On the eve of the encounter against Roma, Monza director Adriano Galliani spoke to Corriere della Sera on a plethora of topics, including the historic promotion from Serie B they achieved last season, their intentions to stay afloat, and even their transfer effort for Paulo Dybala, who in the end chose the Giallorossi.
Speaking of Monza’s arrival to the top tier, Galliani couldn’t help but overstate its importance.
“It is our greatest achievement, and I often repeat this to the president (Silvio Berlusconi). We took a club that was in Serie D five years ago and brought it to the top league. Of the twenty teams in Serie A, we are the only one to participate for the first time.”
Galliani then stressed how key it is for the Lombardy club to avoid relegation.
“It took us 110 years to arrive in Serie A, we go back to Serie B in just 12 months.”
When quizzed if the club surrendered its Mauro Icardi dream, the ex-Milan chief shed light on their attempt to sign Dybala.
“The great champion we considered but who turned down our offer, whom Berlusconi recently alluded to, was Dybala. I had invited him agents to my house, but he preferred a club that plays for the cups.”
Finally, he was asked if his view on football has changed by going from Milan to Monza.
“No, it has remained the same, it is football that has transformed. TV rights have upset the hierarchies: in Italy they are sold for 1.2 billion, in England for 4. In particular, we sell the rights for 200 million abroad, the Premier for two billion. Not to mention that others have built new stadiums and we have fallen behind. I’ll give you an example: if it goes well, Monza will have a turnover of 50 million euros. A newly promoted English team earns 250 million pounds.”
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