Reijnders: ‘I see myself playing for Milan for many years’

Tijjani Reijnders underlined his early happiness at Milan following his move from AZ Alkmaar, admitting that he ‘really wants to win the Scudetto’.

The 25-year-old Dutch midfielder joined the Rossoneri in July in a deal worth around €20m, earning the move after an impressive year in the Netherlands, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists across 54 games.

Reijnders has already made a strong impression at Milan, providing an assist in his first three outings for the club, looking a perfect fit for Stefano Pioli’s squad.

Speaking to Nos, Reijnders first discussed life in Milan and his happiness at the club.

“When I look around and see where we can live with our family… it’s fantastic. Milan is a metropolis, there are so many good restaurants.

“And I play in one of the biggest clubs in the world. It’s true, they eat a lot of pasta here. I see myself playing for Milan for many more years.”

He was asked how many times he’s pinched himself to see if the move to the Rossoneri was a dream.

“A few times at the beginning. But it’s very strange, you get used to it very quickly. At the beginning it was absurd, I used to tell myself look at where you play now and how beautiful it is.”

The Dutch midfielder touched on how he’s been helped by the staff at the club.

“At Milan there’s a team of seven people who are ready for all the players. They help you find a house and things like that.

“That takes a lot of worries away, so you can concentrate on football. In addition, the team has been very kind. They also help me with tactics and translating from Italian to English.”

Reijnders spoke about some of the history of Dutch stars at Milan.

“If you show your qualities, you will be taken seriously. When I’m in the gym, I see the Hall of Fame. There you also see Gullit and Van Basten with the Ballon d’Or.

“Here at Milan, they are very happy to have a Dutch player. They call me ‘Power Reijnders’, how funny, like Power Rangers. They come up with all kinds of things.”

Finally, Reijnders discussed his goals for the 2023-24 season.

“Even though the season has just started, we’re on the right track. I really want to win the Scudetto. I haven’t won any trophies in my life, I want the first to be at this beautiful club.”