The gods of football are truly mischievous, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition. Nearly 58,000 AC Milan fans flocked to San Siro to witness the first goals of Santiago Gimenez, the new striker so eagerly awaited by the supporters and pursued with millions by the club, perhaps even assisted by Joao Felix, the gifted talent with magical feet who arrived at Milan on the final day of the winter transfer window.
Instead, the plot took an unexpected twist: the Mexican forward donned the role of playmaker, threading a perfect through ball to the former Chelsea man, who then coolly chipped Svilar as he rushed out. It wasn’t Joao Felix assisting Gimenez, but Gimenez assisting Joao Felix. The essence, however, remains the same: the Rossoneri fans’ hearts race, their Rossoneri passion ignites.
The debut of Santiago Gimenez and Joao Felix at Milan:
The 59th minute of the match with Roma marks the moment when San Siro gets its first glimpse of Santi and Joao, who come on as substitutes for Abraham and Pulisic, respectively. The ovation had already begun earlier, during the lineup announcement, despite the duo starting on the bench—just like Riccardo Sottil, who would also enjoy his own Rossoneri debut in the closing minutes.
The stadium roared their names, eagerly anticipating the moment they would take the field. And nearly an hour into the match, Sergio Conceição decides to unleash Milan’s two new pagan deities upon the Rossoneri faithful.
The first tactical note: Gimenez naturally takes his place up front—no surprises there. The intrigue, however, lies in Joao Felix’s positioning, operating as a free-roaming playmaker behind the Mexican, with Jimenez (with a "J") on the left and Musah on the right. The system shifts between a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-4-2 when the Portuguese drifts forward to partner Gimenez. An asymmetrical duo, yet still a partnership—so much so that, within two minutes, one (Gimenez) already has the chance to send the other (Joao Felix) through on goal, only for Ndicka to snuff out the dangerous counterattack with a burst of pace.
When Conceição introduces Rafa Leao in the 70th minute, the team's attacking setup remains unchanged, even with the scoreline (2-1) already favoring the Rossoneri.
Milan masterpiece
Just two minutes later, San Siro truly erupts. Gimenez receives the ball on the right side of midfield, shifts it onto his left foot, and—almost like a classic number ten—threads a perfect pass into space for Joao Felix, who is kept onside by Celik. For the Portuguese forward, it’s then a simple task to mark his Rossoneri debut with a goal that seals the match against Roma, propelling Milan into the Coppa Italia semifinals.
The celebration? The signature "Night, night" pose popularized by Steph Curry—head resting on hands like a pillow. A classic by now.
As for Gimenez, while his first goal has yet to arrive, he has already made a major impact off the pitch. On Sunday and Monday—when "El Bebote" was officially unveiled as a Milan player—the club recorded a staggering 388% increase in online jersey sales, with his number 7 accounting for 92% of all purchases. Unsurprisingly, the biggest surge came from Mexico, where sales skyrocketed by 543%.
If his impact on the field matches his commercial influence, the fans have every reason to be excited.
