To hear the chant "There is only one president," after exclaiming "Forza Milan" in the presence of the President of the United States: if it were the highlights of a match, Gerry Cardinale would have won hands down. Even more so because Joe Biden, the most powerful man in the world, is also a great soccer enthusiast, and for this reason, he won't have missed the "Rossoneri" passages - numerous - in the speech that the AC Milan owner and RedBird founder delivered the other night in Washington, on the occasion of the 48th anniversary of Niaf, a non-profit organization based in the USA that promotes Italian culture and heritage.
Cardinale, with roots in Abruzzo, Sicily, and Campania, was awarded for finance, and present at the ceremony were Joe Biden and his wife Jill, the first Italian-origin First Lady in history. So, if Cardinale's project is to elevate Milan by racing on the dual tracks of on-field performance and brand image enhancement, this is a significant acceleration.
If sports and entertainment are to become one, this is a Showtime move. The next ones will have to be achieved by his Milan, which, after the break, will measure its championship ambitions against Juventus and Napoli on October 22nd and 29th, and seek a night of glory at Mbappé's home on October 25th against PSG in the Champions League.
Cardinale won't be at the stadium because his agenda in the coming weeks is packed with work commitments: he'll return to San Siro on November 7th for the return match with PSG. If Leao and his teammates continue to run in the league, and if they break the ice in the Champions League, well, then there will be plenty of excitement, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport.
What's here now is passion, strategy, and a desire to grow: Cardinale spoke about it, recounting what he has done in his career and at the helm of Milan. "In the last 30 years, I've invested in sports and media, and I thought I had already seen and done everything there was to do in sports. But this past year spent as the owner of Milan in every sense has made me appreciate in an entirely new way what we do to live. Yes, owning one of the most historic brands in all of European football is a privilege and a unique experience, regardless of who you are. But as a student of history, you can't help but quickly become aware of the gigantic Italian footsteps you are following, as well as your enormous responsibility to the people and the fans."
Cardinale exclaims "Forza Milan" at the end of his speech, says he felt at home in Piazza Duomo on the day of the championship, mentions Ibrahimovic's saying, "The individual comes with the collective, and if the collective does well, then the individual will do well," and, at the close of the ceremony, remembers Berlusconi: "He was a legend and a maestro. And I will try to follow in his footsteps to make the club even greater." The fans appreciate it: Cardinale stopped to chat with a delegation of Milan Club members from New York. They dedicated the president's chant to him — a role held by Paolo Scaroni, but the detail speaks volumes about Gerry Cardinale's identification with the club he owns, increasingly strong in the eyes of the fans — and they gave him a jersey.
The party continued at Café Milano, a historic Georgetown venue for US presidents: owner Franco Nuschese organized a party for Cardinale and Stefano Domenicali, president of F1, who was also honoured by the award. The two stayed up late chatting about Milan and F1, exchanging ideas on how to enhance their respective fields. Gerry's plans are clear: to bring Milan back to the top with sustainable management and the creation of new assets, foremost among them the stadium.
The numbers of the first RedBird-branded budget, closed in profit after 17 years with a turnover of over 400 million, an absolute record for the club, will be officially announced at the shareholders' meeting on October 23rd. We're just at the beginning, Cardinale would say. True: in the meantime, Milan will have to face Juventus soon and will then challenge Mbappé...
