Monza talent Andrea Colpani admitted he was a fan of Milan as a child and spoke about his appreciation for the late Silvio Berlusconi.
The 24-year-old Italian midfielder has emerged as one of the most exciting up-and-comers in Serie A since his initial arrival at Monza in September 2020 from Atalanta. This season, he has scored six goals and provided one assist in 12 league outings.
Colpani’s impressive work with Monza has attracted the attention of a number of Italy’s top clubs, with Inter, Juventus and Milan all planning to make a move for the talented Italian midfielder next summer.
Speaking to Sport Week via Calciomercato.com, Colpani was asked if he supported Milan when he was younger and his thoughts on Berlusconi.
“As a child, yes. I will always thank president Berlusconi. When I talk about him, I get emotional. He has always been kind to me. He said that I was his favourite, perhaps for my good boy’s face, certainly for my technique.
“He greeted everyone with a ‘hello’ and a handshake. Only me, he called me by name: ‘Hello, Colpani’. After a good performance he just told me to continue as I was doing. He and Galliani helped me always trusted.
“An uncle of mine has an advertising agency that works with Milan and Inter, so he always has tickets for the match. Once in 2005 he took me and my best friend to San Siro. I think we were playing against Cagliari.
“In short, we sat in a Sky box, next to us we saw Berlusconi. My uncle took us by the hand and took us to him: ‘president, a photo with the children?’ He made us sit on his knees, my uncle took pictures.”
Berlusconi famously owned Milan from 1986 to 2017, overseeing their historic period of success which included five Champions League titles and eight Scudetti. A year after selling the Rossoneri, he bought Monza and took them from Serie C to Serie A.