Barbara Berlusconi says that Milan’s desire is to base their future around sourcing and developing talent from across the globe.
The Rossoneri are enduring a difficult season on the pitch as they undergo a restructuring away from it, spearheaded by Silvio Berlusconi’s daughter.
Barbara Berlusconi says that Milan’s desire is to base their future around sourcing and developing talent from across the globe.
The Rossoneri are enduring a difficult season on the pitch as they undergo a restructuring away from it, spearheaded by Silvio Berlusconi’s daughter.
Talking with FourFourTwo, the club director has considered how the reorganisation may affect the playing side of things in the future.
“These are matters within Adriano Galliani’s expertise. Milan is facing a major reorganisation,” Berlusconi has considered in an interview recently released.
“It is preparing itself as best as possible to face the new challenges of a calcio that has certainly changed.
“We place great emphasis on young people, on a structure of scouts able to unearth new talent around the world. But this is without renouncing big purchases, for the top players.”
Berlusconi was asked whether the preference was in creating a strong team without spending, or creating income to make a team stronger.
“Both of these things. The goal is to recruit young talent before they become top players, and before the costs can be, for us, difficult to sustain.
“To increase revenue, then, is a central challenge for us. Just so we can self-finance, improve facilities and afford some more top players.
“It is a challenge that will give results first in the medium term, not sooner than three years.”
The 29-year-old considered also the changing face of Italian football in recent years.
“In 2000, three of the top five clubs in Europe were Italian, by revenue. Today we are far behind. The model of football for the future is inevitably a mix of sporting success and ability to achieve commercial, financial and managerial results.
“And the best results on the field should be from those who adopt a structured and efficient business strategy.
“A good example? Germany, with stadiums that are owned, and rich sponsorships, without follies they have created a virtuous system, an example to follow.
“Accounts are in order, stadiums are full, there is commercial activity and many young people on the field.
“Then, we must remember that football is not only a business for those who earn millions of Euros, but also for the many jobs that it can create.”
The mother of two was asked about the increasing role of women in football.
“I do not see the presence of women as a merit or value added. But simply as a fact. Increasingly, women are taking key roles in football clubs.
“This is important because the clubs are now more companies, and football is really a business. And in all companies the number of and importance of women has been steadily growing.”