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Former AC Milan striker Marco Simone has revealed that he nearly returned to the club under the Chinese ownership to begin a B-team project.
In the summer of 2024, Milan did finally launch the ‘Futuro’ project by setting up a team in Serie C that would be a development side. The first season did not go to plan as they were relegated to the fourth tier after losing a play-off, though they are having a better season under Massimo Oddo.
Juventus were the first to embark on the second team route with the creation of the Next Gen in 2018. As it turns out, the Rossoneri were also thinking of creating a side for Serie C the same year under the Chinese ownership of Yonghong Li. Later in the year though, Elliott Management took charge.
Marco Simone has given an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport in which he recalled some of his favourite memories at Milan and also lifted the lid on that B-team project that never came about eight years ago.
Let’s rewind. Marco Simone is just over 20 years old and arrived at Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan after scoring against Virescit and Como…
“An exceptional team, playing football that was out of this world for the time. Being in the same dressing room as Gullit, Van Basten, Baresi, Maldini and all the other era-defining champions was like walking into a dream.”
If I say March 21, 1990, what comes to mind?
“AC Milan vs. Mechelen, second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals at San Siro. We’re going into extra time, and my moment arrives. I go off on my own, dribble past an opponent, feel the stadium vibrate, and see Van Basten break free, but without asking for the ball.
“It’s as if Marco has opened the door for me to claim glory. So I step up to a super goalkeeper like Preud’homme and… I score. It’s a powerful feeling, the three Dutchmen lift me off the ground. To be honest, I still go back and watch that goal every now and then.”
Those were the years of the duel between the Dutch AC Milan and Maradona’s Napoli…
“Diego was simply the greatest player I’ve ever seen in my life. There’s absolutely no comparison, and I’m convinced there will never be another player of that calibre.”
Messi fans might not agree…
“Let’s not joke. Today’s generations don’t realise how good Maradona was because they don’t know the football of his time. For strikers, every match was a war, you literally got slapped around the face when the ball was far away, and when you tried to make a play, you also had to be careful not to break your leg.
“Watch videos of Diego; compared to Messi, he must have had one more skill: he could skip past opponents – but seriously, not by dribbling – to avoid being hit. With VAR and today’s referees, Maradona would be simply unstoppable for any defence.”
Speaking of defenders, who’s the toughest you’ve ever faced?
“Many, but if I have to say the first that comes to mind is undoubtedly Pietro Vierchowod.”
After Sacchi, Capello arrived…
“Two greats, but very different. Arrigo was the genius, Fabio the manager. As a coach, I started out following Sacchi, his obsessive 4-4-2, but then I realized I had to follow my own path, without imitating others. Capello, on the other hand, was a master at managing champions.”
They say Don Fabio was truly a tough guy…
“I’ll tell you a story. The Champions League final in Vienna, Milan-Ajax. My technical sponsor and I decided to play in white boots. It was 1995, and no one had ever done it before. I knew, however, that if Capello saw me wearing them, he’d take it badly and I’d end up on the bench immediately.
“So, I put them in a bag and warmed up in a normal pair of black boots. Once we got back to the dressing room, just before going onto the pitch, I put them on and looked up: Capello was looking at me with a look I can’t even begin to describe (laughs).”
That Milan was also extraordinary…
“Baggio, Savicevic, Papin… What quality. But my favorite, as we all know, has always been Weah. George and I had a special connection; we always knew how to get along on and off the pitch.
“Sometimes it felt like we were playing in a youth club, in the sense that we only passed the ball between ourselves. And now I can say it: Robi Baggio was really p*ssed off.”
Is it true that you could have returned to Milan a few years ago?
“Yes, it was 2018 and Gattuso called me because the Chinese owners were thinking about the B team and I was supposed to get the project started. I had even signed a preliminary contract, then in the summer the club fell apart, Elliott took over, and Leonardo didn’t feel like leaving.”
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