Everyone
remembers their first love… how suddenly, for no rational reason, their heart
was no longer theirs. My heart was given to AC Milan, against all odds, and I
know I’m never getting my heart back. Neither distance, language, horrible
stream, failing management, terrible players, nor anything else has been able
to change my heart. In fact all of those things have simply made my love
stronger. In good times in bad, in wins and in losses, my life has become a
Milan love story.
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| Who could help but fall in love? |
My story
began during the World Cup 1994, my first experience watching football. I
followed the stories and was sucked into this team’s ability to defy all odds.
For example, their captain, some guy called Franco Baresi, had a knee injury and surgery and made a miraculous recovery to play
in the final… only to miss a penalty. There were these other defenders, too (I
always liked defense in every sport I watched)… Paolo Maldini, Mauro Tassotti,
and Alessandro Costacurta. It was Roberto Baggio, who had dragged the team to
the final with his goals, whose penalty miss broke my heart, though. He actually
ended up at Milan a year or so later. So it was only natural that of all of the
Serie A teams, I should be drawn to AC Milan.
I fell in
love, and I fell hard. I loved the colors. I loved the style of play. I loved the
players. I loved the class and decorum of the team compared to other teams. I
was absolutely smitten. Watching other teams was okay, but I felt something change
inside of me when I watch Milan. I felt my red and black blood awaken.
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| In good times or in... sad |
Living in
the United States, on the West Coast, even, and with about three words as my
Italian fluency quota, it was difficult to even find the games on TV. The time
zone is not easy, either, with games often played during work hours or the
middle of the night. But I did what I could to follow my new love, and
eventually, I was able to find a way to watch pretty much every game.
As my love
grew, so did my passion. And eventually, having no friends locally to watch
with, I found communities online to share my passion with. Which led me to this
venture. In February of 2011, just before Milan’s most recent Scudetto win, a
friend helped me start this blog. And a year later, the podcast was born.
Through every Matri, Traore, Juan Mauri, and other failed transfer or
performance, there has been a match preview and review for every game here since
February of 2011. Yes, from Allegri through Brocchi and more. Because those are
the kinds of crazy things someone in love does. My love is not selfish, in fact
nothing makes me happier than sharing my love with anyone who wants to. The podcast,
born as a challenge for me, is 93 episodes and counting. Fans from all over the
world have contributed their time and thoughts about AC Milan. Amazing what
people in love with Milan will do.
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| Even a couple of fearsome pirates lost their heart to Milan |
As a
parent, it is a dream come true if your child falls in love like you do. And I
have been blessed with this joy twice over. Against all odds, both of my children also fell in love with Milan. Not
the year Milan won the Scudetto. The year Milan fell painfully short after so
much controversy. That’s when they realized what it meant to truly love Milan –
when there was pain, not joy. But now, together, we have joy in Milan. We watch
Milan together, we talk about Milan together. Our home is decorated in red and
black. They choose red and black clothing, accessories, backpacks, and more. My
son even made my blog logo for me, and my daughter belts out every word of
“Inno Milan.” Because they love Milan just like me.
This is
my Milan love story, now two generations deep. This Milan Obsession, for those
who bleed red and black, has grown from watching Milan’s legendary defense
representing their country here in my backyard, to my pilgrimage to the San Siro almost five years ago, to here and now. I’m
hopelessly and helplessly Milan nel cuore,
and I never want that to change. I fell in love. I fell hard. And it’s the best
thing that ever happened to me.
What is your Milan
love story? Every fan has one. What crazy things do you do for Milan? Please
share in the comments below. Forza Milan!
This post was
inspired by my main man, Massimo. Tanti Auguri!
Our next match is a
friendly
AC Milan vs. Real Betis
Wednesday, August 9
• 20:45 CEST (2:45pm EDT)