Former striker Pierluigi Casiraghi believes Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have won the Ballon d’Or if it wasn’t for Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and explains why Inter do not miss Romelu Lukaku.
Casiraghi, 52, played with Lazio, Juventus and Chelsea and was forced to retire at just 29 due to a severe cruciate ligament injury.
He could have played many more years if it wasn’t for that collision with West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop in November 1998.
The former Italian striker went through ten operations and was unable to make a comeback with the Blues that terminated his contract in July 2000.
Casiraghi released an interview with Tuttosport discussing Milan‘s title hopes and the longevity of Rossoneri strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Olivier Giroud.
“Ibrahimovic’s mental strength makes the difference,” said Casiraghi.
“It’s unique and it’s combined with his immense class. Zlatan has made history and he was unlucky to find Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who are undoubtedly one step ahead of him. Otherwise, he would have won the Ballon d’Or.
“Giroud is a great guy. At Chelsea, they told me that he is a great professional, one of those players who is always available and working hard, helping his teammates. These kinds of players have a crucial role inside the dressing room.”
Casiraghi believes that, despite being two classic centre forwards, Ibrahimovic and Giroud could play together.
“Giroud is very good in holding the ball, Ibra is more complete. Sometimes he comes deep to collect the ball. Oddly he moves more now than before, so yes I think they could play together.”
Both strikers missed Milan’s trip to Atalanta before the break, but the Diavoli still managed a 3-2 win at the Gewiss Stadium and sit second in the table, just two points behind Serie A leader Napoli.
Inter are two points off Milan in third place and are adapting to life after Romelu Lukaku’s move to Chelsea.
“Edin Dzeko is different from Lukaku, the team play differently with him,” said Casiraghi.
“He has great technical skills, he can help his teammates score. He is not as powerful as Lukaku, but he has more quality and Inter have more options to score with him.”
Casiraghi su Ibra: "Senza Messi e Cristiano Ronaldo sarebbe stato anche da Pallone d'Oro" https://t.co/UqEbgZdBOs
— MilanNews.it (@MilanNewsit) October 6, 2021
lol @ Casiraghi stating Inter does not miss or will miss Lukaku. Just see the Atalanta match and you see they do miss him. In big games there are differences
@Putuco, yes and no. It’s also a tactics/formation thing. See Milan‘s game vs. the same Atalanta and you see a team that was missing both of its Lukaku equivalents and was up 3-0 before a refereeing error changed the tenor of the game. If Inter misses Lukaku so much it’s because it was set up to play for the single target man, which in Lukaku’s case under Conte it was. With Simone they’re spreading it around a little more. Lautaro is more involved, and then there is Correa. That being said, there aren’t many like Lukaku…