Milan defender Simon Kjaer has stated in an interview with the Danish press that he wishes to finish his playing career at San Siro and referred to the Champions League semi-final against Inter as one of the ‘days that you live for’ as a professional footballer.
The Denmark national team captain gave an interview with journalists from his homeland in the build-up to the first leg of the Euroderby on Wednesday evening, during which he went into detail about his long-term future with the Rossoneri and in football generally.
When asked what he has to do to prove that he is capable of performing at the highest level, Kjaer replied: “It’s in everyday life, it’s in the work I do every day and then obviously the matches also have an influence, because it depends on how well you play, that’s how they measure you, but I don’t think the club has doubts about my attitude.
“They can see how professional I am, they can see how much I care, and I’ve also tried very hard to make it clear that I’m thinking many years into the future.”
At 34 years of age, and with his current contract expiring at the end of the 2023-24 season, some have raised doubts over Kjaer’s sustainability in Stefano Pioli’s back line, however he insisted that age is not something that bothers him in the slightest.
“Feeling old is a myth,” he said. “At 34 it’s not true that you’re old, It’s just in your head because my body still works and I feel good, so I still have many years in football. Even at the top level, I’m not going to stop anytime soon.”
“This is where I want to end up, it’s the club I’ve always dreamed of joining so I hope to finish here too.”
Shifting the focus to the upcoming Derby della Madonnina in the semi-final, Kjaer knows exactly what lies ahead of him and his teammates, but remains adamant that the player’s will take things one game at a time, particularly with a league fixture against Spezia to contend with sandwiched in between the two Champions League dates.
“From a football point of view. I know what to expect on the 10th and the 16th. I know what to expect on Wednesday. I also know what to expect on Saturday. It’s a process, but these are the sorts of days that you live for.”