In the race for the Champions League round of 16, Milan has an extra ally. Or rather, one of its own players, Santiago Gimenez, who can play a decisive dual role: a goal-scorer on the field and an "advisor" for his teammates and Conceicao in the locker room.
No one knows Feyenoord like the Rossoneri's number 7: he played there until just a few days ago, and if the Dutch side secured qualification for the playoffs, a good share of the credit goes to the Mexican, who scored five goals and provided an assist in Europe.
On Wednesday at De Kuip, all eyes will be on Santi, and he will have to keep his emotions in check, but for the Rossoneri, he can be an added value because he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the defenders who will be tasked with marking him.
Milan's Gimenez is inevitably tied to the Dutch club
His former club, in fact, bet on him and signed him from Cruz Azul in 2022. The Mexican, after some initial difficulties, responded in a big way from January 2023 onward: in total, he scored 65 goals in 105 appearances, earning himself a move to Milan.
Facing his former teammates in his first European match right after his transfer to Italy is a twist of fate that will make the two-legged tie even more thrilling for him. Certainly, before kickoff, there will be hugs and handshakes with everyone, and even the fans, who had a great bond with him, will give him more applause than whistles.
Without the €28.5 million plus bonuses offer accepted by Feyenoord, Gimenez would have played this playoff as an opponent of the Rossoneri, but now he will be the Rossoneri’s attacking focal point—the one to whom Conceicao will turn for plays that can trouble Priske’s men.
Gimenez's main opponent will likely be David Hancko, the center-back who was close to joining Juventus in the winter transfer window and who might end up in Turin next summer.
The two arrived in Rotterdam together and formed the backbone of the team that, under Arne Slot (now at Liverpool), won the Eredivisie two years ago and the Dutch Cup last year.
Santi and David faced each other many times in training and know each other well. That’s why the Mexican will be crucial in giving advice to his new teammates about his... former teammates. Among them is also Igor Paixao, the player Santi was closest to: the Brazilian is now the team's top scorer with seven goals (the same as Hadj Moussa) and will take his place on the left flank in Feyenoord’s 4-3-3 system.
Who will be in the center of the front three, in the role that belonged to Gimenez?
Julian Carranza, an Argentine by birth like the new Milan player and another one of his friends. The two shared a locker room for only a few months, as Carranza arrived last summer from MLS, but they are still close.
As per tradition, the Rossoneri will hold their final training session tomorrow morning at Milanello and not at "De Kuip," which Gimenez knows well. There, he took down Bayern Munich with a brace in the last home match of the Champions League group stage.
He already has the "references" in mind to frame the Feyenoord goal. In the stands, he will have some friends and perhaps family, although his father Christian has returned to Mexico, while his mother Bernarda is in Milan, helping his wife Fernanda search for a home. The move from Rotterdam is still incomplete, and maybe the trip to the Netherlands will allow the family to advance the "process".
Gimenez lived near Rotterdam's Cruise Terminal, where ships depart for the United States, and close to the famous Erasmusbrug bridge over the Nieuwe Maas River. In a brand-new building, he had an apartment where he hosted his parents, sister, and friends visiting from Mexico. Just a few steps from home, there was the Happy Italia restaurant, where he often went to enjoy Italian cuisine. Now, in Milan, he has no shortage of choices, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport in this morning's print edition.
