Rivera: San Siro demolition ‘a sacrilege’. Milan must be ‘restructured’ | OneFootball

Milan and Italy legend Gianni Rivera feels demolishing the Stadio Meazza would be ‘a sacrilege’ but believes the Rossoneri must ‘restructure’ the club.

Inter and Milan sent an offer to buy the San Siro area in Milan last week and are preparing a project for a new stadium, which is expected to be built close to a partially demolished Stadio Meazza.

The project’s details have yet to be unveiled, but Rivera believes dismantling the historic stadium would be more than a mistake.

“Demolishing it would have been sacrilege. Sure, we still have to share it with Inter, but we’ll get over it,” he told Corriere della Sera.

“After all, they only play at San Siro when we’re not playing…”

Rivera spent all his career at Milan, except his first two Serie A seasons at Alessandria. He scored 164 goals 658 matches with the Rossoneri from 1960 to 1979.

Rivera: Milan must be ‘restructured’

MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 02: General view inside the stadium prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and SS Lazio at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on March 02, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Milan are having a tough season despite winning the Supercoppa in January and are currently six points below the top four in Serie A.

“First and foremost, the club needs to be restructured,” argued Rivera.

“If they want me as a consultant, I could give them some good advice. I can do it all. President, coach, and even play the last six minutes.”

Perhaps even Rafael Leao would score more goals with prime Rivera on the pitch.

“A lot more,” ensured the Milan legend.

“He’s a player who loves attacking spaces; he would be my perfect arrow, just like Altafini, Prati, and Maldera were.”

The 1969 Ballon d’Or winner Rivera won any sort of trophy at Milan, including three Serie A titles and the Champions League (European Cup) twice. Despite that, he was not invited for the 125th club anniversary.

“Maldini, Boban, and Altafini weren’t there either,” he noted.

“I’m in good company. Of course, Milan, without its history, isn’t Milan. But what do you expect the Americans to know about history and football?”