Former Rossoneri legendary coach, Fabio Capello, spoke to GameInsight in an interview about various topics, including AC Milan.
Here are his words:
"Best period as a coach? The most positive one was with Milan. because after Sacchi it was said that the team no longer wanted to work. I took over this team and it became the 'Invincibles' team. There are 58 games in it without ever losing, Champions League finals played, Champions victories too. In all the other teams I have coached, however, it was I who gave that little bit extra. In Rome, after 20 years of not winning the Scudetto after Liedholm, in two years I managed to win the championship. I went to Real Madrid and we won after 3 years of not winning anything. I also won at Juve. The only regret is when I returned to Milan because I found a team that was not the team I had made. In every place I have worked I have given something, and this is a satisfaction."
What is a choice you have regretted in your career?
"I regretted returning to Milan. I had won the championship at Real Madrid and I asked the president to return to Milan because Berlusconi told me. I owe everything to Berlusconi. My career started thanks to Berlusconi. Gratitude is something I care a lot about. He called me but when I returned after a year I told him that it did not seem like a team suitable to win and in fact it was. I was sorry when they fired me because then the following year they made a team to win the championship. Thanks to coach Zaccheroni, but it was a team that I had planned. I felt that that Scudetto was a bit mine too. I was happy to have paid a price for gratitude."
Fabio Capello on Zlatan Ibrahimovic:
"Ibrahimovic's story is very beautiful. I had heard of this guy. We played a match for Roma against Ajax in Berlin. When I got the list of players he was not among the starters. So, thinking that he would play in the second half, I stayed out at the end of the first half and didn't go to the locker room with the players to see him warm up. I immediately understood from how he dribbled that he had great technique. Then he played and I understood it even more. Based on the opponents in front of you, one can make evaluations. With poor opponents maybe it can be easy to show off, but I had a good team since we had won the championship and I was impressed by Ibrahimovic. Then, as I went to Juventus, we only had one striker who was Trezeguet and I asked the managers at the time to buy Ibrahimovic. We bought Ibrahimovic making a great deal. 16 million payable in 4 years. Ajax had seen some qualities in the player but maybe they didn't believe in him completely, otherwise they would have asked for 16 million immediately and not in 4 years. He came to us and I started working with him. I worked a lot because he didn't know how to kick well and didn't know how to play with his head. At the beginning he didn't live for the goal. When you have a talent it takes little to improve, and in fact he quickly improved the weak points. But above all, he understood that thing that he did not have inside, that is to go in front of the goalkeeper. So one day I had a cassette prepared with all of Van Basten's goals, I called him into my office and told him to see the video tape of Van Basten. He put everything to action and became a goalscorer and provider of assists."
Fabio Capello on Ibrahimovic playing at almost 41 years old with AC Milan:
"Knowing him, I thought he could go on for a long time. To reach the age of 40 still with that desire, deserves credit. He deserves credit because he is attached to this profession because for him, football is the profession. He always wants to be the protagonist by being a leader. But they are two different things because you can be a dressing room man but not be a protagonist on the pitch. But he is the protagonist both on and off the field. If I still talk to him? Yes, we talk every now and then. I was at the presentation of his latest book. He called me on stage with him because he is grateful. He knows that I was able to bring out the talent he had inside by showing his qualities on the pitch."
