Carlos Bacca “always had the dream” of playing for Milan, but “Italian football is tough”.
The Colombian international joined the Rossoneri from Sevilla this summer, and has scored 14 goals in his 31 Serie A games so far this season.
“When I was a boy in Colombia we’d watch a lot of Italian league matches on TV because there were a lot of our countrymen playing there,” Bacca explained to FIFA’s official website.
Carlos Bacca “always had the dream” of playing for Milan, but “Italian football is tough”.
The Colombian international joined the Rossoneri from Sevilla this summer, and has scored 14 goals in his 31 Serie A games so far this season.
“When I was a boy in Colombia we’d watch a lot of Italian league matches on TV because there were a lot of our countrymen playing there,” Bacca explained to FIFA’s official website.
“We’d watch [Faustino] Asprilla for Parma, Ivan Ramiro Cordoba for Inter, Jorge Bolano for Parma… they were idols at the time.
“As a club Milan stood out, so I always had that dream that I’ve been able to make happen.
“Adapting to Serie A? It’s been quite difficult, to be honest. For a striker, Italian football is tough.
“But the coaching staff have put faith in me, my team-mates have helped me a lot and the club has made things easier for me – and bit by bit the results are coming.
“For a striker here, it’s difficult to stand out just in attacking terms, just in terms of goals.
“Here, a striker has a lot more work to do tactically, in supporting other areas of the team’s play. But I was really excited about coming and playing in Italy and I’m enjoying every day of it.”
The Diavolo take on League-leaders Juventus at San Siro next week, and the Colombian international is already looking forward to locking horns with the Bianconeri.
“It’s the match everyone wants to play in. We’re facing the League champions, the Champions League runners-up and the League leaders, who have truly great players.
“We’re really keen to do a good job on our home ground. I’m feeling good and I’ve come back [from international duty] bursting with confidence to try and do my bit.”