Former Milan central midfielder Massimo Ambrosini has weighed in on who he feels would be the perfect replacement as the team’s leader once current captain Alessio Romagnoli sees his time out at San Siro. Romagnoli has long been linked to the exit door on a free transfer, with Lazio as his most possible destination ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. In the absence of Romagnoli, Simon Kjaer, Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria have stepped up to the task.
Speaking to the microphones of La Gazzetta dello Sport (via PianetaMilan), he also revealed how he felt inheriting the armband from legendary teammate and current director Paolo Maldini during their days in the Rossoneri shirt.
Ambrosini, who current works as a pundit at Sky Italia, shared his thoughts by mentioning few names, but highlighted one who could be the perfect fit for the role.
“There could be many candidates, but I’ll throw it there: why not Ibra, if he will continue in Milan? Another year, and with the captain’s armband: it would be a wonderful career finale and he would still give Milan a lot.”
“Is Ibrahimovic difficult to manage as a captain? No. He gave so much to others and also in terms of enthusiasm. But it was a period of transition, there were many heads to put together, and Allegri’s third year was complicated, especially towards the end,” he explained.
He went on to mention two other names to take up the responsibility.
Ambrosini said: “If Tonali confirms what he is showing, the fabric is certainly there, not only on a technical level. But if he continues like this, he has all the qualities needed to be the captain of Milan in the future. But he is not the only one in the team: I am also thinking of Simon Kjaer, who seems to me a natural captain and on the other hand is already the leader of his national team.”
The ex-center half then disclosed how he felt inheriting the armband for the first time.
“My captain at Milan was Paolo, but I thank God every day for letting me experience what Franco was doing on a playing field. And in my case the concern was that I was up to the task, because I was inheriting something huge. But the honor for the band was directly proportional to that concern. It was a great honor with great responsibilities,” reminisced the former central midfielder.
Mostly a one-club man, Ambrosini ended his Rossoneri career with 36 goals in 489 appearances for the club. He was key to Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan outfit of the 2000’s and helped the team secure various accolades, including the Champions League (x2), Serie A (x4), Coppa Italia (x1), Supercoppa Italiana (x2), UEFA Super Cup (x2) and FIFA Club World Cup (x1).