Marcel Desailly, Jean-Pierre Papin, Philippe Mexès, Jérémy Ménez, Adil Rami, Christophe Dugarry, Yoann Gourcuff... The list of Frenchmen who have played at AC Milan is as long as the arm, but the current density probably has few equivalents in the past. Leaving aside Tiémoué Bakayoko and Yacine Adli, who have played very little in Serie A and not at all in the Champions League, the other four - Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, Olivier Giroud and Pierre Kalulu, are essential pieces of the Rossoneri. Coach Stefano Pioli will rely heavily on his French on Tuesday night to make up for the two-goal deficit conceded in the Champions League semi-final first leg against neighbours Inter.
This "French connection" has not escaped the attention of interim coach Simone Inzaghi. Monday, in a press conference, the technician has thus woven the link of himself between the referee, the Frenchman Clément Turpin, and the tricolor colony of AC Milan. "Many friends and acquaintances from the world of football have informed me of the appointment of a French referee with Milan which has four (French) players." A remark in the tone of the joke since he said: "there is not the slightest problem, we have total confidence".
That being said, Inzaghi's witticism goes back to this question: why is AC Milan setting its sights on French players? The first explanation lies in the identity of the club's chief recruiter, Geoffrey Moncada, far from innocent in the emergence of this French-speaking diaspora. He has been in the fashion capital of the world since 2018, after eight seasons at AS Monaco. He therefore has a real sensitivity for Ligue 1. The other explanation is obviously the sporting value of the players concerned.
Maignan "made people forget" Donnarumma
Among these, the goalkeeper of the Blues Mike Maignan is unanimous since his arrival in 2021. "He made Gianluigi Donnarumma forget," insists Massimo Franchi, a journalist with Tuttosport. His importance in the squad was glaring at the time of his calf injury this season. In October 2022, when the former Lille player was in the infirmary, the Milanese lost their two Champions League games against Chelsea, conceding five goals in total (3-0 and 2-0). Conversely, when he is there, it is felt.
Against Napoli, in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League, Maignan kept the advantage of his own (1-0) by making a spectacular parade at the very end of the match against Di Lorenzo. On the return, it was on penalty that he disgusted the Neapolitans, stopping that of Kvaratskhelia. And without him in the first leg against Inter, the bill could have been even more salty.
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Theo Hernandez "is an idol" according to Massimo Franchi. The full-back, who arrived in Lombardy in 2019, is even vice-captain. He regularly wears the armband, while Pierre Kalulu, the other Frenchman who goes up to Milan, is preferred to Calabria in the right corridor. The former Atletico Madrid player has only been benched twice when he was available this season and his statistical contribution is always important (4 goals and 5 assists in all competitions).
Olivier Giroud has the confidence of Stefano Pioli to occupy the forefront of the attack, even if he has not scored since March 13, against Salernitana. But he still holds a special place in the hearts of the fans and "his ability to learn Italian quickly helped a lot with that," says Franchi.
Nevertheless, French is the second language of AC Milan's dressing room. The Franco-Algerian Ismaël Bennacer, the Franco-Senegalese Fodé Ballo-Touré or the Belgians Alexis Saelemaekers and Divock Origi also use the language of Molière. No offense to Simone Inzaghi, it would not be surprising to hear French spoken this Tuesday evening on the lawn of San Siro.
