OPINION: Happy birthday Clarence, true AC Milan fans will never forget you
While in charge of the Diavoli, won 11 games out of 22, drawing two, losing nine and registering the best point-per game ratio than any other recent AC Milan manager. As we mentioned above, Seedorf was sacked at the end of the 2013-14 campaign, but his deal with AC Milan expires this June.
After his sacking, he proved once gain he’s real gentleman. He never made one single comment on how bad AC Milan had treated him (he probably will after the expiring of his contract), showing the same class and elegance he used to have during his playing career.
We’ll probably know more details about his traumatic experience as AC Milan manager in July, in the meantime we can only feel nostalgic remembering what a joy to the eyes was watching Clarence Seedorf on the pitch, one of the best footballers in the history of the game.
He’s the only player to have won four Champions League with three different teams: Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan (twice). During Carlo Ancelotti’s reign at the San Siro he become a mainstay of the club as well as part of one of the best midfields of all times alongside Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso.
AC Milan had acquired him from Inter in a player-swap deal with Francesco Coco and in order to help the team’s development, Seedorf accepted to leave his classic offensive midfielder role, starting a ‘new career’ in the middle of the pitch.
Nothing changed for him in terms of quality and personality. He claimed a starring role in two of Milan’s most epic games ever against Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the 2006-07 edition of the UEFA Champions League.
It is a pity, however, that AC Milan fans did not pay him the tribute he deserved when he left the club in 2012. One of Seedorf’s features we appreciate the most is his sincerity, a quality that is usually not as respected in the ambiguous world of football.
He has been the only to say something which most of AC Milan directors have yet to realize.
“We need to change three quarters of team members”, Seedorf claimed during his time as the Rossoneri boss.
Time passes, but memories never fade, even if sometimes true champions do not get the credit they would deserve. Happy birthday Clarence, true AC Milan fans will never forget you.
Alessandro Di Gioia @AleDigio89, translated by Lorenzo Bettoni @lorebetto
