us and are happy: we don't need to sell. Thanks to the work of RedBird, we have the opportunity to bring in strong players and improve."
On the transfer market again, he said:
"The market is there every day. What's important for us is the profile we want, someone who is Milan, someone who fits well with the team."
On agents, Ibrahimovic said:
"I chose not to speak with agents because I don't want to engage in dialogue with them. They're still either black or white to me, while Moncada and Furlani are gray. If they make a mistake with me, it's either black or white. They have more patience, I have less, at least for now. If you come from Mino's (Raiola) school..."
On why not looking for an Italian coach:
"It depends on the material you have and what the coach wants. For us, the best coach for our team was Paulo Fonseca. We want to bring identity, it was important to find a coach for the team we have. The U23 project is important, but not primary, because the heart of this club is the first team. Few Italian players? There are some on the list we have, we already have enough today. Gabbia, in my opinion, should have been in the national team because he has grown a lot. If there's someone you want to recommend to me, let's talk about it."
On commission fees, Ibrahimovic said:
"Commissions? Everyone asks for and creates a situation they want. It must be ok for us and not just for the other side. It's not a charity, it's a negotiation. Let's spend intelligently. Rumors and reality are far away from each other."
On the search for a new striker:
"It's no secret that we're looking for a forward. The market is active every day. We have a scouting system that provides reports from all over the world, every day, on players. Then there are a thousand calls every day offering players. There are also situations where people call journalists to push their clients and create or close a deal. From this, concluding a player is a process: if it goes well, if the profile is right, which is important for us, we take a player who fits the team well."
Is the Champions League the big dream as a manager?
"I want to win as much as possible, of course. When you're at Milan, you have the chance to win in every competition. As a player, I missed the Champions League but it's not a revenge because I didn't win it as a player. I want to make a difference and do it in a place where I can bring my ideas and my vision. Many former players, when they enter a new chapter, think they know everything: it's the opposite. You start from scratch. We are working to win all the trophies and make history, of course I want to win the Champions League."
On Joshua Zirkzee once again, Ibrahimovic said:
"Zirkzee? There is a list of attackers that we are studying, there is not just one player. Many things need to be sorted out, then even if he is the best I want to see him face to face. Entering the San Siro in front of 80 thousand people. There are many factors."
Did you speak with possible new investors?
"I've never done it so far, I don't know if I will, it depends on Gerry. I'm not afraid of the challenge."
Ibrahimovic continued:
"We have a strategy to get to the top. When you do these things, it's the details that make the difference. We're like Formula 1: you have to be controlled and stay at the top. Getting to the top is easier than staying at the top."
Why did you not speak earlier?
"This isn't a podcast or a talk show, communication happens when there's something to say or something concrete. I know in Italy people speak in front of the camera, but that's not my way of working. Every day, we work."
On the fans' stance, he said:
"The past few weeks have seemed excessive to me. I remember when we won the league title: the year before, we played behind closed doors and we improved, but we didn't win. When they opened the stadium, we won immediately. Fans are important for the team: if they are not satisfied, neither are we, it's simple."
How do you allocate the budget for a player in the market?
" Everything that goes in the positive, gets reinvested in the first team. The core of everything that comes in goes into the first team, everything we do ends up there because for us, that's the main goal."
On Paulo Fonseca:
"For us, Fonseca is the top coach, otherwise he wouldn't come to Milan. To the fans, I can say that something new is coming, a different kind of football, dominant and offensive, yet balanced. There will be another energy, another face on the bench, always with elegance."
On his cryptic posts on social media, Ibrahimovic said:
"How to interpret my social posts? I don't know. Do you take it seriously or not. I have fun, I send messages or I send indirect messages. Like when you play games, sometimes I do it too: when I do it I reach 100 million (views), when you do it I don't know how many."
How will you replace Simon Kjaer and Olivier Giroud?
"The average age next year will be even younger, that's why Fonseca is important. His role is important."
Ibrahimovic continued:
"We want to have stability to fight with the biggest European clubs, it all starts in Italy. We have a competitive team that can fight, but we want to strengthen it even more to give more competition to the players who are there today, always with profiles we want to have."
A message to the most skeptical fans?
"The future is bright", says Zlatan in English before resuming to talk in the Italian language: "I don't know in Italian. As long as I'm here, I'll do everything to win."
On Francesco Camarda:
"Camarda? When we talk about me, I think he's more talented at his age. He's very important to us, he's the future of Milan, but with that said, he doesn't carry all the responsibilities on his shoulders. He's still young. Our responsibility is to protect him, help him grow, and shape him into what we envision. He's very hungry. With him, we need to take it step by step. He could be one of those who goes through the entire youth system to the first team. For me, a club like Milan must have a strong youth sector with profiles that should make it to the first team. Currently, it's not happening enough, too few are making it through despite the opportunities we have. That's why we're changing the structure, including with the U23 project: the gap between the Primavera and the first team is too significant. Camarda's physique is still that of a young boy. We want to prepare the youngsters for the more adult game in Serie C. Camarda hasn't started yet, our job is to bring many others to the first team."
He added:
"My phone number? I didn't have this kind of relationship with you even as a player. I don't need someone to protect me in tough times: if I make a mistake, I'm the first to admit it, unlike others."
On celebrating his career with the national team recently:
"My farewell in Stockholm was a beautiful thing. We did things beyond football with Sweden; I opened the doors for the new generation. Now it's up to them. When I started, it wasn't easy, I fought against everyone and won, I opened the doors for the next generations. I'm very grateful for what they did for me. I'm very emotional."
