I had been meaning to ask Stefano Pioli this question for some time, even before the first unofficial and then official rumors about the interruption of his relationship with Milan; the genesis of the question can be traced back to when I discovered that the coach’s favorite song was “La donna cannone” by Francesco De Gregori, a song (and lyrics) that I also like very much and which, in my opinion, can be used well to describe well what was theit was Pioli at Milanin its various phases, in its cannonades, noisy, bombastic, vehement both positively and negatively.
The occasion
And, last night, the best possible opportunity presented itself: post Milan-Salernitana conference, last day of the championship, Pioli’s last match on the Rossoneri bench, half an hour after the emotional and deserved farewell to San Siro and from San Siro to the manager of the fabulous 2021-2022 Scudetto. “Mister, good evening: do you think that your five years at Milan can be summed up with the verse from ‘La donna cannone’ which says: ‘I threw this huge heart of mine out into the stars one day. I swear I did‘?”. In reality, I had no need to listen to the coach’s answer, because I already knew perfectly well what he would say. Not for any particular reason – God forbid – but because there is no doubt about one thing: Stefano Pioli has always given everything to Milan, everything he had.
After you
And you give everything, and this applies to everyone, if that everything is part of your heart, enormous in the case of the Parma coach. And that all does not exclude – attention – the defects; on the other hand, his Milan, especially in the last two years, has shown many, perhaps too many to think of continuing together. But, in that everything, they are there first and foremost beautiful things, emotions, vibrations, the living flame of a love born a bit by chance in October 2019, blossomed after Covid, literally exploded in very high decibels in 2021-2022, cracked from 2023 onwards, ended – not extinguished, mind you – with the tears and applause of San Siro last night. However, an applause from the paying audience will underline this: Pioli gave everything to Milan and Milan gave everything to Pioli. Thank you, mister. Ad maiora to her and ad maiora to Milan.
