Hauge recalls how dream Milan move materialised quickly: “Paolo Maldini on a video call”

Jens Petter Hauge has reflected on the time that he spent in Italy with AC Milan, including a call from Paolo Maldini that changed his life.

Tonight, above the Arctic Circle, Hauge’s Bodo/Glimt will welcome Juventus for a Champions League clash. It is the stuff of dreams for many of their fans after a rapid rise in recent years, but the winger is no stranger to playing big games against the biggest sides in Italy.

In fact, Hauge was one of the stars last month in the Champions League with a brace against Spurs, the latest evidence of the Norwegian’s growth. He is returning to the levels of performance that convinced Milan to bring him to Serie A in 2020, also after a European night.

‘Unique emotions and sensations’

Hauge gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport that was published on the day of the game, speaking more about his time with Milan and how he ended up with the dream move.

From the San Siro to the small stands here in Norway, where the fans wave yellow toothbrushes..

“In Milan, in September four years ago, we understood that we could make a qualitative leap and take on even opponents much more credible than us: that evening, a different, new, self-aware Bodo was born… A story we continue to tell.”

And that evening, during the Europa League preliminaries, Milan fell in love with you…

“First an assist, then the goal to make it 2-3: we lost, but we had fun. I remember the chaos after the match, the sporting director saying to me: ‘Jens, they want you…’ My phone was filling up with messages, and a few hours later, I was a Rossoneri player.

“‘Jens, we’re waiting for you at Milanello…’ This time it was Paolo Maldini on a video call. Unique emotions and sensations, I struggled to understand what was happening to me…”

Unique emotions and sensations, but you ended up back at Bodo…

“I felt ready, even though it was a huge leap for a guy like me: from Bodo to the training camp of a big European team, and beyond. That’s how it went, that’s how it had to be.”

Bodo, today, is a city that gives you goosebumps. And not just because of the weather…

“Playing at home is complicated: eight thousand passionate fans, sub-zero temperatures, winds cutting across the pitch, and a synthetic pitch. And snow, too. Anyone coming from outside might be surprised. Roma and Lazio know something about it, but they’re not the only ones.”

In terms of identity, what team are Bodo/Glimt like?

“Gasperini’s Atalanta for our intensity, Athletic Bilbao for the strong sense of belonging that binds us: we are all, or almost all, boys from Northern Norway.”