Before the new Europa League season, AC Milan defender Mario Gila sat down for an exclusive interview with UEFA.

You grew up in Real Madrid's academy and now play for AC Milan. How do you feel about that?

I'm very happy. It's been a dream since childhood to achieve something like this. Reaching this level in football is hard to even imagine, and I'm proud of all the hard work and strong support I've received along the way. Now I want to prove myself, help the team, and most importantly, I can't wait to achieve great things here.

How important is your experience at Lazio for you now? What did you learn during those years?

I learned the most during difficult times, and those experiences made me mature and become a stronger player. At Lazio, I experienced both good times and ups and downs, but the challenges taught me more than anything else and kept me grounded. Every coach I met—from Sarri to Tudor to Baroni—gave me valuable lessons. Where I am at AC Milan today is thanks to everything I experienced at Lazio and Real Madrid.

AC Milan has a proud tradition of great defenders like Maldini, Nesta, and Baresi. Have they always been your role models?

I watched many football matches as a child, but I didn't fully understand how great AC Milan was back then. As I grew older, I came to appreciate those players more deeply. Maldini particularly impressed me—in my heart, he's the best center-back of all time. Nesta and Baresi are also my role models. When I arrived at AC Milan, I understood much better what it means to be a defender at this club.

Speaking of legendary players, Modric, whom you knew at Real Madrid, has now reunited with you at AC Milan. What does it mean to play alongside him today?

It's truly amazing to think I can be teammates with such an important person. As time goes on, I'm living out childhood dreams by playing alongside people I watched as a kid. Playing with him, learning from him, and communicating with him is an honor. He's an incredibly dedicated person, and I believe he will help me greatly both personally and as a team.

His mentality and determination are very contagious. Seeing a top player like him work this hard motivates you to follow his example, doesn't it?

Even after such a remarkable career, he fights for every ball and gives his all in every touch. That's an excellent mentality—the right mindset that brought him all that success. While there are wins and losses in matches, that tireless effort must always remain constant.

What's your view of Rúben Amorim and his football philosophy?

He's a demanding coach who expects a lot from the team and players, and I believe he can bring many good things. His playing style is very intense and has a completely "European" mentality. It fully aligns with modern football. You can see it in our matches—we want to be intense, we want to win, and we try to regain the ball in the opponent's defensive area. Beyond that, he has a great relationship with the players, which is very important.

With such an intense tactical system, how difficult is it for defenders to maintain such high defensive standards?

It's genuinely difficult. Everything depends on the final centimeter, the final millimeter, and we must maintain maximum concentration both when covering defensively and when marking opponents. However, if our defense maintains silent understanding, coordination, and constant communication, we can elevate the team's defensive line significantly and provide great support to the team defensively.

AC Milan has deep European competition DNA, but you've never won the Europa League. How important is winning this trophy for you?

It's very important. As long as we're in a competition, our goal must be to win it. Since we're in the Europa League, we must focus 100% on winning it. It would be amazing to add another European trophy to AC Milan's collection.

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