Mihajlovic: “I convinced Berlusconi to give a debut to Donnarumma and to buy Romagnoli

Sinisa Mihajlovic says ‘for 29 out of 30 years Silvio Berlusconi was the greatest President of all time in football but the 30th year was my year…’ and reveals he pushed hard to play Donnarumma, buy Romagnoli and even keep Niang.

Milan are enjoying an excellent start to the season as coach Vincenzo Montella has managed to win 25 points from the first 12 matches and before the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday (20:45 CET) they find themselves one point behind Roma and five points below leaders Juve.
Montella is hailed for using many youngsters and while he deserves all the credit for it, former coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, who has done a great job with his Torino so far, feels that he also played a part in the Rossoneri’s successful start.
Miha was surprisingly sacked by Milan on the 12th of April and was replaced by Cristian Brocchi, who was personally selected by President Silvio Berlusconi. The former Italy PM publicly criticized Mihajlovic’s work, saying “we have never seen Milan play so badly” and in an extensive interview to today’s edition of il Corriere della Sera, the Serbian told his side of how things went last season.
“After the experience at Milan was looking for something that was better matched with my personality,” he told the newspaper. “The history of Torino is unrepeatable; it draws strength from its roots. It is a story of soul, heart, sweat, pride and blood, which is just how I like it. But it’s not just this. This is a club that is growing, everyone knows what to do and has great ambitions.
“The start has been better than expected [they are currently in 7th]? I doubt that many of you were expecting this good start. We have changed Coach, formation, and have signed new players. I have tried to convey my mentality, the way I see football. At first I got angry but the boys told me that it was not easy to do the opposite after five years of Ventura. But I always saw commitment, application and desire, then if you’re lucky enough to get results, it increases self-belief.

“If [Milan fan] Andrea Belotti can become a ‘Champion’? If he’s not already then in a few months he will become the best striker in Serie A. His main asset is his hunger… he resembles Ciccio Graziani. On the first day of the training camp I told him ‘you are the kind of player that every coach would like to have in the squad’. Now he mustn’t lose his malice but I don’t think that will happen… I had the good fortune of meeting his parents, they are honest people and he seems like a guy of the old times, in an interview he once said that his goal was that he mother won’t have to work anymore.
“If I’m playing my best football with Torino? I don’t know… I think I’ve always done well, at Bologna, Catania, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Milan. I try to play offensive football. I have a lot of quality here, they are young, hungry and if they have a coach who gives them confidence then they will fly.
“I see encouraging signs in Italian football in regards to youth? I see many young guys who now play. A few years ago it wasn’t like that and it was preferred to focus on the experienced or foreign players. I’ve always been of the opinion that we need to determine if a player is good or not, not if he’s young or old. And if he’s good then it’s always better to play a young prospect who can get stronger than those who already play. Just yesterday I thought of the players in the Italy squad that started with me.

“Gianluigi Donnarumma is the last one? Yes, it’s the most striking case. I gave him his debut amongst the doubts because there was Diego Lopez and he was just 16.5-years-old. But he is now part of the national team and is priceless. Giving him his debut will always be something I am proud about. I don’t give youngsters a debut [only] because someone else is missing, like many people do.
“If I’m convinced [of the young player] then I’ll play him even if everyone is available. If I took a risk with this decision because Milan were already in a difficult period? In truth, Milan were in a difficult period from the start, we lost time in the first 7-8 matches because we tried to play with the 4-3-1-2 formation that Berlusconi wanted, although you could tell that it was not the right system.

“After the game against Napoli [4-0 defeat at San Siro] I said to myself: ‘if I get sacked, then I will die with my own ideas’. And then the results started to come. Same thing happened with Donnarumma: the week before the debut, Berlusconi came twice to Milanello to convince me to play Diego Lopez.
“What did I do? I told him that he had 2 options. The 1st, to fire me and play Diego Lopez; the 2nd to keep me and see Donnarumma in goal. He kept me, fortunately. If the fact that Berlusconi is now in the background due to the change of ownership proves to be an advantage for Montella? (Smiles) Look, for me it was a great honor to get to talk Berlusconi and I’ll always thank him. Let’s say that for 29 out of 30 years he was the greatest President of all time in football. The 30th year was my year…

“What went wrong? I don’t know. They had taken me because I have personality and I managed to restore the rules and work culture. So much so that no one ever stepped out of line. Even the injuries and accidents had declined and Alex played the entire season under me. I think we should consider everything that happened to pass a judgment: in the first 7-8 matches we lost, like I said.
“I was sacked after the match against Juventus, which was perhaps the best match we had played; I left Milan in the Coppa Italia final and in the Europa League zone and we all know how the season ended; there’s also the debut of Donnarumma [who has been a starter ever since that debut].

“And I think that Romagnoli would have never come to Milan without me, because no one wanted to spend €25 million [which was the sum desired by Roma]. The figure was exaggerated then but in perspective it wasn’t. Also then I convinced the President. How did it go? He said Romagnoli was too expensive. I said: ‘President let’s do it like this: when you decide to resell Romagnoli, then if you sell him for less than €25 million – I would pay the difference. If you sell him for more then we will split the money.’ He accepted and I think an offer came from Chelsea that was worth double.
“Take another youngster for example: Niang, who with me played as a starter. I stuck my neck out for not selling him in January because he was going to Leicester. Now he’s a reference point. Now take away these three players from Milan [Gigio, Romagnoli and Niang] and I think they are less strong.

“The only thing that fretted me is that I couldn’t play the final of the Coppa because there is no rebuttal but I think that with me on the bench Milan could’ve gone to Europe and win the CI, seeing how we played against Juve. I wasn’t allowed to do that but these experiences make you develop.
“If Galliani defended me? He was great with me and I’m sorry if he leaves Milan but I hope he doesn’t leave football. I like him a lot and I consider him a friend. He helped me a lot and for that point of view it was a wonderful year. Our relationship continues,” concluded Mihajlovic.
Berlusconi will very soon just an ‘Honorary President’ as the Chinese takeover is set to be completed. Miha, in the meantime, will keep working at Torino, trying to show his Milan sack wasn’t justified.