AC Milan ambassador in the Green Room
Q&A with MM Sports’ AC Milan ambassador E. Jr. Madrona
-Why do you support your current favorite club ?
I support AC Milan because I enjoy teams with a lot of history, both on the field and off. Also, I like teams with a lot of culture and diversity, not necessarily just in the squad roster, but in the style and play of the team as well. AC Milan is a team that likes to experiment on the field, and though it doesn’t always lead to success, it definitely catches your attention. I, like most football fans, love to watch great football played on the pitch, and AC Milan is a team that rarely disappoints.
-Which piece of advice would you offer your club if you were present at a board meeting ?
AC Milan has incredible potential, but there’s always an obstacle of some sort between the team and deserved international success. If I attended a board meeting, I would have many subtle recommendations, but there is one aspect of the team that I would most push to change. AC Milan has an amazingly deep squad, but so many great players comes at the cost of playing time, and AC Milan is too content with switching frequently between many different players throughout the season. On paper it works well, but when you look at the unshakeable giants of football, such as Barcelona, you’ll find a deep squad that isn’t afraid to stick to a standard starting set of players. AC Milan’s biggest issue, in my personal opinion, is that the team cannot connect through experienced chemistry since they are constantly shifted around. A great example of this is Thiago Silva. The Brazilian defender is one of the ultimate best defenders in the world, and if you put him with AC Milan defenders Nesta and Zambrotta, he really shines. Now that Nesta and especially Zambrotta see less and less playing time, other new defenders, like Mexes from Roma, get to make their place. Because they are changed all the time and Thiago Silva is the constant, he has no time to adjust to their playing styles and they have no time to learn how best to work with Thiago Silva. As a result, there are some matches where it is really clear that the defenders don’t know how to work with each other, regardless of their world-class talent. This is the same for many other parts of AC Milan like the midfield and attack, on occasion.
-What is the low point of the club while you have followed it ?
For me, the low point of AC Milan was the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League for the 2010/2011 season. AC Milan, though greatly successful back in Serie A, struggled to play well against the Spurs and ultimately were eliminated from the prestigious Championship. It was not the loss that I consider the issue, so much as the lack of confidence and skill on the field. AC Milan pretty much gave the position away after two disappointing matches against Tottenham Hotspur, and I, as a fan, felt let down.
-What is the high point ?
Undoubtedly, the high point of AC Milan as I’ve followed it was the Serie A title for the 2010/2011 season. In all of my football watching years, rarely have I seen such hard-earned success. The 2008 Euro Cup with Spain’s victory was an example of amazing football all the way through, and the trophy was well deserved. I consider AC Milan’s 2010/2011 campaign similar; I watched every match and saw a team that needed to take the throne for themselves, I saw a team that was resurrected through the likes of Ibrahimovic and Robinho. AC Milan proved worthy of the Serie A trophy, and I relished the victory for a long time.
-Which is/are your favorite jersey(s) from your club ?
AC Milan has had many great jerseys over the years, but if I had to choose the best ones, I would say that the 10/11 Home Kit was possibly the best AC Milan kit for me. In close second is surely this year’s third jersey, the
11/12 Black Third Kit. I like the home jersey because of the large vertical stripes, I felt that though AC Milan has used larger stripes before, this was a better use of the design. I’m sure much of my appreciation of it is due to it being the home jersey of a most successful Serie A season for the team. This year’s (11/12) third jersey cannot be argued with; it’s clean, it’s elegant, and from a technical standpoint, it has an incredible build and comfort. I really like the third kit this year, though as AC Milan has recently stated and proven, it is a cursed kit. Black kits have never treated AC Milan well and recently, the team announced the return of the yellow kit for the team next season; no longer will AC Milan sport the black third kit. That may be a hint that if you like the jersey, pick it up now. I had the pleasure of reviewing it for MMSports.
-When you were a kid which player would you like to become ? or who was your favorite player ?
Though born in Spain, I’ve been raised in a few places that don’t include that Mediterranean and as such, though the Spanish National Team is “my”
team, I’ve always been and still am a huge fan of the German National Team.
Without a doubt, alongside with Ibrahimovic, among my absolute favorite players is Miroslav Klose, the undeniable striker from the German side. I knew nothing of Ibrahimovic until I spotted him in the 2008 Euro Cup playing for the Swedish side, and until then, Klose had a monopoly on my favorite players. Though his major playing career will be approaching its end after this year’s Euro Cup, nobody can deny that he has left his mark on football, German and otherwise. He is usually underrated and under hyped as national tournaments approach, but he natural climbs his way up the goal scoring table until everyone sees the name again and again. Without a doubt, as a child, Klose was the player for me.
Sincerely,
Enrique Madrona Jr.