MILAN : AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini says their proposed move with San Siro co-tenants Inter Milan from the 95-year-old stadium is needed to ensure future success for both clubs.
The design of a new ground to replace the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, has been inspired by the city’s Duomo cathedral and will become home for the two clubs, with the final details to be drawn up in 2022.
The project named ‘The Cathedral’ was unveiled last week and will be run by Populous, the architecture firm behind London soccer grounds such as Wembley Stadium, Arsenal’s Emirates ground and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“If we’re talking about memories, who more than me could feel hurt by such a momentous change?” Maldini, who is Milan’s record appearance holder, told Italian magazine Sette.
“If we want Milan and Inter to return to the top levels of European football, writing such beautiful stoires as those of the San Siro, we can only have a new stadium.
“There are no alternatives. This (move) is not an opinion, it’s a certainty. I don’t want to erase a wonderful past. It’s just that I like to look ahead. It’s the way I live my life.”
Maldini, who has helped oversee improvement on and off the pitch at Milan following a tumultuous spell since their last Serie A title in 2011, also added that he may not be at the club where he has spent his entire footballing life forever.
“As for this job, either I do it with AC Milan or I don’t do it,” he said. “Maybe abroad, honestly I should think about it.
“I’m happy to have had this opportunity, because I know that if I hadn’t done it, I would have always regretted not having tried. That’s another reason why I’m not afraid of the future.”
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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