Milan’s 2024 ended with the dismissal of Paulo Fonseca, Zlatan Ibrahimović’s apologies, and the arrival of Sergio Conceição on the club’s bench. It’s a snapshot summary of a year that will soon give way to a new one. Unfortunately, for those of us who have reported on it and especially for the fans who invested money and energy, it hasn’t been a happy year. Quite the opposite. Controversies, delayed decisions, protests, silence, crushing defeats, and very few moments of joy. But this is the life of a football fan, and apart from rightly expressing dissatisfaction or satisfaction, there’s nothing to do but look to the future with hope.
Because that’s the beauty of football: even in the bleakest situations, a small spark is enough to make you believe again. It’s a sport of planning, analysis, luck, but above all, hope. And even when it seems dormant, hope is always there. Entering 2025, it’s the only sentiment we can carry forward.
But it’s also essential to look back and reflect on what happened over the past 365 days: a lesson to avoid repeating mistakes and a motivator for those who take to the field after enduring many blows.
Milan’s 2024 began with the team failing to progress from the Champions League group stage, relegating them to the Europa League. A step down in European competition, yet one that could have brought some satisfaction. Let’s not mince words: it will only be remembered for the humiliating debacle against a team as modest as Roma. De Rossi outsmarted Pioli, and the Rossoneri players defeated themselves—a two-legged European tie played as if it were a casual amateur match. Lacking grit, determination, hunger, and humility, the result was the direct consequence. One of the saddest chapters in the club’s recent history, and the sense is that the players shrugged it off far too easily.
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Did things improve in the league for Milan?
Judging by the final second-place finish, one might think so. But no. On April 22, 2024, Inter won the derby at the Rossoneri’s home ground, clinching their second star. There’s little more to add, except that the players never showed a genuine desire to redeem themselves from that sporting humiliation—nor, some might argue, did the club.
For some, that event irreparably damaged the relationship with coach Pioli, who departed after five years at the season’s end. Nonetheless, the San Siro crowd bid him a heartfelt, emotional farewell. While his tenure didn’t end on a high note, seasons like the Scudetto-winning one will remain in everyone’s hearts—even those reluctant to admit how pivotal the Emilian coach was in the club’s recent growth. Equally moving were the farewells to Giroud and Kjær.
The summer marked the beginning of a new chapter. But not before the entire Rossoneri world protested the idea of seeing Lopetegui on the San Siro bench. The “Nopetegui” campaign, despite some denying its influence, convinced the management not to bring the Andalusian coach to Italy. Instead, they opted for Paulo Fonseca, who promised dominant football, echoed by Ibrahimović in his new role as RedBird’s “Senior Advisor.” The transfer market passed without major surprises: after missing out on Zirkzee, the club signed Morata. Late in the summer, the long-awaited Fofana arrived, along with Pavlović and the puzzling addition of Emerson Royal.
During the summer, Milan Futuro, a genuine football academy for the club’s top talents, was also launched, yielding some early results with several youngsters reaching the first team.
With Fonseca, things started poorly for Milan...
A draw in the opener, a defeat at Parma, and a player mutiny against Lazio. From there, aside from brief respites, the situation never improved. Fonseca clashed, one by one or collectively, with Leão, Theo, Abraham, Tomori, and Theo again. Disheartening situations, emblematic of a club in a difficult phase. The lack of serenity and unity was further exacerbated by the fans’ second major protest of the year, sparked by the team’s poor results: “We are not Americans,” “Cardinale, sell and leave,” and other chants of discontent echoed sorrowfully through the final matches of the year.
This culminated in Milan-Genoa, which also marked the club’s 125th anniversary celebration. A festivity featuring numerous “Legends,” as the club likes to call them, but little substance. Consider this: Paolo Maldini, a figure who should embody Milan’s spirit, wasn’t present. Regardless of the reasons, blame, invitations, or refusals, it’s something that deeply saddens anyone who loves these colors.
Amidst it all, there were two fleeting joys, moments of intense but brief elation. The derby victory after six consecutive defeats, thanks to Matteo Gabbia’s goal, one of the year’s few bright spots, and the 3-1 night in Madrid against Ancelotti’s Real in the Champions League. For many, it evoked the emotions of the “old Milan.”
And so, here we are today, with the team heading to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana. Fonseca is gone, dismissed after the Roma match in circumstances so convoluted that they led to today’s apologies from Ibrahimović. Conceição is now at the helm, rekindling that spark of hope, even as reason suggests restraint. This year saw the club hit rock bottom in some respects. The only way now is up, as pointed via Milannews.it.
