Giménez's father reveals Milan drama: “He took two tablets to play” | OneFootball

After several weeks of negotiations marked by twists and turns, FC Porto and AC Milan have finally reached an agreement for the transfer of Santiago Giménez. The Mexican striker is “happy” to be heading to Portugal, according to his father, Christian ‘Chaco’ Giménez.

“These negotiations dragged on for quite a long time but, fortunately, they ended well. It took longer than expected. We had already been in talks with FC Porto for 20 days, and they were one of the first clubs to come forward. Then Milan made decisions regarding Santi whereby, if he did not find a destination, he would go six months without playing, and that made him more and more desperate and, as the time left in the transfer window ran out, the situation became more complicated,” Christian ‘Chaco’ Giménez began by saying on FOX Sports.

The Mexican goalscorer’s father also explained the reasons that convinced his son to choose FC Porto.

“Santi is a very thoughtful boy. We look not only at the names of the clubs, but also at the coaches, how they play, their attacking options, what they can create, whether they play in the Champions League and how they play. There are countless factors that influence the decision to move to another club. We thought Milan would be a great opportunity, especially since Santi grew up watching Milan. When Milan came up, he forgot about the other clubs and we set off for Milan. The truth is that, for me, FC Porto is a good step forward because it is a team that will compete in its domestic league, fight for the title, and play in the Champions League. To tell the truth, they really have a very good squad,” he said.

Christian ‘Chaco’ Giménez also spoke about the difficulties Santiago Giménez faced at AC Milan, revealing that the striker even played while injured and had to take medication in order to do so.

“When he played, he featured in nine matches, but in those nine matches he kept playing despite the injury. He did not want to stop because he was a starter. Santi never takes any medication [for pain], but he even put two tablets under his tongue so he could play, because the other strikers were injured. There are things the world may not know, but I do. As for his performances, maybe he was not at his best or was not productive. When he returned from injury, AC Milan suffered a huge drop, going from first place to fifth. It is part of the growth process, it is not the end of the world. He is 25 years old, has scored 99 career goals and, in 12 Champions League matches, scored eight goals and also provided two assists,” concluded the Mexican striker’s father.

FC Porto secured the signing of Giménez on loan from AC Milan, with an option to buy set at 18 million euros, with a further two million possible depending on the achievement of targets.

That option could, however, become mandatory if certain sporting objectives are met. If that happens, AC Milan will be entitled to 10 percent of any future transfer involving Santiago Giménez.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.