When Milan signed Fernando Redondo in 2000 they got one of the best midfielders in the world, but his time in Italy proved to be frustrating.
After completing a 25 billion lire [around £11m] move from Real Madrid, the Argentine was expected to lead the Rossoneri to European glory.
Things didn’t quite go as planned though, and on his 48th birthday Football Italia looks back at his difficult time at San Siro.
Words: Gaby McKay
When Milan signed Fernando Redondo in 2000 they got one of the best midfielders in the world, but his time in Italy proved to be frustrating.
After completing a 25 billion lire [around £11m] move from Real Madrid, the Argentine was expected to lead the Rossoneri to European glory.
Things didn’t quite go as planned though, and on his 48th birthday Football Italia looks back at his difficult time at San Siro.
Words: Gaby McKay
In truth, Redondo’s time with Milan was perhaps doomed to failure from the start.
Real Madrid announced that they had sold one of their star players after he had asked for the transfer. The midfielder though had a different story to tell.
“I refuse to allow this stain on my name and my image,” Redondo said in a Press conference. “The only details I knew about this transfer I read in the newspapers. Nobody from Real Madrid contacted me to tell me what was happening until Wednesday night.
“I understood the situation but it was not my decision to leave. The club wanted me to go and I was in an impossible situation.
“I have so many ties here – and not only professional ones – so I can't even think about going to Italy. I want to stay. If it depended on me alone, of course I would stay.”
Fans of Los Merengues protested outside the Bernabeu, but the die was cast: Redondo was going to Serie A.
The deal was seen as huge coup for the Rossoneri, acquiring a player of whom Sir Alex Ferguson once enquired: ‘What does he have in his boots, a magnet?’; and a Champions League winner to boot.
Things quickly began to turn sour, however. In just his second day as a Diavolo player, Redondo picked up a thigh injury while running on a treadmill.
Just two weeks later, a far more serious injury would occur when the Argentinian international injured his knee at Milanello. He completed the session, but it was soon confirmed he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.
Having undergone reconstructive surgery, Redondo was expected to return in six months, but complications necessitated another two operations and he missed the entirety of the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.
In September 2001, Redondo asked the Rossoneri to stop paying his wages until he could actually pay for the club, even offering to give up the car and house provided to him by the club.
“Milan doesn't want to save money on a salary,” vice-President Adriano Galliani said. “We want a great player on the pitch.”
In December 2002, two-and-a-half years after signing for the club, Redondo finally made his Milan debut in a Coppa Italia match with Ancona.
A few days later, 29 months after his arrival, he made his first Serie A appearance for the club and was rapturously received as he replaced Andriy Shevchenko for the final five minutes.
On March 12, with the Diavolo already in the Champions League quarter-finals, Carlo Ancelotti started Redondo at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid.
The Blancos faithful finally got the chance to say goodbye to one of their heroes, giving him a standing ovation when Andrea Pirlo replaced him on 79 minutes.
Redondo made five appearances in the Champions League that season, as Milan went on to lift the trophy against Juventus in Manchester to complete a Scudetto and Coppa Italia double.
The midfielder was given a one-year extension to his contract, and made eight Serie A appearances as the Diavolo won Serie A.
Redondo was given half an hour in the final game of that season, a 4-2 win over Brescia, after which he announced his retirement from football.
Despite making just 33 appearances in four seasons – without scoring – Redondo’s class on and off the pitch meant he is remembered fondly by Milanisti to this day.