From one concerned Milanista to another [Bonus Article]

I’m not exactly known for writing bonus articles, or editorials if you like, that are a little ‘out there’ in terms of the topic. It’s usually a case of looking at numbers, something hard-boiled, or at the very least basing the arguments on that before going on a tangent. For this one, however, I want to get emotional for a second.

It’s been 16 years since I first put on a Milan shirt. I still remember the moment like it was yesterday, stepping into one of the many shops that sold fake football shirts in Greece. I was there on holiday with my family and it was just a few months after the 2010 World Cup, which was the first football event that roped me in. I couldn’t stop watching after that.

Of course, to delve deeper into my new passion, I needed to support a club too as I couldn’t exactly wait for the next World Cup. That’s why we visited the football shop in the first place. My brother picked up a Barcelona shirt, having always been more fond of Spain growing up, but I knew from the start that I wanted something Italian.

I’m not really sure where it stems from, my love for Italy that is, but it has been there from a very young age. Maybe it was the beautiful language that got me, or maybe just something as simple as the colours of the flag. Again, I’m not really sure, and it’s not really important to the story either. As we stepped into the shop, it was almost as if the choice had been made for me.

How, you might ask? I remember that the shirts were hanging on all four walls of the shop. Smack down the middle of it, there was a table. A table with shirts of just two teams. Yes, you guessed it, Milan and Inter. Something Italian? Check! But why the Rossoneri? To this day, I still remember how I was instantly drawn to the red and black.

It’s like the shop had narrowed it down for me, and then it was a case of love at first sight. It didn’t hurt that my dad had got a Milan shirt when he was young, given the Swedish connection with Gre-No-Li, which I was told as soon as I ran up to the shirt. Easiest decision I’ve made in my life, as was the printing with “Möller” and “8” at the back of the shirt.

Looking back, it still baffles me that the shop owner actually pulled off the “Ö”, although we did have to spend some time writing down exactly what letter we meant. It was probably a bush fix of some sort, but it didn’t matter, it was absolutely perfect for me. I think I wore that shirt most days for the rest of the vacation, and I still have it in my collection. As well as the shorts that came with it.

So, at the age of 10, my love affair with Milan began. I was very lucky in the sense that a few days later (and I’m not making this up for the good of the story), Zlatan Ibrahimovic was announced by the Rossoneri. Subsequently, the TV rights in Sweden were sorted, making it possible to watch every single game. So I did. And it didn’t take long before I was totally hooked.

The years that followed were spent completely immersing myself in Milan in every way imaginable. I didn’t go to San Siro right off the bat, in fact that didn’t happen until 2021, but I watched every game. Learned about the history of the club. Spent my allowance on merchandise of all types, particularly flags, and often overheated our printer because I would make collages of various Milan photos.

The same things that I’m sure many of you have experienced as well, or at least a majority of football fans. I have a really telling picture somewhere, on some device, of my pre-game preparations. I would display the collages and hang up the flags. Almost making a shrine of sorts by the TV, all to create the perfect matchday experience. I hope I will find that picture someday.