Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi has branded himself ‘lucky’ that he got to come through the academy at AC Milan and watch such great players in action.
De Zerbi spoke during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport about a number of topics to do with his coaching career and being inspired by Pep Guardiola, but he also touched on his past with Milan.
“I am well aware that what I did up to yesterday no longer counts for anything. My luck is that I grew up in the great Milan of champions, in the Capello era,” he said.
The most magnetic of those champions?
“Boban above all. He had a liking for me. He called me ‘talento’. A footballer and a man of unlimited personality. Even after he stopped playing.
“No one like him, not even in that Milan. A fight between giants, if you think about the names. But Boban also had that style, that frankness…”
The former Sassuolo boss has done a fantastic job since taking over from Graham Potter as the Brighton boss part way through last season.
He has been praised for playing an attractive style that has guided the south coast club to its first ever European berth, and now he is looking to keep them rising even after a couple of big sales.
De Zerbi has been linked with potentially taking over from Stefano Pioli as Milan head coach if he were to struggle, and he has even commented on the idea of returning to Italy one day.
