2 weeks ago
24
The derby between Inter and AC Milan, like always, will have many sub-plots involving the protagonists on the field.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write this morning, the Derby della Madonnina is different to others in Italy. Paolo Maldini explained it to Alessandro Nesta, who had just arrived from the capital with very different experiences in the Rome derby.
In Milan, you can truly be friends with someone from the other side and even show it in public, as long as you remember that on the pitch, no prisoners are taken. The law that governs Inter-Milan is ancient, written in this noble history, and Sunday will certainly be no different.
Yesterday as today, there are always threads connecting the two dressing rooms, enduring relationships that transcend tensions over 90 minutes. From Mazzola and Rivera to Thuram and Maignan, a mutual respect is the baseline to the hostilities.
Friendship
Nowadays, true friendship between Milan and Inter players often comes from abroad. For example, Petar Sucic and Luka Modric, 18 years apart and both Croatian nationals, are two compatriots who found themselves in the city during the summer by a twist of fate.
In recent years, however, the derby has often felt like the Italian arm of Clairefontaine, about 60km southwest of Paris, where the French national team gather. For Marcus Thuram and Mike Maignan, their friendship began before they arrived in Milano, and has survived since.
The teasing messages are rife, as are the laughs. Now, another French-speaking midfielder and national teammate has joined the Rossoneri: Adrien Rabiot, who is back after a long injury, and has also always been close to Thuram. They also share constant contact, good feelings, and sincere friendship.
Hakan Calhanoglu and Alexis Saelemaekers not only share an influential agent, but also a sincere relationship, despite everything. They bonded at Milanello for a couple of seasons in the Covid era, but then continued to be close even when Calhanoglu crossed the divide.
A busy crossing
Cristian Brocchi (who later became Milan’s coach) and Bobo Vieri (who had a spell at AC Milan in 2005 after six seasons with the Nerazzurri) have a friendship has even become a shared business: the mutual jokes about how the 2003 Euroderby ended never end.
The two Croatians mentioned above are much more sober today. For them, spending time together, exploring the city and its surroundings is normal. Modric is used to riding high waves, so Sunday night will not phase him, but Sucic is just starting out on international soil.
In 2023, Thuram met up with Maignan at Didier Deschamps’ training camp, after beating him in the most bitter derby in recent years, the one that sent the Nerazzurri to their 20th Scudetto. There was the inevitable banter in front of the cameras, followed by a dramatic embrace.
Whatever happens, the French players on both teams are always happy to see each other in the city during the year, but this week leading up to the match is truly sacred: there’s no shortage of cross-messages, and then on the pitch it will be a merciless battle.
Beyond the Boos
Calhanoglu has learned to handle the furious protests of his former fans, but when the wound of his move to his rivals was still fresh, it wasn’t so easy for the Turk. It took a friendly gesture made in public to reassure him.
During the Coppa Italia derby three and a half years ago, his friend Saelemaekers approached his former teammate Calhanoglu as he was leaving the pitch. He hugged him, truly disheartened by the sea of boos and chants, which were inevitable anyway: in an interview, he had called Hakan a ‘blood brother’ for good reason.
Among today’s Italians, there is the same respect that should never be lacking, but perhaps less harmony off the pitch. Matteo Gabbia and Davide Bartesaghi will hope for bragging rights of Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella and the other Interisti.
English (US) ·