An eve full of emotions today at Milanello. Coach Leonardo wanted to announce, together with Adriano Galliani, the decision to end consensually the adventure on the Rossoneri’s bench.
MILANELLO – A different eve than others today inside the Conference Hall of Milanello, where coach Leonardo, together with the Rossoneri’s general manager, Adriano Galliani, presented himself.
“I’m here today, together with Adriano Galliani, to announce consensually that we will separate, in a tranquil and serene way, just like our rapport has always been during the years. There’s nothing surprising, it’s all very clear, today as always. We have arrived at the end. The Champions League objective, which I cared a lot about, has been reached and this morning, at Via Turati, we have decided to make the decision official. The moment to end it has come, but in a calm way.”
Then it was time for the Rossoneri’s general manager, Adriano Galliani, to speak: “Obviously I’m very sorry. I must say that I had to work very hard last year to convince Leonardo to be the coach. Now we arrive at this decision, naturally it was a common decision, agreed with respect, affection and friendship like we always had. It’s not one leaving the other. The termination is absolutely consensual. Leonardo is 40 years old, he was a footballer, director and coach at Milan, he had all the possible roles in a football club. With Milan Leonardo did all the path. It’s something that also Cruijff did at Barcelona, but he’s much older than Leonardo. With us Leo started his path in 1997, and apart from a few months in 2001, when he returned in Brazil, our rapport has been going on for 13 years. Apart from the three aforementioned roles, Leonardo was fundamental for Milan Foundation, another great and important thing, which he did for us. And so we have arrived up to today.”
Numerous questions by the journalists present for Leonardo who continued like this, speaking between the past and the future: “I must just thank Milan who gave me all the opportunities to do anything and therefore my infinite and unique thanks.
“I cannot live sadly. I cannot consider 13 years of my life. The most difficult period for a sportsman is the post-career. It was Adriano Galliani who gave me all the opportunities. I’m a Milan product, I never knew what it meant to be a coach. It was an extraordinary thing, but I don’t know if I will do it in the future. Surely not in the coming years. I’m not afraid of the future, I have no thought and I have no offer. What I enjoy most is the management. Here we live a determined situation and we decided to try. For me it was an extraordinary enrichment. Now the time to end it with tranquility, like we have always done everything. Detaching myself from Milan is not easy, because Milan gave me the opportunity to do everything: whatever I learnt, I learnt it from Adriano Galliani and here at Milan.
“My commitment with Milan Foundation? Foundation is a structure on its own, which works in the social. After seven years of life, Milan Foundation walks alone, it’s an independent structure of which I’m the general secretary, but there are many persons who work more than me for this structure which is now autonomous. For the rest, I will not work anymore with Milan. When you detach yourself from a managerial role to become a coach, you cannot go back. A year ago I left the managerial role for a technical role: I knew that, when the experience as a coach would have come to an end, my rapport with Milan would have also ended. Milan has always been able to resume its winning path. The pessimism that can have been created around this club is temporary.”
For the question about what he will mostly miss from the experience as a coach, Leonardo responded like this:
“Surely that thing I will mostly miss is the rapport with the players, and also the environment. With the lads I faced a very long and deep path. Even the arguments were nice and are part of the general enrichment. Life inside the dressing room rewards you with very nice emotions.”
The last question for Leonardo was then dedicated to the possible return of Alessandro Nesta for tomorrow’s match against Juventus:
“It all depends on Thiago whether Nesta will play or not tomorrow, as the Brazilian suffered a knock against Genoa. Today we will evaluate his conditions and if he’s fine, Nesta will be able to start from the bench.”
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