‘Always meant a lot’ – Gabbia grateful for opportunity to work with Gattuso with Azzurri

AC Milan defender Matteo Gabbia is a boyhood fan of the club, which has meant that he grew up watching players like Gennaro Gattuso.

Gabbia’s case is a fantastic one. Someone brought back as an emergency and is now one of the strongest players at Milan. Stefano Pioli cancelled his loan as a necessity due to an injury crisis, which saw many say that the Rossoneri needed an investment from the mercato.

Instead, Gabbia has established himself as one of the starters within the Diavolo, and there are now discussions about him captaining the side in the future. For those who love stories in football, it is difficult to find a better one, especially considering what the colours mean to him.

Gabbia x Gattuso

The other side to it is the fact that he has led the Azzurri charge for Milan. In recent years, there has been a limited presence of Italians in the team, and this has resulted in fewer national call-ups. However, Gabbia has regularly been present, and with Gattuso, it seems unlikely that he will lose his place.

Photos: Marco Luzzani + Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

So, before last night’s game, he thanked the legend and admitted what it meant to work for a coach he idolised as a player, as Milan Press relays from his interview with Sky.

“We’re fired up, and we have the ambition to continue our streak of positive results. That’s our ambition tonight: we want to win and take home the three points. Gattuso’s words about me? I’m very happy, honestly.

“For me, as a Milan fan, he has always meant a lot, and it’s great to share this journey with him, but I have to prove every day that I deserve this shirt and his trust. The atmosphere is very positive, we’re trying to grow and improve, trying to work on the margins of improvement to be ready for the next matches.”