Mike Maignan made the following statements during the documentary 'Beyond the Magic', released on the official channels of AC Milan and on DAZN.
On his mentality:
"We are alone. It’s us as a team and the opponents. And behind us are the fans. You need to have a pretty tough mentality to be a goalkeeper, you have to be a little crazy. There are some very important words for me: having faith, having discipline in your work, patience, and humility. When we play together we can achieve great results. Discipline means having rigor, having a way of working and not ignoring anything. You must never give up, even in the moments when you’re down. Humility means never forgetting where you come from and the sacrifices you made to get here. If I’m here and I’m the captain, it’s because I’ve lived through my past. In my past I met several goalkeepers with more talent than me, but they didn’t have my mindset or my determination. I’ve faced many challenges in my life that gave me this mental strength, and that’s what made the difference.”
On his journey:
"My path hasn’t been easy, but at home they did everything possible to give me the best. My mother worked very hard for me. Some things you can’t forget; they are memories that will never go away. I tried to leave all the problems behind, and now my mother is proud of me.”
On being captain of Milan:
"First of all, I have to try to be an example and be the best at my job. Being captain is a responsibility and I’m proud of it: in a group of twenty or thirty players, there is only one. You must not play a role, you have to be yourself and set an example. That’s what I try to do every day, without abusing the armband or the status. You don’t become a captain or a leader; you’re born with a certain mentality inside you. You can learn it, but it’s not the same as those who are born with it. If they gave me the armband, it’s for who I am. In the past I always told youth coaches there was no need to give it to me because I already felt like a captain even without it. Today having it is a source of pride and responsibility for me."
On playing for Milan, Maignan said:
"Milan is where I made myself known to the world. You have to come here to understand what it really means to wear this shirt. When we play, you can see the greatness of the club. As soon as we arrive at Milanello, we have to give our maximum, for the children, for the grandparents, for those who have supported Milan for generations. Sometimes fans think players are always the same, but they also have difficult days. Sometimes a player might arrive at a match with other things on his mind. Inside this team everyone gives their best, even when the results don’t come. You need patience and belief in the work," as relayed via Milan News.
On the people who work at Milan:
"There are many people who work with us. I can’t walk past without greeting them. These are small things that I pay attention to, everyone must be treated the same way. My mother always wanted me to clean my own things and leave everything in order. That’s how I grew up. If I’m not in a hurry I clean my own things; otherwise the kit men help me."
Again on his mentality:
“Today I’m 30 years old. If you never fall, you can’t rise higher. When you fall you know how much it hurts. I’m very demanding of myself and also of others, maybe even too much. I have to understand that we are not all the same, and you must understand how others think too.”
On Massimiliano Allegri, Maignan commented:
“Allegri is a coach who, in terms of managing the locker room and his attitude on the field, is top class. When the coach changes, many things change. I arrived with a great desire for redemption compared to last year. That has been my mindset since the beginning, and it still is today.”
On the adrenaline before matches:
“Sometimes you might arrive at a game a little sleepy, but as soon as you hear the stadium everything changes in your head. Just hearing the coach speak and you can’t sleep anymore. It’s all about adrenaline. The coach fires us up and you’re already fired up yourself. Then you arrive and see your fans, and even the opposing fans whistling at you. You’ve worked all week and your whole life to be here. It’s not fear, it’s the adrenaline to grab the ball and go.”
On the role of the goalkeeper:
“The goalkeeper sees everything. For me, the goalkeeper is the coach on the field. You see everything, you have time to see everything, and you can be a great help to your teammates. Every day you have to work to improve. There are many details that nobody sees. It’s not just about putting on gloves and going into goal. The goalkeeper is the last man to beat before a goal. When you’re young you don’t experience football the way you do now. As a kid you just want to have fun with your friends; today there’s the obligation to get results.”
On the Milan family:
“When I arrived in the first year I met Zlatan Ibrahimović, who greeted me and told me that here we are a family. I’ve always felt that. Milan means many things. God brought me here, if I’m here it’s because my path was planned this way. In life nothing happens by chance. I’m happy with my life; there are many positive things. I’m a man, a father, a son, a friend, a brother, a teammate, and a football player. When you win everything is easy, you’re the strongest and the most beautiful, but it’s when things don’t go well that you see how strong you really are.”
On Milan again:
“Milan is where I made myself known to the world. You have to come here to understand what it really means to wear this shirt. When we play you can see the greatness of the club. I will be a Milan fan for life.”
On the fire inside, Maignan said:
"Humility is important, but you also need some fire and an animal inside you. I like it when a player arrives and says he’s the strongest. Those are phrases that fire you up. I get very fired up too, but I remain aware that I’m human and that I can fall."
