Jaap Stam “cannot choose” between Milan and Manchester United as his best team, would love to coach in Serie A, and sets the record straight on Lazio and Liverpool.
The former Dutch international spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper and you can read the rest of that interview here.
“Milan is the best team I ever played for, along with Manchester United. It’s impossible to choose between them,” said the 47-year-old.
Jaap Stam “cannot choose” between Milan and Manchester United as his best team, would love to coach in Serie A, and sets the record straight on Lazio and Liverpool.
The former Dutch international spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper and you can read the rest of that interview here.
“Milan is the best team I ever played for, along with Manchester United. It’s impossible to choose between them,” said the 47-year-old.
“I love Italian football, your way of experiencing and understanding the sport. I had three years at Lazio, then another two with Milan, so I had a lot of fun.
“If there was an opportunity to coach in Serie A, I’d snap it up. I am not one of those coaches who only wants to work at top clubs, as I love to build from the foundations. I did have some contact with clubs before the whole world ground to a halt because of the coronavirus, but health comes first.”
Stam won the Treble with Manchester United, but only ever came close to the Champions League at Milan with that May 2005 night in Istanbul.
The Rossoneri were 3-0 up, only to be held 3-3 and lose in a penalty shoot-out, but he denies rumours their celebrations could be heard in the other locker room at half-time.
“That was a nightmare. I won the Treble with Manchester United in 1999, but people always ask me what happened at half-time with Liverpool. Stories have been circulating for years, all of them false. Carlo Ancelotti told us to keep our guard up, but we conceded three goals in six minutes and never recovered from that.”
There is another story about his career that Stam is eager to clarify.
“In 1999, I was in the Manchester United team against Lazio in the European Supercup. In a collision with me, Simone Inzaghi broke his nose and had to go off. All these stories were written about how I broke his nose, so when I arrived at Lazio in 2001, the press tried to make out like we had a feud.
“It wasn’t true, it was just an accident. I remember in the first few days in the Lazio locker room, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Alessandro Nesta would mock Simone constantly. ‘Watch out, Stam is here…’ It was fun.
“I enjoyed my time at Lazio. I’d always challenge Mihajlovic to free kick competitions in training, but he won every time. I wish him all the best.”