"Call them dangerous reunions with a sense of déjà vu."
That is how Tuttosport started its article discussing Sassuolo-Milan fixture: two of the most eagerly anticipated figures in tomorrow’s clash at the Mapei Stadium, Nemanja Matic and Alphadjo Cisse, will come face to face with their former mentors, the men who nurtured them in the early stages of their careers: Ruben Amorim and Alberto Aquilani.
The Serbian midfielder has enjoyed an extraordinary career and has no intention of calling it quits, aiming to keep playing until he is 40. Meanwhile, the career of the young gem from Treviso is still a story waiting to be written and shaped.
It was precisely his encounter with current Sassuolo coach Alberto Aquilani that marked the turning point in the career of the 2006-born attacking midfielder. At Catanzaro, the Rossoneri’s number 70 truly blossomed, establishing himself as one of the finest emerging talents on the international stage. So much so that PSV Eindhoven put €7.5 million on the table to sign Cisse during the winter transfer window.
But it was not to be. Milan’s intervention in the following days prevailed, as Alphadjo only wanted to join the Rossoneri. Mission accomplished.
And with the benefit of hindsight, the Milan fans can now smile too, enjoying the meteoric rise of the Italian Under-21 gem, who is already on the radar of senior national team coach Roberto Mancini’s scouts. Cisse is becoming increasingly influential and, above all, decisive, contributing goals and moments of real class.
To think that, back in July, Aquilani had pulled out all the stops to bring him back on loan, but was ultimately forced to accept the veto imposed by his fellow coach Amorim. The latter had been captivated by Cisse’s talent from the very first training sessions and immediately blocked his departure, despite Milan’s management having initially been open to a move to the club owned by the Squinzi family.
So there was to be no move to Sassuolo, where the former Catanzaro player could, incidentally, have played alongside Matic, who many years earlier, during the 2011/12 season, had made a name for himself in Lisbon.
The transition from promising youngster to top-class player was remarkably swift in a Benfica shirt, thanks in part to the guidance of a special mentor: none other than Rúben Amorim, who found himself overtaken in the pecking order precisely because of his younger teammate’s breakthrough.
And yet their relationship was always free of any kind of jealousy. That is why there will undoubtedly be a few smiles exchanged before Sassuolo–Milan. It would be impossible to imagine otherwise.
The same goes for Cisse and Aquilani, who were working together until just three months ago. Tomorrow, they will meet again face to face, this time as opponents.
Rivals for 90 minutes, but never enemies, concludes Tuttosport its article in this morning's print edition.
