Milan boss Stefano Pioli has launched an emotional plea to return his Serie A title winner’s medal after it was ‘stolen’ in his side’s celebrations on Sunday.
The Rossoneri clinched their first Scudetto in 11 years with Sunday’s three-goal victory at Sassuolo ensuring they beat city rivals Inter to the crown by two points. It was the club’s first league title in more than a decade.
The club have endured a difficult period since their last Serie A crown but two goals from Olivier Giroud and a Franck Kessie strike gave them the result they needed this weekend to end their pain.
Pioli is an extremely popular figure at the club with the fanbase continuously chanting "Pioli is on fire " to the notes of Gala’s famous song "Freed from desire" as Milan were crowned champions of Italy. The boss was extremely popular with his players too, with the club’s star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic soaking him with prosecco during the on-field party.
Yet the celebrations for boss Pioli were somewhat tempered by his title-winning medal being stolen during the post-match aftermath. Supporters of the Rossoneri invaded the pitch with thousands of fans staging a pitch invasion to soak in the success.
“It was stolen,” Pioli explained after the game when asked where his medal was. “The winner’s medal, somebody stripped it from my neck during the celebrations. If I could make an appeal, I would be grateful, it’s the only one I have.”
Pioli once won the league as a player as he was part of the Juventus squad who lifted the title in the 1985-86 campaign but this is his first league crown as a manager. His coaching career has spanned two decades with the Rossoneri his 13th club, having previously been at cross-city rivals Inter alongside stints at Lazio, Bologna and Fiorentina.
After the news broke of Pioli’s misfortune, the official Lega Serie A account tweeted: “Hey Mr Pioli, we’ll give you the medal again tomorrow (Monday).”
Before the incident, Pioli had told reporters: "I have never felt so good. I know myself and I know how important it is to feel appreciated as I felt in the environment of Milan. And this allowed me to do what I did and to give joy to my parents. The players have given me their hearts and minds. We are a team of great players and we never gave up. We always believed we could win the league and that we would be more consistent than Inter."
Milan’s ambitions this year were to secure a top four finish and Champions League football once more, having returned to the tournament this year after a painful seven-season absence. A series of stars have left in recent times including Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu, who both left as free agents, with the latter controversially heading across the city to the Nerazzurri less than a year ago - making this league triumph even sweeter.
