Matteo Darmian says he is ‘proud’ to have played for Milan, Paolo Maldini ‘was and is my idol’ and the Rossoneri remain one of ‘the biggest clubs in the world’.
Darmian’s Manchester United take on Milan at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday, the Italy full-back having come up through the Diavolo’s youth ranks.
“I grew up at AC Milan,” he told the Red Devils’ official website.
Matteo Darmian says he is ‘proud’ to have played for Milan, Paolo Maldini ‘was and is my idol’ and the Rossoneri remain one of ‘the biggest clubs in the world’.
Darmian’s Manchester United take on Milan at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday, the Italy full-back having come up through the Diavolo’s youth ranks.
“I grew up at AC Milan,” he told the Red Devils’ official website.
“I spent nine or 10 years in the Academy, so I grew up there as a player but also as a man, so I’m proud of that.
“When I was young, AC Milan were one of the top teams in the Italian league, so it was always good to watch them play.
“I think they were one of the best teams in the League, and not just in [Serie A].”
The 29-year-old was then asked about some of his more glamorous teammates at San Siro.
“I think [Andrea] Pirlo is the one that takes more responsibility to play – he always wants the ball and tries to pass forward,” said Matteo.
“He had a very good pass. [Gennaro] Gattuso, of course, was the kind of midfielder that everyone wants in their team because he recovered a lot of balls and he pressed everywhere.
”Then they had [Clarence] Seedorf and Rui Costa who were able to make assists for goals, so all of the midfielders were very good.
“Of course, they had a lot of great players but I think Paolo Maldini was, and is, my idol.
“He was a top-class defender so when I trained with them, I tried to look at every moment of his training session because I think he was one of the best defenders in the world.
“[There was] also Alessandro Nesta. They had a lot of good players – a lot of good defenders, but I think those two are my heroes.”
Darmian continues to be linked with the likes of Inter and Juventus, but he made it clear he had already played for two of the world’s best sides.
“Of course it’s a big rivalry because I think Manchester United and AC Milan are two of the biggest clubs in the world.
“They fight for big trophies, so Milan are a big rival.”