Is Leonardo a traitor for joining http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan?
So finally, Rafa Benitez has been sent home packing – you can’t say it wasn’t coming. The Spaniard had a torrid 6 month spell at San Siro where he failed to finish first in UEFA Champions League group stage while the club’s domestic form was even bigger
a disappointment; Nerazzuri are seventh in the league and 13 points off the summit.
Rafa Benitez did manage to win two trophies with the club; Super Coppa Italia and Club world cup. However, by the time Benitez was finished blasting Massimo Moratti publicly over Inter Milan’s inability to reinforce the squad, the Rafa-Inter relationship
had gone beyond repairs.
Italian Media had a field day speculating about the successor to the Inter Milan throne and indeed it was the bookies’ favourite Leonardo – former AC Milan manager – who took over the reins last night. Leonardo is an AC Milan favourite and 15 years of loyal
service doesn’t deserve anything less. Rossoneri fans started blasting the former prodigal son for joining the ‘enemy ranks’ as soon as the news went official, but do they really have the right to be upset?
Leonardo http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Araujo-c6435 joined the Rossoneri ranks as a midfielder in 1997 and played four successful seasons with the club. The spell with Milan was followed by a year in Brazil but Leonardo had fallen with the Red and Black half of Milan by now. Leonardo returned
to finish his career with Milan but stayed as a scout with the Rossoneri. Owing much to the respect he receives in his native http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Brazil-c2858, Leonardo was able to bring the likes of Ricardo Kaka – arguably the best Milan player of last decade – and Alexandre Pato
to the club. The case of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alexandre-Pato-c4901 in particular is a special one. Elite European clubs such as Chelsea FC and Real Madrid were offering more incentives and yet Leonardo managed to lure the prodigy to Milanello.
When Carlo Ancelotti left for pastures new; http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 FC, Silvio Berlusconi promoted Leonardo from his directorial position to the Manager, the man in charge. The fact that our Brazilian hate victim wasn’t in favour of such a move in the first place is noteworthy.
Leonardo was given an old and ragged squad to play with and the results showed. The fact that AC Milan finished third in the league with a squad that had an average age in the excess of 30 is a miracle. Berlusconi had the guts to criticise his manager and
declare he would have won everything with the team Leonardo had. One must ask the Prime Minister just why he doesn’t take the position himself, if he is indeed that good.
Leonardo – a man of values and character – refused to be bossed around like a puppet and that was too much for Mr. Berlusconi. The two parties duly parted ways on a bitter note. While Leonardo is now being given the slack for joining arch-rivals, if anything,
he should be praised for staying put to his values and his words. It’s AC Milan who treated a legend unfairly and not the other way around.
Rossoneri faithful who believe Milan are more than just a club, a family who bleed red and black, are only kidding themselves. The club is first and foremost, a business. Leonardo is also a business man who was given an offer he found too hard to refuse
– the author doubts any manager would refuse coaching reining Italian and European Champions. So dear Milanista, man up and give the legend the recognition he deserves. you never know, he might return to AC Milan one day.
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