Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek talked about his first season with the Rossoneri, sharing his experiences under new coach Paulo Fonseca. The 28-year-old made an immediate impact with the Rossoneri, scoring 10 goals in his debut campaign, and speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, he explained the impact that a year in Milan has had on his life:
A year at Milan, a year in Italy. How has your life changed? What have you learned about Italy and the world?
“In life, I like to go with the flow, without forcing things. I want to be in the moment. At first, I focused only on football, now I understand more about you. In Milan, you realize how much passion there is for football, while in London it’s different: there’s more freedom to go out without being recognized.”
One nice thing about your new life?
“I like the buildings in Milan. I live near the Duomo, and there’s a sense of history you can feel immediately in the city. I arrived alone, I miss my family and my dog a bit, a Doberman, which I left with my mom. I don’t see them much…”
Is it complicated?
“No, I changed countries but adapted quickly. I knew Fik and Oli, Tomori and Giroud, who helped me a lot. I’m used to changes, I’ve played everywhere on the field…”
Let’s talk about Fonseca’s changes: what kind of person is he?
“Very positive. We train very hard, very intensely, and that’s great. He always encourages us to ask questions, he wants to convey his concepts as quickly as possible. He seems very humble, in touch with reality.”
What does he ask of you?
“Different things. We’re making great strides, we played really good football against City and we can still improve quickly.”
Let’s get into detail: what are his requests for you?
“We midfielders need to play close to combine. As a team, we want to build from the back, we always need to have options to play the ball. In some situations, I find myself as the most advanced player, but it depends on the rotations. We move a lot.”
After a month, is there an idea that you can reach high?
“This group has the drive to do better every year, I see it clearly. We have a new coach and we believe in him, we know what he wants and we’re going straight with his ideas. We need to have confidence in the team, but I want to go training after training, without rushing.”
And without rushing, what are your personal goals? Ten goals in Serie A?
“After scoring ten goals in a season, I definitely want to improve. Yes, ten goals in the next championship… it’s doable.”
Up front, the idea is that Alvaro Morata will score fifteen. As a former Chelsea teammate, is he the player you needed?
“He’s a top player, he’s won so much in his career and having a player like that can only help us. I can’t wait to play with him. Alvaro and Giroud are similar because they’ve won so much, they have experience. In the short time we shared in London, I realized that Morata is a very kind person and works hard: with someone like that, you’re not surprised when trophies come. And he’s the captain of Spain, he brings communication and leadership. He’ll be great for us. I can’t wait for him to play here and be a leader for this team.”
And Loftus-Cheek’s leadership?
“I’ve never been a big talker on the field, I like to lead by example, take my responsibilities, help with my physicality. It’s a different thing.”
Who’s the most vocal in the team? Maignan?
“Mike, yes, for sure. Then Fikayo, he comes in a close second.”
A look at the past. One good thing and one bad thing from the year with Pioli?
“The good: second place, which isn’t first but should be taken positively. The bad: the Europa League quarter-finals. We had a good chance and we didn’t take advantage of it.”
Maybe going further would have helped for a call-up to the Euros. Disappointed by Southgate choosing others? Did you watch the Euros or… better to do something else?
“No no, I watched them. I thought we would win but something was missing in the end. England has made remarkable progress with Gareth Southgate, playing semi-finals and finals in major tournaments. We were just unlucky.”
So no grudges?
“No, it’s part of football. In fact, I was proud of the lads.”
Okay, let’s go off the field. They say Ruben Loftus-Cheek is the king of drip, the trendiest in the team. Is that true?
“No way, I’m the worst dressed, I almost always wear a tracksuit. I have a sporty look. I remember the first football shirt I had was an Arsenal fourth kit, chosen because I was crazy about Thierry Henry, I even cut my hair short like him. If I had to choose a shirt from the past now, I’d like an old Brazil one, let’s say Brazil ’70.”
Since we’re in Olympic days, a game to close. Three names for each category: we have to give gold, silver, and bronze medals. Let’s start with the phenomenons: Maradona, Messi, Zidane.
“Zidane is my favorite: gold. Messi silver. Maradona bronze.”
Cities: Milan, London, New York.
“Gold London, then Milan. New York bronze.”
English style: Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham.
“Gerrard gold: I’m crazy about him. I saw little of Beckham, let’s give him bronze.”
Italian style: Baggio, Totti, Del Piero.
“This is the order, let’s not change anything: Baggio gold, then Totti silver and Del Piero.”
Knowing the passion for tennis: Alcaraz, Djokovic, Sinner.
“Oh, this is tough. Let’s go with Djokovic gold, Sinner silver, Alcaraz bronze.”
Last one: phenomenal full-backs. Florenzi, Cafu, Dani Alves. Okay, this wasn’t serious, let’s say it’s a tribute to the injured Florenzi…
“Well, gold Florenzi. Silver Cafu. Bronze Dani Alves.”
