Mattia Caldara says he ‘can’t wait’ to get started at Milan and make San Siro his home. “It’s the stadium that gives out the most emotion in Italy.”
Caldara joins Milan in a straight swap with Leonardo Bonucci, and the former Atalanta defender is ready to follow in the footsteps of legends such as Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta.
“I thank Leonardo and the club for believing in me,” he began.
Mattia Caldara says he ‘can’t wait’ to get started at Milan and make San Siro his home. “It’s the stadium that gives out the most emotion in Italy.”
Caldara joins Milan in a straight swap with Leonardo Bonucci, and the former Atalanta defender is ready to follow in the footsteps of legends such as Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta.
“I thank Leonardo and the club for believing in me,” he began.
“I can’t wait to prove my worth here. Juve? They were the first to believe in me, and I’ll be forever thankful to them.
“However, a new cycle has begun for me, one which affords me so much responsibility. Now I’m only thinking about doing well for Milan.
“Juve were the first team to believe in me, but it was hard to say ‘no’ to Milan. Their history led me to reflect and realise that they offered the best solution. I’m glad the deal went through.
“Heritage? It weighs very heavily, but I’ll do my best here. I came here because of the club’s great history. Maldini, Nesta, Thiago Silva… they all played here.
“San Siro is the stadium that gives out the most emotion in Italy. Every child dreams of playing at San Siro.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm among the fans and I’m very happy here. In my two years at Atalanta, I grew a lot mentally and also had the chance to play in the Europa League.
“It’s completely different to Italian football. Playing every three days is different to playing every seven days.
“I have to thank Atalanta, who really let me grow up. Conti and Kessie? They couldn’t want for me to come here.
“They told me that there was an air of change and positivity here. I’m really happy. I played with Alessio [Romagnoli] with the Under 21s. He’s very good.
“We must always prove ourselves on the pitch. We can always talk as we please, but you have to prove it. It all depends on us.
“I’ve already talked to Gattuso on the phone. He told me there was a lot to work on, and that’s what I want to do. I want to get involved and show that I can give Milan a lot.
“The Coach wants the team to be resourceful and have a desire to win. I can’t wait for them to come back from the US. I’m happy.”
Image credit @acmilan via Twitter