Capello states Ibrahimovic was ‘a seal’ before meeting him: “I had reset Ibra” | OneFootball

Fabio Capello is renowned as one of the best coaches of all time, if not of a generation, and his time with AC Milan was legendary. Today, he has recalled some of his fondest moments.

In a game where identifying, moulding and excelling talent is the be-all and end-all, coaches have to be more than tactics, and Capello is one of the finer examples of this.

As a player, the Italian won multiple Scudetti and two Coppa Italia, a fantastic career by all accounts. However, his time in management took it to new levels; four Scudetti (six if including the two revoked titles with Juventus), four Supercoppa Italianas, a Champions League and a European Super Cup.

Then, the coach also has several individual accolades, including being inducted into the Milan Hall of Fame. Today, the coach spoke to Swiss Radio station RSI about various moments from his time coaching, and Milan Press have relayed his comments.

On Baggio…

“Baggio unfortunately didn’t train at AC Milan, he only had physiotherapy: he had a bad knee. He trained very little, but you could see the great quality he had; however, if he was half lame, he couldn’t play continuously.

“He was by no means a cumbersome player; at AC Milan, there were leaders who had carried on the history of the club. Roberto, however, had everything: dribbling, game vision, and he scored goals.”

On Milan’s purchase of Ronaldo…

“He weighed 94 kilos, led a profligate life and brought many players to his villa. He also showed sensational things in training, let’s be clear. Berlusconi wanted to catch him, but then I went to see him in Rome when he was Prime Minister, and he admitted that I was right at the time.”

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On Maldini…

“I coached him in the Primavera, Liedholm saw something in him before me, I didn’t agree when he was called up to the first team. Nils laid the foundations, he set up the four-man defence at AC Milan: that was the basis of all my and Sacchi’s successes.”

On Savicevic…

“I’ve always appreciated good players, the problem is that at the beginning he only played one half: we had a meeting with the players, because they wanted him on the pitch but asked him to run more.

“The problem was solved that way, we found a balance: his lob for the 3-0 goal in the final against Barcelona remains a gem, it was brilliant. On the day of the final of the Intercontinental Cup, in 1993, I knew on the morning of the match that his disqualification in that match did not count; however, I had rehearsed the formation with Raducioiu for three days and did not feel like changing it.

“We lost, but I was at ease with my conscience: I couldn’t betray the trust of one of my players.”

On Ibrahimovic, coached with Juventus…

“I had reset Ibra technically, he had improved so much technically. Before, he was a seal on the sidelines, he didn’t score goals.”