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Luka Modric and Davide Bartesaghi are a generation apart, but each played a crucial role in the derby win against Inter.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) speak of ‘Grandfather and child’, Modric was born in 1985, Bartesaghi was born in 2005: they are 40 and 19 years old. Yesterday they played their first Milan derby from the start, and they did a very good job side by side.
You can do well on a football pitch when youth pushes you and wisdom guides you, it turns out. Together, they are a paradox on four legs. Bartesaghi is twice Modric’s size but half his age.
Locking down the left
They both played a great match in their own way. Modric led Milan by the hand, and when he misplaced a pass, the press box murmured which says a lot about the high standards that he has already set. Above all, he was invaluable in front of the defence: always in the right place, always a nuisance for Inter.
Bartesaghi produced a mature performance beyond his years. He wasn’t noticed much, and that’s a good thing. Sometimes invisibility is a superpower: he didn’t do anything that stood out, but he was always precise, attentive and he did well to cut out the supply from the Nerazzurri’s right side.
He might not be the most talented player in the city, and as a kid he was a backup to Bozzolan (now at Reggiana) and Piantedosi, who plays in the Kings League. He worked hard, and during Covid he had his father – a bricklayer by trade – make him some barbells to put on some muscle.
After the match, he spoke like an ambitious man: “The derby is a dream I’ve had since I was a kid. I told myself it was my chance, I had to take every opportunity and give 100%. Milan Future was very important, it helped me manage the pressure of the stadiums.
“A starting spot? I never would have imagined it at the start of the season. Now my biggest dream is the national team, I’ll give my all to get called up.” There are other candidates for March, but who would bet against Bartesaghi now?
English (US) ·