“I was born at the Zucchi Clinic in Monza, but I grew up in Villasanta. My father was a small entrepreneur in the metalworking sector, he made presses”. Filippo Galli was born on 19 May 1963 into a typical Brianza family, very serious, with few worries in his head, a sense of duty. “They taught me to always stay focused on my task, it was my strength.”
It would have helped him to stay 13 seasons at Milan (325 games and 17 titles) as a stopper, many on the bench, but knowing how to always be ready at the right time. “I came to football relatively late, I also did artistic gymnastics. I had enrolled at Hensemberger in Monza, but after two years I realized that something was wrong.” He didn’t study enough. And Galli is rigorous. “I signed up for the evening course at the Salesians, a technical institute: I wanted to learn a trade, my dad was already sending me to the workshop. In the meantime, I was playing football in the first category teams of my town, Cosov and Villasanta.”
Until…
“At 17, Milan called me, two years at Primavera and then a year on loan at Pescara.”
Castagner wanted him back at Milan.
“I am always grateful to him: he cared a lot about young people.”
Then Liedholm, a monument: his jokes are memorable…
“A journalist entering the TV room didn’t see us, we were covered by the wall and asked: ‘Nils, and the players?’ And he was imperturbable: I don’t have any players, I’ll make do with these…”.
Then Berlusconi. And Sacchi.
“There is football before and after. Berlusconi brought his corporate culture, his organisation. And Sacchi was the real revolution, my Master”.
At first it wasn’t easy.
“He was obsessive, spent hours listening to his tactical instructions and in the evening he stopped by our retreat rooms to reiterate them… sometimes we pretended to be asleep.”
Presentation by helicopter at the Arena and the proclamations but….
“We lost at home against Fiorentina and went out of the cup against Espanyol. The club did well to defend it.”
The most beautiful Milan was born…
“The turning point was the victory in Verona, my son had just been born. Then it was a ride. That Milan didn’t just win, but put on a show. We left Naples to the applause of the Neapolitans. We didn’t just want to win, but to give emotions through the game”.
Classmates?
“We had a propitiatory rite: our soft drink.”
Put like that, it seems like doping…
“No way! We mixed coca cola and Polase, everyone drank a sip. There was great seriousness, but also joviality.”
For example?
“We put a pin on Marco Simone’s chair. He injured himself and had to miss the match the next day… but he was great, he didn’t betray us, he faked a strain.”
And Berlusconi?
“I lived in Villasanta and he in Arcore. Every now and then he called me and I went to visit him, to talk about football. Or rather, he spoke and I listened.”
Like when Sacchi gave the diktat to sell Van Basten.
“Berlusconi spoke and spoke, he was fond of Sacchi but then he stopped and said to me: ‘But how can I send Van Basten away? It’s football…'”.
The report continued.
“In 2017 I went to San Raffaele, Berlusconi had just had heart surgery, I went through the basement to reach his room… and talked about football”.
In 1994 the European Cup final in Athens.
“We started as underdogs, Cruijff’s Barcelona with Romario and Stoickhkov won everything. And Milan were in a declining phase, Berlusconi had all eyes on him because he had entered politics. And Baresi and Maldini had been disqualified before the final”,
Capello no longer had his pillars. It would have been your turn, but Capello tried Desailly.
“We played a friendly match with Fiorentina, it was disastrous.”
It is said that Desailly played badly on purpose.
“It seems hard to believe. He certainly didn’t have the right attitude. And two days before the match Capello told me that I would be playing… I couldn’t make a mistake or my whole career would be remembered only for that match.”
Milan won 4-0.
“Savicevic became Savicevic, from a curse to a delight. For me it was the consecration: I annulled Romario.”
The strongest opponents?
“Maradona… but my favorite was Zico, he was also affable…
Pruzzo was the hardest, he hit.”
But he made a bad foul… Van Basten.
“He was nervous, he tackled me in training: split knee.”
Did injuries slow you down?
“I had 7 operations, but I always say that they extended my career. I stopped at the age of 40 and a half at Pro Sesto”.
He had been to England before.
“Vialli called me at Watford, I was 38 years old. I’ve always loved English football, for me it was a dream. Above all, I remember a smile about Vialli.”
Which?
“We had lost badly, he went on a long tirade, he was very angry… until he heard a… ‘prroot’… ‘Who farted?’ he immediately asked in English. And one of the staff immediately replied: “It’s me“. He ended up with a smile that he will never forget.”
The most exciting memory?
“Nelson Mandela had just been freed after 27 years in prison and had become president of South Africa. With Milan we went to play a friendly match with Bafana Bafana. And Mandela wanted to talk to us in his office: a thrilling emotion.”
In Brescia he met Baggio again.
“At Milan he was already a Buddhist, he had the room next to mine. And he got up at dawn to say his prayers, but he woke everyone up and I had to go and knock on his wall. At Brescia, since I knew English, he had a book of Buddhist prayers translated… but it didn’t convert me.”
