Ballo-Touré opens up about his experience with Milan

Fodé Ballo-Touré, the former Rossoneri full-back, spoke exclusively with Milannews.it.

Here are his statements:

Fodé, with Milan you won the 2022 Scudetto and reached the 2023 Champions League semi-final, but with a limited role because of Theo Hernandez. Overall, was it a positive or negative experience?

"To be honest, both. Every player wants to play every match or at least get a run of games. Still, I won the Scudetto with a big club, playing some matches, so my memories of Milan are good. I also showed that I could meet the expectations of a top team even without playing much. And then... Thanks to what I learned at Milan, I can now teach Metz players and explain what to do in certain situations. My time with the Rossoneri helped me a lot. At Milan, I understood what top-level football means and how to respond..."

But Stefano Pioli didn’t seem to rate you much

"I wouldn’t say that, and his team was doing well. Theo was in top form. It was hard to take his place."

Was leaving Milan through the back door a sad ending?

"I don’t know what happened. Last year, I focused only on myself (Ballo-Touré was excluded from the main squad and played a few matches with Milan Futuro, editor’s note). And voilà..."

What does Rafael Leao lack to become one of the world’s best? Ballo-Touré replied:

"He has talent and lacks nothing... or maybe yes, he should score more goals, that’s all. He’s an excellent player. What makes him special are his dribbles, runs, and speed."

Milan, with four French players, is top of Serie A at the end of October. Can they stay there until May?

"Yes, Milan will win the Scudetto. They’ll win it," he said confidently with a smile. "I’m sure they’ll triumph. I’ve watched the games, the team is strong and plays well. The group is united and will finish first."