AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini was interviewed by Sky after the qualification to the Champions League. Here are his words:
In light of this milestone it is nice to look back and say that the choices were good:
"I believe that no one can deny the fact that it is a well-deserved goal, we did it believing and suffering. We are the youngest team in Italy. We must be able to make people forget what Berlusconi's Milan was. We were asked to lower the salary pool, we need to be creative. The club was supportive, the coaches and the players did a fantastic job. The mentality of having no excuses created something not normal, it was our secret".
On the difficult moments:
"I cannot deny that the difficult moments have occurred, we have no regrets about what happened, things could have been done even better. We have been rewarded for the choices made, not only the players but also for behavior and communication. It has safeguarded us in difficult moments".
The attitude with the group:
"The role changes and I had to have my experience. I was lucky enough to have started with Leonardo from whom I learned a lot. There is always something to learn. Being this a very young team, you chat with individuals are much more frequent than those our managers did with us. Involving everyone is the biggest challenge, many feel they are passing through, others are on loan, the condition of Covid has not helped us. It was a daily job, you divide yourself between the field and the desk. It is a job in which there is always to learn, I hope to be able to continue doing it for a long time because honestly I feel good".
The closeness to Pioli:
"The truth is that Pioli has never been questioned. We must always remember where we started from, after the 5-0 we suffered right here we said it. We haven't talked a lot but we've always told the truth".
On Donnarumma:
"There will be time. Tonight I can't tell you anything, it's not even fair to say something tonight. We talked little but when we did we never told lies. It's not the time to talk but to celebrate, he was one of the happier ones. It is a milestone that has also passed through his parades".
How long have you not heard the music?
"I have been in the Champions League for a while, Milan for seven years, this is not a point of arrival. We are happy, we have had a fantastic path but Milan must be in the Champions League permanently also to compete economically with the other clubs. To grow we must be stable in Champions like Napoli, Roma, Juventus and Inter".
Have you always believed in it?
"We believed in it even when things weren't going so well. We saw different things, we saw that the players had the potential to do more. We would like everything immediately, but with the 20-year-old boys wearing a prestigious shirt it is not like that. Patience in football does not exist, not everyone can see the positive signs. These are guys who can do even better, at 20-21 years old not as strong as you are at 25".
