Samuel Chukwueze believes he has improved ahead of the new season with AC Milan and has high hopes for the Rossoneri. The Nigerian international has been one of Milan’s most encouraging prospects in pre-season, scoring against the likes of Real Madrid while setting up winners in their match against Manchester City. Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 25-year-old explained why things didn’t work out with former coach Stefano Pioli, and why family is so important to him:
Is Samuel Chukwueze a happy man?
“Yes, the most important thing is having people who trust you. Milan is a family, not just a team. We do everything together. Me, Yac (Yacine Adli), Okafor, Fikayo, Ruben, Cala who is the captain and someone I always want with me. We talk about life, even the things that go wrong.”
Life, from Nigeria to Milan, has been a great journey. What’s the first scene that comes to mind?
“My mom not wanting me to play. In Africa, everyone focuses on school, and she used to say ‘football will never make you money.’ But I was born with football inside me. I would play until seven in the evening, and when I came home, she would punish me. She would take my football shoes and confiscate them, so I had to hide them. The problem was she always found them. Once, she burned my shoes and shirts and told me, ‘Samuel, you need to focus on your studies.’ I tried, but a part of me was switched off.”
And then?
“My cousin’s brother told me about a trial in the city. I told him not to bother calling me. But he knocked at 5:30 in the morning, and my mom answered: ‘Samuel is not going anywhere, he has school today.’ My grandmother convinced her, then woke me up and gave me money for transport.”
Did it go well?
“When I arrived, they said it was over. But they let me play alone, saw my ball control, and changed their minds: ‘Okay, that’s what we were looking for.’ They took me to a tournament in Portugal.”
Your mom couldn’t have accepted that…
“When she had that dream, yes. She dreamed that I lifted the trophy and scored, and luckily the dream came true. Recently, she told me, ‘Now I start to believe in football,’ but the only one who believed from the start was my grandmother, who passed away this year.”
And now, what does your mom say?
“The funny thing is, in Africa, you don’t change your mind. She still wants me to study, wants me to be a doctor, maybe a doctor in football. I wanted to be a lawyer, but she said, ‘No, no, doctor. You need to study pharmacy.'”
That’s complicated…
“I try to keep my brain active. Sometimes I review things in my head, go online to read medical articles. I know I won’t play football forever.”
In such a context, what do you think about money?
“If money were a problem, I would have signed in Saudi Arabia. They wanted me a year ago.”
Let’s say 10 million net per season?
“No, no, it was more…”
Well, it’s hard to say no.
“My mind was set only on Milan. My agent told me, ‘Hey, look, there’s this money…’ But I said no: ‘I don’t want to go anywhere else.’ So he gave up. If that money comes, it comes. The most important thing now is to believe in myself; I’m still young, I want to make it, I need to stay in Europe.”
How’s it going at Milan? It seems like you’re a different player.
“Yes, the coach trusts me. Now I have to show that I’m worthy of Milan. I think it’s my moment.”
What didn’t work with Pioli?
“I arrived late, at the end of July, and it was a bit difficult to convince him, as those playing in my position were scoring. We’re all human; I wanted to play too, but coaches are cautious, it’s normal. I had a good relationship with Pioli, he’s a fantastic man and a good coach, but that’s football.”
And Fonseca, what does he say?
“He only told me one thing: ‘Samuel, I don’t want to see last year’s Chukwueze. I want the Villarreal one.’ And I said, ‘Okay, no problem.’ It’s like I’ve been reborn. I’m a new player.”
Does the team work with Pulisic as a number 10?
“For me, it’s perfect. Rafa is fast, Pulisic dribbles and scores, I can do one-two. If they double up on Rafa, then they have to mark us.”
Who’s faster, Chukwueze or Leao?
“Without the ball, him. With the ball, me.”
Good one. But is Rafa one of the top three in Serie A?
“Yes, and among the other two is my friend Osimhen, who I hope stays in Italy.”
Prediction: what will he do? Would it be nice to play together at Milan in the future?
“I’d like to close my eyes, reopen them, and see him here at Milan. I always tell him, ‘Are you sure you don’t want to come?’ And he says, ‘Samuel, you know it’s difficult…'”
Continuing with predictions. How many goals next year?
“I want to beat my record of six in the league.”
Three questions about three number 9s. How is Ibrahimovic?
“He’s tough, my goodness. But a good guy: he’s tough in business, always direct. He tells me, ‘Chuk, we expected you to score…’ And then, when I score: ‘Ah, finally, but you should have scored two. Next time, don’t mess around in front of the goal.'”
How was Morata as an opponent?
“Strong. He attacks space, makes assists, works hard, and knows Serie A better than me. For us wingers, he’s perfect.”
Francesco Camarda. Is he special?
“For me, he’s special. He’s young, he’s strong, but he needs to keep working, forget the hype, and push hard. He’s very intelligent; if he keeps working, he’ll become one of the best strikers in the world, believe me.”
Among your teammates, who are you closest to?
“Adli is my French brother. Yac explained to me what I should and shouldn’t do in Milan. If I have problems, I call him. Yac is unique.”
But there must be something negative about Italy.
“Oh, how you drive in Milan… crazy. When I go to Milanello, there’s always someone slow in the passing lane, it drives me mad.”
Let’s finish with Nigeria. How does the All Star Championship, the tournament you organize at home, work?
“I’ve been doing it for three years because I feel I have to do something for Umuahia, my city. The mentality is that if you make it in life, you have to go back and make people happy. The tournament is eight teams, six against six. I get jerseys from eight teams, this year Milan, PSG, Dortmund, Barcelona… The Milan ones are given by the club, the others are a mix of originals and not, it’s not easy to find them in Africa.”
So, let’s play. The tournament is six against six, let’s make the perfect team.
“Maignan in goal. Thiaw and Tomori at the back. Reijnders and Musah in the middle. Rafa up front.”
But they’re all Milan players…
“Hey, it’s my team, I choose.”
Let’s pick a wildcard from another era.
“Okay, Kaká. He’s my all-time favorite, but I’ve never met him. If he ever comes to San Siro, I’ll drop everything and go see him.”
