Baresi lifts lid on Camarda’s growth and reflects on ‘great’ Real Madrid win | OneFootball

Franco Baresi believes that Francesco Camarda is handling his rise in the right way, while he also spoke about the win over Real Madrid.

Given the era that he played in, Baresi might have been more used to seeing Milan go toe-to-toe with and beat the best in Europe, becoming the best themselves in the process. However, the 3-1 victory against Real Madrid on Tuesday carried a lot more of a shock factor.

The Rossoneri were big underdogs going into the game, and for good reason. They had lost to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen already amid a shaky league start, while Real are the LaLiga and Champions League holders, so it was a daunting trip.

Nonetheless, Malick Thiaw, Alvaro Morata and Tijjani Reijnders all scored to give Milan a win that was deserved, and gives them a much better chance of progressing to the knockout stages.

Baresi was interviewed by Corriere della Sera to talk about his new book and they asked him questions on a number of topics, with his comments relayed by MilanPress.

What can you tell us about Camarda’s growth?

“Today it’s another world, in which young people don’t focus only on one passion: for us, after family and school, there was only football. The kids today are smarter, but they have more pressure and expectations: they have to be good at not getting crushed. And he is a very regular and balanced guy.”

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What was your relationship with Gianni Rivera like?

“An extraordinary man for his simplicity: at 18 years old at Milanello I ate with him and Bigon. He always protected me.”

The Totonero scandal was a dark moment for Italian football…

“I was amazed, I would never have thought there were these scams. It was a dark moment: I understood that I had to be very careful about those around me. I needed protection.”

Did you grow most under Nils Liedholm?

“My childhood taught me to always be calm, happy when things go well but aware that the road is always long. In 1984 with Liedholm and the switch to zonal defense I began to understand my rise.

“I felt that game inside me, my mind was drawn to the future, to a more offensive and organized football.”

Real Madrid on Tuesday night, a great win…

“It was a great win and we hadn’t managed to do that at the Bernabeu. But we went through in do-or-die games and the weight was a little different.”

Photo by Jun Sato/Getty Images

What was your friendship with Berlusconi like?

“We had a very good relationship: he was attentive to the player, but also to the person. And retiring the number 6 jersey was something never seen before.”

Is it true you never had arguments with coaches?

“How could I? I never had problems with anyone, maybe because I made them win… The leader is always a simple man: he must have courage, be ambitious but loyal and consistent in his behaviour, to put everyone at ease.”

You have so far only been a youth coach…

“Even though I think I could have coached the big ones too, staying at Milan was a lifestyle choice. We understood each other with the boys, we had fun.

“I experienced and understood the emotion that comes from winning as a coach. Maybe it’s stronger than that of being a player. It’s more complete.”

Football today sees constant transfers, not like you who was a one-club man…

“Football has changed, I have never even had an agent. Staying at Milan was a natural thing. Could I have earned more? Yes, but you always think about it afterwards. Of course today the figures that go around are very different.”