The emotion he felt a little last Wednesday night, on his return as an opponent to De Kuip, is something Conceição and Milan fans hope is now in the past.
This afternoon, the Rossoneri coach and the Rossoneri's faithful are hoping to see Santiago Gimenez celebrate as he did last Saturday after his match-winning goal against Hellas, or like the week before in Empoli, when he sealed the match against the Tuscan side with a second goal. Given that in his Milan debut, in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals against Roma, he set up Joao Felix with a brilliant assist, the only match in which he failed to "make an impact" was the one against his former Feyenoord teammates. Today, he will have the chance to redeem himself, though the mission won’t be easy because Beelen and Hancko know how to make life difficult for him: they are familiar with his characteristics and, in the first leg, limited him to just one shot—blocked, no less. They essentially erased him from the game, and despite Milan’s 1-0 win, they “forced” Conceição to substitute him before the 90th minute.
Santiago Gimenez doesn't care much that, when he left De Kuip, his former fans showered him with applause in recognition of his 65 goals in 105 appearances in the Netherlands.
Now, the Rossoneri number seven has turned the page and is focused solely on Milan: he wants to reach the Round of 16 for the first time, having only seen it on TV so far. With the Devil, he has the chance to go even further. And he doesn’t intend to let it slip away.
Milan's Investment
Ibrahimovic, Furlani, and Moncada— with the green light from owner Cardinale—secured his signing in the final days of the winter transfer window, bringing forward an investment in the attack that, in theory, was planned for next season. The move became necessary because Morata and Abraham didn’t provide the goal-scoring guarantees required. Gimenez has already proven to be a true attacking focal point, a penalty-box number nine who can make the difference if properly served. The investment required to sign him (€28.5 million plus bonuses, reaching a maximum of €35 million) would be repaid by a third just with qualification, considering the €11 million from UEFA.
Of course, he wasn’t signed from the Dutch club only to be neutralized in the playoffs, but for Conceição, having him as his attacking centerpiece rather than facing him as an opponent is undoubtedly good news. His Champions League numbers serve as a kind of "insurance": so far, he has scored seven goals in 10 appearances, and tonight, the former Porto coach hopes he can net his first European goal in a Milan shirt. Ibrahimovic hopes so too, having described him in yesterday’s press conference as "a killer, the piece we were missing. I expected him to do well, and he needs to keep it up. In the box, he’s great at being in the right place at the right time, as we saw against Hellas. He can improve even more."
That’s precisely why Milan signed him—because they believe that, at 23, he still has room to grow and establish himself in Serie A after tormenting nearly every defense in the Netherlands.
Today, Santi will have extra motivation in the stands.
In fact, his wife will be there cheering him on, though his parents have returned to Mexico. Yesterday, Fernanda posted a photo of herself with her sister (and her sister’s boyfriend) alongside Santiago. After last week’s reunion with Dutch friends—where she traveled to the stadium by tram, as usual, and happily took photos with Feyenoord fans—she is now focused on finding a new home, a task she has practically completed. She and Milan’s new star striker have chosen to live in Milan, hoping to experience the city as they did in Rotterdam.
In Italy, things will be a bit more complicated compared to the Netherlands, given the passionate nature of the fans—especially if the number seven keeps scoring at the rate he has throughout his career. However, Santi and his wife, a Mexican model and influencer whom he married last May in Punta Mita, don’t let public attention affect them. They embrace the requests for selfies and continue living as they always have—between goals and smiles. That’s exactly what Milan fans are hoping for as well.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport
