When Bonucci
came to Milan, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. When he was given
the captain’s armband, I was just grateful he was rescuing us from Montolivo.
Anyone had to be better than him. But as events unfolded this year, I can
honestly say that I think in addition to all that he has given to Milan, Milan
has been good to him, given him more integrity. In contrast to his former
Juventus captain, it seems that he got out just in time and has been blessed
with Milan class.
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| That moment when... |
Milan fans didn’t all embrace Bonucci immediately,
especially when he struggled a bit with his new teammates and Montella’s
tactics on the pitch at the beginning of the season. But his leadership became more and more
apparent as the season continued, and more fans embraced the ex-Juventus
defender. However the moment where it was evident that he had been infused with
Milan class was after the win over Verona. He was walking off the pitch and he
noticed a young man with Down Syndrome, so he went over to talk with him.
Cameras caught the sweet moment when he also warmly embraced the young man, and
it was beautiful and touching that he would reach out to him like that.
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| Not just a sweet moment |
There was more to it than what we saw, though. It was what
Bonucci learned from Ermanno, the young man he met, that demonstrated true
Milan class. Bonucci gave him his armband, but Ermanno gave Bonucci so much
more. Ahead of the Coppa Italia match, our captain shared his story:
“I was able to spend time with him after the match and
realized something: he never once mentioned the word ‘match.’ It was a
celebration for him. A party. A show. The way he experienced it was simply joy,
with unstoppable enthusiasm that proved contagious for all around him,
including my family.
“Ermanno taught me that you can transform a very
antagonistic and hard-fought match into a respectful spectacle that reflects
the values of sport. Too often we lose sight of the real point of our sport.
Let’s enjoy the festival and give some entertainment to the millions of fans
watching.” (via football-italia.net)
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| Not what Bonucci gave to Ermanno, but what Ermanno gave to Bonucci |
That he was able to learn so much from a person whom so many
would just walk by shows a level of class not often seen in football anymore.
Particularly when juxtaposed to his former captain’s behaviors recently. Buffon
will be sanctioned later this month by UEFA for his complete meltdown after his
last Champions League match. It wasn’t just the red
card or what he said on the pitch, it was especially his comments
afterwards, which even inspired death threats to both the ref and his
wife by Juventus fans. And it wasn’t just his behavior in the moment, it was
the fact that he didn’t even apologize, which even Gattuso insisted that he
would when he calmed down. Buffon has gradually lost class over the past five
years or so, saying worse and worse things in the media, with fewer and fewer
regrets. Couple that with other statements from other players and even
management at Juventus, there is an ugly sense of entitlement growing with
their continuous wins on the pitch. So strange to behave like losers when
winning.
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| The opposite of class |
Milan certainly don’t have that problem, and maybe that
humility is what is needed to maintain the Milan class. Although winning never
impacted our Milan legends like that, so maybe it’s just the crest. Certainly,
Bonucci has learned much in his first year at Milan in both humility and class,
wearing the Milan crest. I can’t imagine what it was like for him to watch his
team win first the Coppa Italia final and then secure their seventh consecutive
Scudetto all in the same week. Especially after winning so much with them in
recent years. But then I remembered that he is partying with Ermanno now,
something we could all remember to do more often. And I know that even in
losing, he has his dignity, unlike the Juventus captain anymore. And he also has
something he never had at Juventus: Milan class.
This post inspired by the music of “Inno
Milan”
Our next match is
Serie A Week 38
Milan vs. Fiorentina
Sunday, May 20 •
18:00 CEST (12noon EDT)