At 38 years old, with over 500 goals on his account, a devastating goal-scoring campaign in the MLS behind him, a recurring Achilles problem to ponder, and no football in over 3 months, Zlatan transferred to Milan. The talismanic mercenary had played at all the historic clubs in his storied career, leaving broken ribs, tattered egos, and short apothegms in his wake. However, for the first time, he was not looking forward. This giant of a man, who had until now done nothing in his life but conquer new lands, was dreaming of the glory of a perfect homecoming.
Surprisingly, Zlatan’s return was greeted by the mainstream press with ridicule. At the time, the prevailing wisdom was, ‘Zlatan’s gone back to Milan to eat’ — understandably so, too. When Zlatan got off the jet at Linate, A.C Milan was not in great shape. The fans had endured a decade of banter, years since the last trophy, a failed takeover, a slew of subprime talents, and a constant change and no success.
In December 2019, Milan suffered a five-nil drubbing at Bergamo. Only a few weeks earlier, the club’s sporting directors, Maldini and Boban, had been forced to terminate Marco Giampaolo seven games into his tenure after 3 wins, and 4 losses (including embarrassing performances against Inter and Fiorentina), and a grand total of four red cards. Milan was crumbling.
To turn the tide, the club turned to Stefano Pioli. Prior to his appointment, they’d openly courted Spaletti after his work with Internazionale but failed to secure his signature because of issues related to his existing contract. Stefano Pioli, the humble bald with a priestly reputation and a quiet expression who until now, was an almost-man. Almost with Lazio, almost with Inter, and a so and so time at Fiorentina defined more by Davide Astori’s tragic demise than anything achieved on the pitch. In response, #PioliOut trended third on Twitter for a whole day — such was the fury of the Milanisti.