Cremonese director Ariedo Braida confirms a story that during his time in charge of Milan, he smuggled Frank Rijkaard’s contract out of Lisbon in his underpants.
Today was the start of the transfer market in Italy and all the directors gathered in Rimini for a gala dinner, as contracts run down and others begin from tomorrow morning.
Braida is now at the helm of newly-promoted Cremonese, but he spent many years at Silvio Berlusconi’s Milan from 1986 to 2013.
He spoke to Sky Sport Italia and confirmed an incident that occurred when the Rossoneri stole Rijkaard from Sporting CP in 1988.
The rumour was that Braida had tried to avoid the Sporting fans protesting outside the stadium by hiding the signed Rijkaard contract in his underpants.
“It’s true, I would’ve done anything for Milan! I ran away like a hare and the contract arrived intact in Milan, that’s the important thing,” confessed the 76-year-old.
Rijkaard was one of the three Dutch giants who helped make Milan great in the late 1980s and early 1990s, along with Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit.
The midfielder remained until returning to Ajax in 1993, after winning two Champions League trophies, two Serie A titles, two UEFA Super Cups, the Italian Super Cup and the Coppa Italia.