Thiaw: I Think Yamal Will Win the Ballon d'Or; Can AC Milan Buy Him? Barcelona Probably Won't Sell

AC Milan defender Malick Thiaw attended an interview at the Trento Sports Festival organized by La Gazzetta dello Sport. This is the seventh part of that interview.

Do you follow your teammates' performances for the national team? Modrić scored, and Pavlović was substituted early, but he's fine now (Pavlović was substituted in the 71st minute in Serbia's 1–2 home loss to the Netherlands in the second round of the UEFA Nations League group stage, but returned as a starter and played the full 90 minutes in another 1–2 away loss to the Netherlands in the fourth round). Did you check on his injury when he was substituted?

I didn't see news about Pavlović being substituted. I wasn't aware of it at the time. Is he okay now?

He's fine now!

That's good, that's good! I also saw a very impressive performance from Gonçalo (Ramos) and a brilliant display from Luka.

So, did you watch Spain's national team matches?

Yes, Spain is performing very well.

The superstar widely considered the strongest in the world right now, destined to win the next Ballon d'Or – Lamine Yamal. In your view, do you think he will win the Ballon d'Or?

Yes, I think so! He's incredibly strong, remarkably strong, truly exceptional. He's brought unparalleled improvement to the Spanish national team, and he's still very young, only 19 or 20 years old. Reaching such an exceptional level at this age is absolutely crazy. Dealing with this level of superstar attention at his age is very difficult, but I think he has remarkable maturity.

Some people think he's not mature enough yet, but I believe his mindset is right; he doesn't care about external distractions. He truly loves football and plays for the joy of it. I heard an interview with him recently, and it really helps him maintain a very stable state. So I think, yes, he will be the Ballon d'Or winner.

Maybe!

Let's hope so!

You see, he chose Barcelona, and Barcelona also wanted to recruit you back then, but you chose AC Milan. There might be some...

There might be some remarkable connection there (laughs)! The boss would have to work miracles to recruit him!

Since you communicate a lot with the boss, why don't you try to convince him?

I don't know if they'd pay the price for a superstar like this, but it would probably be a very large amount (laughs). Barcelona probably won't sell him.

Let's talk about assists and goals. Throughout your career so far, you've played 120 matches for Lazio and scored two goals?

Yes, two goals in 120 matches. I'm certainly not a prolific goalscorer...

I completely understand. For a center-back, the greatest satisfaction comes from clean sheets and preventing opponents from scoring, but scoring a beautiful goal once in a while must feel great too, right?

Yes, scoring occasionally is great! But who knows, if Amorim plays me as a wing-back, maybe I'll get more chances to score!

Do you think Amorim will use such a formation in the next match?

Let's wait and see. If I can move forward more often, I'm confident I can score some more goals. Yes, I hope to contribute more in attack and score more goals, even though my goal conversion rate so far has been quite minimal.

Minimal?

Yes, minimal (laughs).

I previously hinted at a question about Franco Baresi. He deserves a special round of tribute, and the warm applause from the audience here is truly deserved. You see, the AC Milan legend, the soul of the team – this season you also wear a special commemorative badge on your jersey to honor and remember him...

Yes, yes.

What does the badge on your left arm mean to you? What kind of figure is Baresi in your heart? Although you were still very young at the time, did you follow him in the past? When he passed away, seeing the extraordinary mourning and remembrance across the football world and globally, how did you feel then?

Yes, yes. I was clearly aware of his glorious achievements as a player, but as I mentioned earlier, because I didn't grow up in Italy, I was more impressed by Spanish football, which is why Sergio Ramos is my idol. But when Baresi passed away – I had just joined AC Milan from Lazio about two weeks before – that sight truly shocked me deeply. The entire AC Milan world, everyone throughout the club, was engulfed in indescribable sorrow. Not just the older generation who had worked with him, but all the active players could feel his supreme status at AC Milan, in such a way that you yourself would be completely infected by that profound sadness. It was a very difficult and heavy moment for AC Milan. But at the same time, when we held a memorial ceremony for him at our home stadium, it was also a very touching sight.

Was that against Torino?

No, the first match was against Torino, but the memorial ceremony took place during our second home match.

AC Milan against Venezia?

Yes, AC Milan versus Venezia! At that time, his giant jersey was placed in the center of the field, and the entire ceremony was very grand and spectacular. Each of us hoped to inherit his legacy and spirit and integrate them into ourselves. Yes, he is the greatest in AC Milan. As I just said, the deep respect and remembrance he has inspired throughout the AC Milan world, in every corner of the club globally. He was truly a great and noble legend, and AC Milan is also a great club. We felt very sad, and we hope that this season we can achieve outstanding results and bring some comfort and pride to his spirit in heaven.

I've prepared several other questions, but I think this summary is the most perfect and noble conclusion we could have today. I'll give you time to enjoy the final round of applause and the chance to take photos with the enthusiastic audience who came especially to see you. You see, everyone is following you. Thank you very much, Mario!

Thank you! Thank you, everyone!

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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