Ex-Milan midfielder Adel Taarabt blames Filippo Inzaghi, who chose Alessio Cerci instead of him in 2014, reveals he fought with Kaka and that Mario Balotelli once arrived at Milanello with a rottweiler in his career ‘driving at full speed.’
Al-Nasr SC star Taarabt, a former midfielder for Milan and Genoa, opened up about his time at San Siro in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The 34-year-old joined the Rossoneri on loan from QPR in January 2014, but the Rossoneri failed to make his move permanent at the end of the season. Taarabt played under Clarence Seedorf for six months, but when Pippo Inzaghi replaced the ex-midfielder in the summer of 2014, Taarabt was sent back to QPR.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but in those six months, I was the best player on a team with Balotelli, Kaka, and Robinho,” he said.
“The fans knew it and Seedorf loved me. I was happy, and after just two months, there were rumours about my permanent transfer. However, Inzaghi told the directors he didn’t want to rely on me and preferred Alessio Cerci. I respect him, but I couldn’t even hear something like that. Now everyone can see what career he’s had as a coach. His brother [Simone] is doing well, unlike him.
“It took 18 months to recover,” Taarabt admitted.
“I wanted to give up. Imagine what it means to play at San Siro for Milan. I was empty when I returned to QPR, a club I love and respect. In my head, it was impossible to play there.
“Seedorf was great with me, even if he had doubts initially. I remember our first conversation. He said he had heard stories about me, but he clarified that he would have judged me, and that’s what happened. Now we are friends.”
Balotelli ‘totally crazy’, says Taarabt
How about his ex-teammate Balotelli?
“Once, he arrived at Milanello driving at full speed with his rottweiler inside the car,” Taarabt revealed.
“He was going so fast that the dog was dazed. He looked like a cat! The doctor explained to him that going so fast wasn’t good at all for a dog. I could say many other things. Once, before a game against Chievo, he told Pazzini to start because he wasn’t in the mood to play. Of course, Balo scored after just a few minutes. He was good but totally crazy.”
Was he on good terms with Kaka?
“I remember a never-seen fight. I know it sounds strange because Kaka is the perfect guy, but it happened,” Taarabt revealed.
Taarabt reveals fight with Kaka
“It happened during a training session. I passed the ball to Balotelli and not to him, and he got mad. I thought ‘Hell, he’s Kaka’. I was surprised because he could not stop [shouting], so I put my hands around his neck at some point. Even if you are Kaka, I’ll get mad if you shout at me. The following day, he apologised and took me out for lunch. At that moment, there were different groups in the team. Some didn’t want to help Seedorf, other wanted it. I was in the middle.”
Does he have any regrets?
“I have two: not joining Milan permanently or signing with PSG. My career would have changed in France,” he revealed.
“It was Leonardo’s fault. When he called me, I told my agent I didn’t like him. It was all done, but he said he’d never spend €12m for me, a player who had played in the Championship with QPR. So he signed Pastore for €50m instead.”
But there were other sliding doors in the opening stages of his career.
“When I was 16, I was close to Barcelona and Arsenal but I chose Tottenham. If I had joined Arsenal, I could have had a different season. They had Wenger who spoke French.”
Thats funny…he was the best player on the pitch at the time