Fonseca hits out at Milan: ‘Cardinale welcomed Amorim, nobody was there for me’ | OneFootball

Paulo Fonseca has opened up on his difficult spell at Milan, claiming he did not receive the same support from the club that was later shown to Ruben Amorim.

The Portuguese coach, now in charge of Lyon, reflected on his time at San Siro in an interview with SportWeek, explaining that he was brought in during 2024 with the task of changing Milan’s football identity.

“I am disappointed, yes, because two years ago I was called for one reason: to change the style of play of the team,” Fonseca said, via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“They told me: ‘We want Milan to become dominant, to have possession and play in the opponent’s half.’ Perfect, I replied, because it is my idea of football too.”

MILAN, ITALY – DECEMBER 15: Paulo Fonseca, Head Coach of AC Milan, looks on prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and Genoa at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on December 15, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Ex Milan coach Fonseca says he was not given enough time to change the team’s playing style

However, Fonseca believes the process required more patience and that he was not given enough time to implement his ideas.

“I was on that path and, after me, I have never seen them express the quality of football they showed with me on the bench,” he added.

The former Roma coach was particularly frustrated by the different treatment received by Amorim, who was recently welcomed by owner Gerry Cardinale.

“I saw that Amorim arrived at Milanello and Cardinale himself was there to welcome him. When I arrived, nobody was there,” Fonseca said. “I was wanted to change the mentality. They did not give me time, but we played many good games. After me, that has not happened again.”

Fonseca also criticised what he sees as a wider issue in Italian football, arguing that individual players can sometimes have too much influence.

“In Italy, players often count more than the club. If someone, even a strong player, did not deserve to play, with me they did not play. Nobody is bigger than the Rossoneri.”

The Portuguese coach also defended his approach to developing young talent, insisting his home country has one of the best systems for preparing players for elite football.