Massimo Ambrosini has exclusively revealed his greatest-ever team-mate – and it may surprise you.
Two-time Champions League winner Ambrosini played with more than a few all-time greats during his long career at Milan.
But asked by FourFourTwo to pick his most talented teammate ever, the midfielder looked past players like Andrea Pirlo, Cafu, Alessandro Nesta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho and David Beckham.
Massimo Ambrosini: “You only needed to watch Ronaldo train at Milan to realise that he was just different”
“I also played with Ronaldo, the Brazilian one,” Ambrosini said, courtesy of. “He was with us only for a couple of months, and he was not in his best shape.”
Ronaldo only made 20 appearances for Milan, towards the end of his career and at a time when he was suffering with serious injuries, but he clearly made an impression on his teammates.
“Even with problems in his knees, and despite not being fit, it was amazing,” said Ambrosini. “The way he touched the ball, the way he played, his vision of football was really incredible.”
“You only needed to watch him train to realise that he was just different.”
Ronaldo wasn’t the only player singled out for praise by Ambrosini, who spent more than a decade with Milan, winning two Champions Leagues and four Serie A titles. Before describing the Brazilian’s impressive talent, he made sure to stress how much he looked up to another AC Milan legend.
“Above all there's my captain, Paolo Maldini, an incredible example of a player, a captain, a leader, and of qualities, technical, tactical, and emotional,” Ambrosini said.
When Maldini headed for retirement after more than 900 appearances for the Rossoneri, it was Ambrosini who inherited his captain’s armband – a daunting task for any footballer.
“[That was] a problem!” he told FFT. “I have to be honest, it wasn’t easy at the beginning,” he said. “You start, but you know perfectly well that you can’t reach his level, you realise that you can never measure up to him.”
“You have a lot of responsibility, and you ask yourself, ‘Am I good enough to be the captain of AC Milan?’”
But despite the daunting start, Ambrosini soon grew into the job and began to enjoy the privilege of wearing the armband.
“It took me two or three months, but I think that’s normal.”
“Then after the feeling of responsibility comes the feeling of pride; you’re the captain of AC Milan!”
“You find your own way, it’s your own,” he said. “You don’t have to copy, you don’t have to try and be like him or do things how [Maldini] did them, because everyone is different.”
