AC Milan great Paolo Maldini says Silvio Berlusconi transformed modern football.
The former Milan president passed away last year.
Maldini told Radio Serie A: “Berlusconi brought a modern and visionary idea to football and the world in general," said Maldini.
“I remember his first speech. We were in a dining room at Milanello, and he said he wanted us to play the best football in the world, playing in the same way at home and away. He was convinced we'd soon become world champions. He arrived in the middle of the season, but from the following campaign, everything changed. Gym, nutrition, a new coach and new fitness coaches. He had already imagined the appropriate structure to compete with the best teams in the world."
On former coach Arrigo Sacchi, he continued: “Sacchi revolutionised our way of training and play. He hadn't done much at a high level in football and this raised some doubts, but when we understood the real advantages, we started flying. Berlusconi did a lot, he left his mark everywhere.
“The president [Berlusconi] always told me: 'I am like your father' and so it was. Two years ago, he invited me to Arcore for lunch with Galliani. Looking to the past, I thanked them for what they had done for me, Milan and football. I told them: 'I realise just now the greatness of what has been done.' An enormous job. When Berlusconi was released from hospital, only a few days before dying [on June 12, 2023], he called me for some swap deals he wanted to make at Monza. He spoke to me about his footballers, who he knew so well. Football has accompanied him until the end, and he lived it as a passion so he could transmit it to coaches and footballers.
“With Sacchi [coaching Milan], we were immediately at his disposal, but it was really hard—physically and mentally," continued Maldini.
“I overtrained for months, and this wasn't good for me. We had to calibrate it to perform well in games. I was young, and I had highs and lows; I didn't have the stability of established players. It was hard, and sometimes, on Friday, I asked myself how I could play the following Sunday. It seemed impossible, but all this raised the bar for everyone and it was a good thing for everybody. Sacchi taught us how to win and that Milan's side had great players. However, when you find such an exigent coach, who has to manage the group, it ends sooner or later. When you are so obsessed, you easily burn out, and it happens to all great coaches."
