Regarding the stadium: “It will be built in San Donato, it will be the new Mecca of football.
“I will do as Silvio Berlusconi did.” Music and words from Gerry Cardinale, Milan’s owner, who aims high. A prominent figure in the USA, receiving awards and shouting “Forza Milan” in front of Joe Biden, the President of the United States, the head of RedBird spoke openly about his ambitions. Successes, the desire for a new ‘grand’ stadium, and the intention to bring Ibrahimovic back to the club.
“The goal is to return to the glory days of Milan, like in Berlusconi’s time: we are the club with the most Champions League titles, second only to Real Madrid. We aim for the Serie A title and want to go as far as possible in Europe.”
In an interview with Class CNBC colleagues, Cardinale, who has completely transformed Milan in the past summer, reflected on the journey so far: “We’ve owned the club for a year, and I haven’t done much: I wanted to make sure everything worked, but at first I was an observer. I didn’t come in guns blazing with an American approach: we took our time.”
“Those who were here before us (Elliott) did a great job. The fans welcomed us fantastically. Changes can be frightening at times, but we are here to do good both on and off the field. We want to transfer our business model to Italy: but we have to ‘Italianize‘ it. I want the best American practices to be transferred to Italy.”
Milan’s income in green for the first time in 20 years? “I don’t want to take credit for Milan’s current situation; it’s a team effort. In European football, advancing further in the Champions League is crucial and changes the game: we have to do it every year.”
“Our focus is on winning the Serie A title as well as advancing in Europe. Off the field, we’ve done a great job. I want to give the fans the stadium which will be the new ‘Mecca’ of European football. If we do it, the stadium will have a significant impact on Serie A. It will be built in San Donato, and the project is set for five years,” Cardinale added.
Then the dream: bringing Ibrahimovic back to Milanello. “Zlatan is a leader, and I’m getting to know him, and I like him a lot,” explained the head of RedBird. “I consider him a natural leader, and we need characters like him. He could serve as a counselor for me but also as a team leader. It depends on him, and we are discussing it.”
