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Niclas Füllkrug has brushed off the idea of being affected by the No.9 curse at AC Milan, while revealing some of his first impressions about the club.
Füllkrug has already made two appearances for Milan, but he has been doing his round of introductory interviews this week. His unveiling press conference was on Friday afternoon, and he spoke to the club’s official channel on Saturday too.
The hope is that the German can provide a big contribution in the second part of the season, despite the fact that he arrived from West Ham on an initial loan deal with some question marks. His first two cameos have been positive, and he clearly offers something different to other options in the squad.
Füllkrug spoke to DAZN to offer further insight on his arrival at Milan, how the initial period has been, and what his hopes are moving forward. MilanNews relayed what he had to say.
What are the first thoughts that come to mind when you think of Milan?
“Great players. I think of players like Ronaldinho, Beckham, Pirlo, Gattuso, Kaka. Ronaldo. These players. Zlatan. I watched them play in the Champions League finals for Milan, all the time. And it’s simply a great club with a special crest, a heavy jersey, but I like it.”
You know there’s a sort of curse surrounding the No.9 shirt here?
“I don’t want to know anything about these things. For me, the number 9 means scoring goals. I don’t want to change my mind because of these things. Truth be told, I don’t care much what people think of me.
“I’ve been walking around with gaps between my teeth for years, so I don’t care what others think of my decisions. And I have a strong connection with the number 9 because I wore it for the national team and for all the youth teams. So now I’m very happy to wear it again.”
Do you like your nickname? What do people call you?
“No one’s ever called me that. But it’s more like Nick. More Italian (laughs). Usually everyone calls me Fuller. That’s my nickname, but now here in Italy I’m used to it. Because I like the culture, the language, which is very fluent.
“I like the flow of the language. And yes, I can’t wait to speak Italian too. I’ve already started, and I understand most of it, and yes, that’s a good thing.”
Do you know any words in Italian?
“I can already say a few, but obviously it’s just light conversation, like ‘How are you?’, ‘Everything’s fine’, ‘My name is Niklas’, all that. ‘Where are you from?’.
“But for me, the most important thing is that I have an Italian coach, and I have to try to understand him as quickly as possible, because all the meetings are in Italian, and I have to understand what’s being said. And most of the time, I understand.
“For me, it’s a great challenge. Beyond the challenge of football, it’s a great challenge to learn a new language, to think in a new language. I think it’s very, very useful for the brain, too. And yes, I want to learn the language as soon as possible.”
What’s Allegri like off the pitch?
“He’s always a bit in the middle. He’s very direct, and I appreciate that. He’s also very direct with the whole group. But he always has a good joke ready, and you never know when he’s joking; he could do it at any moment. And yes, he always has a smile, and I like that.
“He’s always positive, and he knows how to manage people. I think that’s one of his main strengths. He knows how to manage players, great players, and people. And I think that’s also why he’s been so successful.”
You spoke to Bierhoff… can you tell us what he said?
“No, no, I never tell stories about what a manager or player says, because that’s between us. He jokes, he’s direct, he’s critical, he does his job as a manager, and I think he does it very well.”
The 2003 Champions League final: was that the moment you fell in love with AC Milan?
“I have to be honest. I don’t want to sound fanatical or say I’ve always loved Milan, but when I think back to that moment, I think I was 9 or 10 years old, we were on a training camp with my youth team, a small club, and we were watching the Champions League final between Milan and Juventus.
“I don’t know why, but I wanted Milan to win. And then they did. There were also so many good players, beautiful to watch. And yes, obviously over the years I’ve always watched the Champions League finals, not just Milan’s, but all the teams’, because I love watching football.
“But I can say that Milan has always been in my head, a very big club that I wanted to play for. And now I’m in this situation, and it makes me very proud and grateful.”
What do you like to do off the pitch?
“I’m a very laid-back guy. I have my wife and daughter with me. I like to enjoy time with them. Without too many problems, mostly just catching up and spending time together, doing things for my daughter, doing family things. Nothing too interesting, to be honest (laughs).”
How’s your relationship with Italian food?
“I love cooking, my wife cooks very well. I’ve already tried a lot – the food at Milanello is incredible. I’ll enjoy it, in a healthy way.”
Do you have any promises to make to the fans?
“There’s always pressure at big clubs, but it’s always been like this for me, and you can watch all my interviews. Not because I’m at Milan, but it’s always been like this. I think the best thing is to focus on what I can change now.
“And I always work in the moment, I try to maintain discipline in the moment, and I think if we all do the same things, we’ll have a very positive season. And even now, I’ve arrived in a very positive group, with a lot of positive energy and a lot of success.
“So there’s not much to change. Let’s keep going like this; maybe we still have a few things we can work on. Now I’m the new striker, and I try to help at the right time, and I think we can do even better, even compared to the first half of the season, which was already close to being very good.
“Not perfect, but very good, at the top of the table. We have to win these games too; we’ve won a lot, but every point counts in these types of competitions.”
How will you celebrate when you score your first goal?
“I usually celebrate with the team-mate who provided the assist. So, feed me. I need good assists. We have a good team, a good atmosphere, and a good team spirit. And I think everyone will want to see me score my first goal because I’ll be helping the team, and then we’ll celebrate together, and hopefully it’ll be a winner.”
Do you have any memories, anything that comes to mind from playing at San Siro?
“I played against this team, there was the match against Dortmund at San Siro. We played a very good match, I had a great night, a good performance, and yes, we won that match. It was also the ‘group of death’, I don’t know if you remember… it was the difficult group with PSG and Newcastle.
“Yes, it was a very tough group, and thanks to that match, we advanced to the next round because we won at San Siro. And now, when the fans said ‘Welcome’ to me, they all chanted my name and tried to give me a warm welcome.
“I felt it, the fans, the supporters, and yes, I am very, very grateful. It was a very beautiful moment that I’m thinking about now.”
What’s it like sharing a dressing room with Modric?
“He’s an incredible player, with an incredible career. And it’s not just because he behaves very normally, as if he were a normal part of the group, he does normal things, he behaves like everyone else.
“I think he’s a role model for the young players on the team. And yes, it’s a very nice experience to play with a player like him. I’ve played with Kross, Muller, Reus, Hummels, Neuer… so many great players. And I think you can always try to improve by watching what they do.
“And obviously with Luka, I’d also like to take advantage of this opportunity to score, because he’s incredible with the ball. His style of play and his vision of the pitch are different. And I think if we get used to each other, I can benefit from it.”
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