KAKA in MILAN For the rest of his carier

His was a life choice. An important signature which represents the will of the man and the champion Kaká to remain a rossonero, to become with every day more and more a symbol and flag of this club. The Brazilian revealed his emotions in a long interview to Milan Channel.

'I remember that a year ago Milan Channel also asked me if I wanted to stay at Milan for life. In that circumstance I did not yet have the right confidence but today I do. Now I can say it and I want to. I want to stay a Rossonero for the rest of my career, I want to stay here for life. I remember the last two summers well, full of pressures, 'Ricky goes, Ricky stays'. My renewals have always come at difficult times, like it happened in the summer of 2006 during 'calciopoli'. That's why I did not give the answer I am able to give now before. I apologize for that, but I simply did not feel like I was ready to make such a commitment. But everything is different now, and I can say it without dboubt and a lot of joy.'

'This renewal charges me up, I think about the future and I know I will stay here, forever in this winning team which always starts with the aim to win. For a player that's a good feeling. I never take decisions alone, I talked with my family, my wife Caroline. She told me: 'Ricky, if I could I would sign too.' She's happy with this decision, to remain in Milan and in this club. Milan are always special in the way they treat us.'

'This is my fifth season at Milan, I want to become a symbol, a flag, and one day a captain of this club, with respect for the hierarchies. That day will come, substituting Paolo Maldini will be a great responsibility but before me there are other players and I respect that.

'In a few months I will become a father (Ricky revealed to a subscriber that he will have a son). Caroline and I are awaiting the moment, living everything with great emotion. Every day she feels something special, something new. I stay close to her, I accompany her to each exam, it's a good feeling to know that soon we will have our first son.'

'This fourth signature of mine is a life choice. Galliani knows it, I've told him yesterday as well. What I experienced here has always been intense. I've seen players leave, not just Sheva, who then always told me to evaluate my choices carefully because Milan are different, Milan live of feelings, affection, and this for me is a special value. I am happy to live my career here.'

'I think about when I will be 31 (in 2013), I imagine I will still be in good form. Besides, in this club I only have great examples in front of me which I will try to follow. The first great model of my life was Rogerio Ceni who spent his entire career at San Paolo. Here the example is Maldini. I want to be like them. Reaching Paolo won't be easy, but I will try to come as close as possible to the great targets and statistics which regard him. Scoring many goals, winning a lot. Those are my objectives. I want to enter the history books of this club.'

'If you ask me today who is the best Italian player, I say without a doubt Andrea Pirlo. For the way he behaves on the pitch, for how he plays, he is very important for us. I always feel the difference between when he's on the pitch and when he isn't. When we play I always ask the defenders to give the ball to him, every ball goes through him, he's intelligent, he's a player who's always there in important moments. He'll be there on Tuesday. It will be tough also for him, he's playing a lot and there is some tiredness but on Tuesday he will be ready and for us it will mean a lot.'

'I feel better, yesterday I tried to run and it went well. For tomorrow I am not available, but I'm very confident I will be there on Tuesday.
This hasn't been a good period for me, physically I haven't been doing too well over the last month. The knee, the knock the other day... Physically I'm not at my best. But this week I've had the chance to work a lot, also physically. That was useful for me. I work hard to get in good form on Tuesday and do everything that people expect from me. Against Arsenal it will be a special match, I imagine a sold out San Siro, I remember Milan-Celtic of last year. In the end that turned out to be an unforgettable match, let's hope it will be the same way on Tuesday.'

Draw 1-1 (Milan vs Catania)

At the Stadio 'Massimino' of Catania, Catania-Milan finished 1-1. The Rossoneri went in front in the 55th minute through Pato. Spinesi equalised for the Sicilians in the 64th minute.

HUNTING DOWN KAKA

The initial "score" of the last two league games on Ricardo Kaka? Here you go. Parma-Milan, first half: in the 7th minute a foul by Morrone from behind, in the 17th minute a foul by Dessena on the edge of the penalty area, in the 20th minute a foul by Morrone. These last in particular is the model of the Kaka-method. The “targeted” player did a bad slide tackle on the player’s foot, risking everything: leg, or ankle, it doesn’t matter, on him you have to risk.

It’s not over. Milan-Palermo, first half: after 1 minute and 43 seconds a bad foul by Guana, from behind, exactly on the knee which is hurting Kaka. In the 22nd minute a foul by Migliaccio in midfield, not even whistled by the referee. In the 29th minute a foul by Bresciano, from behind, on Kaka who was launched towards the penalty area, with Ricky, who full of knocks and pain, has a reaction towards the referee.

Amongst these two games, London, where the loyalty in the Champions League and the sports culture are higher. What really hits us in the Italian league, is not just the numerous number of fouls on Kaka, on which the referees of our league overlook, but the scientific factor. It’s never the same player to make these fouls. There is an alteration between one player and another. As if it was a strategy. Almost the sign of a preparation. And here evidently the referees have no fault at all.

The hammering which Kaka is suffering is the same which had mined the physique and resistance of Marco Van Basten. The Dutch star played his last game at the highest level at 28 years of age. It was November 1992 against Gothenborg at San Siro. Then here never came back. No! It must not happen for Kaka too. There is no post-Golden Ball crisis and there is no world class player playing badly. We are simply facing a player who is hunted, who has to stop for 15-20 days to manage his problems, then evidently does not return on the pitch at his best.

The reality is that whereas the Milan opponents take turns in fouling Kaka, and the first minutes foul does not receive any sanction, it is becoming a custom of most Italian teams towards Kaka. The Rossoneri’s team are therefore risking an important part of the season against Arsenal. In the Kaka will recover, he will prepare himself and he will do his best to be in front of 80,000 fans at San Siro. Until the next foul, or the ‘ordinary administration’ of the Italian referees. So in the end, until when?

from acmilan.com

ancelotti : WE NEED MORE QUALITY

These are the first words of Carlo Ancelotti during the press conference on the eve of Milan-Palermo: “I think that only Nesta is unavailable, all the others are available. Pato is available, Dida I don’t think so. I don’t give indications on the formation. The last games? On Wednesday we have proven to have a great defensive solidity and a difficulty in proposing important attacking solutions. Our period is tied to a great solidity in defence, whereas we must improve, starting from tomorrow's game. Tomorrow it will be a game with the same features of the previous games. Palermo has a squad of better quality in the construction of the game, we must have more efficiency upfront and push more even with the full-backs. We need to send clean balls upfront and a lot will depend on the quality of the midfielders in the construction of the game. Titles on Lippi? They don’t weight, we're used to them. The difference between ten and eleven men? It’s the truth, Inter lost a player after half an hour. Inter played their game in ten, we played ours in eleven. It’s not a problem.”

The other topics the Rossoneri’s coach spoke about: “I did not speak to Ronaldo yesterday, I did so in the previous days. The idea that I came up with is that he has not yet taken the right road, he is still uncertain on his future, but he will take the right road. Now he must remain calm, he cannot do anything as he has the foot blocked for at least 30 days. We will see in future if he will put in the right will to recover. I say that he has a great opportunity, in the bad luck. He has always been considered a bit lazy, maybe this is the right time to deny everyone and everything, maybe even himself. The league and the Champions League for us are two difficult situations. We are halfway down the ford and to overtake it we will need to do something more in the quality of the game. In 15 days time the condition will be better, but the quality of the game must improve. Arsenal remains very strong and tough, we are fifty-fifty for the qualification. I expected Arsenal to be like this. For the moment it is going through, Milan did its best. Even though, on the aesthetic level, we could have done more. At times we try to search too much for the through ball, rather than the shot on goal. We have good shooters and we must take advantage of these solutions."

Carlo Ancelotti again: “Amauri is a player who has important characteristics; he could be amongst the players indicated for the Milan future even though I have no preference. The four players in attack? Who knows, maybe there could be a surprise…We need to have four attackers of high level, considering that Ronaldo will return in 2009. I put my hand in the fire that Gilardino will remain with us next year. Palermo has changed a lot in these years. In the first round we played the best game of the season and we came out defeated. Now there’s Guidolin who change the team’s tactics, if we did not win it was a coincidence. Kaka? Last year he was the top scorer of the Champions League, but his role is not that of a scorer. I think he will score more goals. Kalac? He’s improving, if he played on Wednesday he can play also tomorrow.”

from acmilan.com

KAKÁ: STRONG CONTUSION

Ricky Kaká was subjected to an x-ray test today. The exam gave a negative result. Kaká only suffered a strong contusion following Milan-Palermo.

Milan vs Palermo's photos

Words from players (Milan - Palermo = 2 - 1)

YOANN GOURCUFF (Nice pass for Inzaghi)

"It's never easy for Milan when we concede a goal at home, but fortunately tonight we won and we also managed to reach fourth place. The second half was more difficult because we were all attacking while Palermo often went on the counterattack and made themselves dangerous. I knew I was coming on the pitch at the start of the second half, when the medical staff decided that Kaká should come off. I was happy, I came in, I changed my position and I managed to give an important assist for Pippo's goal. I hope that from now on I will play more because there are more matches ahead, and gain more confidence in the way I play so I can try more shots from distance or give important assists. It's always nice to play."

FILIPPO INZAGHI (Inzaghi set a new record for MILAN)

"It was a difficult match and we knew it, fortunately Yoann did well to give the assist and then it went well. At Yokohama I had reached 89 goals with the Milan shirt, I needed just one to reach the 90th goal and make Milan the team I have scored the most goals with in my career. For the first time today we have reached the fourth place and we did it just at the end when everything seemed over, I'm very happy. Last year I scored most of my goals in Europe and I missed scoring in the league, I was stuck at 127 goals for a long while. This goal makes me very happy because when I had found my condition I had an injury to my finger which kept me out for 60 days. I am serene because I am running like I used to do, but my condition can still improve. I've played two matches for 90 minutes and tonight I'm happy to have come in and given my contribution to the team."

MASSIMO AMBROSINI (Another milan's hardworker player)

"This victory has to be a starting point because the road is long and there are important opponents. It was important to reach the fourth place, but it's just as important to keep this position. Today's football is very much decided by episodes, and it's too bad that not always the referee's assistants help him properly. When there is a lot of confusion in the area it's not easy for a referee to decide exactly what's going on and that's why I think he should be helped more.
Tonight I also managed to score, I have fun going forward and sometimes I also manage to get a goal. In this period we have a lot of matches close together and in the long run the tiredness will make itself felt, the coach is using a lot of different midfielders and we all try to be ready.
Now we have two more matches in the league which are not to be underestimated and then the match against Arsenal. I think it will be a nice game, with the crowd on our side, I think it will be one of those nights that Milan are used to."

ZELJKO KALAC (a consistent goalkeeping)

"The match went very well, we should have closed it earlier, but the victory is deserved and the three points we won are really important."

Words from ancelotti (Milan - Palermo = 2-1)

"It was the most difficult second half of the season so far, we are a bit tired, we have to admit it and we also have a number of injuries. Kaká got a knock to where he was already hurting, but I don't think it's anything serious. Palermo are a difficult team to face, we started poorly in the first half but then the team played well. In the second half we were unable to repeat ourselves because lately we are struggling. The referees? I think we should continue believing them, but certain penalty kicks have to be given."

"In Europe referees are a lot more confident in situations like fouls from behind, our players have to be protected like that as well. But for now let's think about the table, it will be a very tough period because the team is not in great form right now and there is a second leg eighth final against Arsenal to play, we cannot give up."

"At Catania we will certainly rotate some players, I think Kaká won't be available and we will have to evaluate Seedorf's condition."

from acmilan.com

Milan - Palermo Called up Players

Here are the 18 called up Milan players for tomorrow:

GOALKEEPERS: Fiori, Kalac;
DEFENDERS: Bonera, Favalli, Jankulovski, Kaladze, Oddo, Simic;
MIDFIELDERS: Ambrosini, Brocchi, Emerson, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Pirlo;
STRIKERS: Gilardino, Inzaghi, Kakà, Pato.


from official site of AC MILAN

photos of Palermo vs Milan 1st round

Arsenal vs AC Milan images

Milan buy Michelangelo Albertazzi for full ownership

Michelangelo Albertazzi are bought by AC Milan from Bologna for Full Ownership, here it's the player data :

Name : Michelangelo Albertazzi
Date of Birth: 07/01/1991
Place of Birth: Bologna
Nationality: Italy
Height: 185 cm.
Weight: 73 Kg.
Role: Defender

Milan need striker following ronaldo's injury

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani admits they need to sign a new striker following Ronaldo's injury.

"I will not talk about our transfer policy until May or June, but with Ronaldo out of action we do need a fourth striker to join Alberto Gilardino, Alexandre Pato and Pippo Inzaghi," said Galliani.

"All the big clubs need four strikers and it is better to have an abundance of options than too few. Inter have a similar problem with Hernan Crespo not getting much space, but there is no alternative at this level."

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor, former AC Milan star Andriy Shevchenko and Lyon starlet Karim Benzema were all put to Galliani - and he didn't shoot them down.

"All four of them would fit the bill," replied Galliani.

Shevchenko comment regarding ronaldo's injury

"He's a player who has given so much to football. I regret that in his career he's had many injuries. But he is a player who has still shone and won many things," said the former Milan favourite.

"For me, he was the best attacker. When he was good, there was no one better than him."

RONALDO : THE HEART SAYS TO PLAY

The press conference organized to hear Ronaldo, before he left the Pitie-Salpetrieren clinic of Paris, was full of topics, but at the same time we understood how the ‘Fenomeno’ is feeling. Ronie is still hope to return to play, but before everything else he must only and exclusively think about the rehabilitation. It will not be easy, but probably shorter than the first serious injury, that of eight years ago.

Ronaldo, even though he lives through this terrible moment, he still seems incredulous:
“Everything is still very recent, it just happened and no one expected this incident. It was a very tough blow, very tough mentally. I cannot still believe that it really happened.” One of the first questions was directed towards his future and his return to the football world. “For the return I must still think. I still don’t know if I will continue to play. Now I only think about recovering in the best possible way. I know that it will be very tough again, but I hope to succeed.”

The doubt whether Ronie still wants to return to play or no is soon revealed. Even here the reply is very clear: “I have a lot of desire to return to play. My heart says to continue playing, but I must see how my physique responds. Lately it is giving important signals: it is very tired and has suffered a lot. If at the end of the recovery path I will be very well, then I will be back on the pitch, otherwise I will take the very tough decision to quit."

On one thing the number 9 seems optimistic: “I don’t know exactly how long this rehabilitation period will last, but surely it will be take less time than the previous one, that of eight years ago. I will do my best to win this battle against my physique.” Ronaldo does not have a high morale, but despite this he has not lost the lucidity not even when some questions were more dangerous than others, like when they asked him if he thinks that if something specific has caused the injury: "I don't think about the causes. It happened and that's it. I have many other things to think about now. I don’t know what to say about Milan, my contract expires in June. Milan is a home for me, I have a family there that waits for me. What annoys me is how it went…Right now it’s difficult to talk about a contract.”

Before ending the touching press conference, Ronaldo wanted to thank those who gave him a lot of affection in these last days: "I thank all of my team-mates who were close to me, who have suffered with me, who sent me many messages. I also thank the President and the entire club. The people who, even though I don’t know them, made me understand that around me there is a lot of affection. I also thank my family. In these moments I can only say thanks, because without this type of support I don’t know if I would have managed.”


from ac milan.com

Gilardino quotes prior to milan vs arsenal

These are the declarations of Alberto Gilardino to 'Milan Channel' at the end of today's training session:

"Pity about the result, because last night we could have taken home the three points, especially for the performance Milan had in the second half with some chances we managed to create. Bucci was very good to stop us. Now we take this point and we prepare well the game against Arsenal.

Personally I feel fine, I'm in form and I have a lot of desire to play and to give my contribution to the squad. Yesterday I had a couple of chances to score, in particular a ball was stopped by Castellini with his heel.

Returning to the Tardini was a particular sensation, both for the affection that I feel for this city, where I spent three years of my life, and for the people who are always warm. As a stadium it resembles a lot the English model, with the public very close to the pitch.

On Wednesday we shall face Arsenal. We have few days, but we shall use these hours to prepare this important game well. We are training well to arrive prepared both in the mental and physical level so as to play a tactically perfect game. We must play a good game."

ARSENAL: WENGER'S DECLARATIONS

These are the declarations of the Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger, at the end of the fifth round of the FA Cup which the Gunners played yesterday against Manchester United, ahead of Wednesday evening's game against Milan, valid for the first leg of the Champions League last 16: "We need to recover the energies as quickly as possible because to beat Milan we shall have to do our best."

AC MILAN Official Announcement (Kalac injured)

A.C. Milan announces that during the training session of today, goalkeeper Zeljko Kalac suffered a dislocation to the phalanx of the index finger in his right hand. His conditions will be evaluated tomorrow to understand whether he will be available for London against Arsenal.

History Lesson for Milan (UCL's Comments)

It's Groundhog Day in Milan. Last season, Roberto Mancini's Internazionale took an early grip on Serie A and never looked like relinquishing it, going on to win the Scudetto by a record 22-point margin over second-placed Roma. Across town, Carlo Ancelotti's Milan started poorly and were floundering in mid-table in the autumn, before staging a late charge to claim fourth place. This season, Inter took an early grip on Serie A and still have a handsome lead while Milan started awfully, dropping 24 out of a possible 48 points before Christmas, but are now lurking around fourth place.

Of the two, it will be Milan praying that the rest of the season pans out exactly the way it did last year. Inter, cantering to the title in a league weakened by penalties inflicted on rivals in the wake of the match-fixing scandal, won fewer plaudits than their dominance deserved. The true test of Mancini's team, it was widely agreed, would come in the Champions' League. Here, Inter were unable to impose themselves on a good, but not invincible, Valencia in the last 16 and went out in ignominy, amid one of the nastiest punch-ups that the competition has ever seen.

Milan, of course, went on to win the competition, knocking out Manchester United in the semi-final before beating Liverpool in the final. Everything clicked into place after Christmas, with the players hitting peak form and fitness when it mattered most. Ancelotti described the 3-0 second-leg victory over United at the San Siro as "a perfect performance".

All of which would seem to suggest that Liverpool, who face Inter at Anfield on Tuesday, should feel slightly more confident than Arsenal, who host Milan at the Emirates the following day. But there have been a couple of changes to the script which throw up the possibility of a different outcome. First, Inter are an even stronger outfit than they were last year and meet a Liverpool side experiencing an identity crisis on and off the pitch. Second, Milan are facing a wave of injuries which will test the resources of a limited squad.

The career-threatening knee injury sustained by Milan's Brazilian striker Ronaldo on Wednesday was the latest in a blighted season. Ten days earlier, the club's 18-year-old Brazilian prodigy, Alexandre Pato, came off the bench to settle a tight league game against Fiorentina with a cool finish, his fourth goal in six appearances. The backslapping on the Milan bench had hardly finished when the player sprained an ankle chasing down a loose ball. He is a doubt against Arsenal, at least for the first leg.

Milan are likely to start with Alberto Gilardino as a lone striker in a 4-3-2-1 formation, with the 34-year-old Pippo Inzaghi, just returning to the squad after a month out with injury, on the bench.

The biggest worry for Milan, however, remains World Player of the Year, Kaka, who has been resting a sore knee. Arsenal's coach, Arsène Wenger, will breathe a huge sigh of relief if the Brazilian's name does not appear on the teamsheet. The player's personal press officer said last week that Kaka would have to "stay still for a while and do some physio," adding "there is no need for an operation but he will probably miss the Arsenal match". However, it is unlikely that Ancelotti will risk leaving his star player out for such a season-defining game.

By contrast, Mancini has such an embarrassment of attacking riches that he can afford to pack the Brazilian striker Adriano off on loan to Sao Paulo in Brazil. The Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahim-ovich will be looking to add to the five goals he has scored in this season's Champions' League, probably alongside the Argentinian Julio Ricardo Cruz, who is a perfect foil for the Swede. Fellow Argentinian Hernan Crespo – and the Honduran David Suazo – are other alternatives.

Sao Paulo offer to help AC Milan's Ronaldo

Sao Paulo have offered to help AC Milan striker Ronaldo's recovery from knee surgery.

Brazil's Sao Paulo stepped in to offer Inter Milan striker Adriano a place to play during his treatment for depression and now they could house another struggling star.

It's been suggested Sao Paulo will seek to take Ronaldo on-loan from Milan and help him recover before sending the player back to Italy midway through next season.

1000!!! Maldini

From the game at the Tardini stadium there still remains an important number, with three zeros. In fact, Paolo Maldini managed to reach the 1000th appearence of his splendid professional football career. The Captain, who came in to replace Jankulovski in the second half, thereby reached a magnificent target. In June he will quit, and will leave behind an extraordinary legacy, a technical and human baggage which will be tough to equal.

Players quotes (Parma vs Milan)

EMERSON:

"In the second half we played a great match, especially compared to the first half when we played poorly, the only thing we lacked was a goal. We know that having so many games close together takes its toll, but a team like Milan always has the responsibility to win, when we go on the pitch we try to give our all and give everything. Personally I'm doing well, it's my second game from the beginning, I only have to try and get back the match rhythm, that's what I'm missing right now even though it's difficult if you don't play regularly. I always try to give my best when I come on the pitch and also tonight I tried to give my best, but the most important thing is to win."

ALESSANDRO NESTA:

"It was an important match, unfortunately it went like this, we wasted another chance to go past Fiorentina, especially because in the second half we played much better, but the road is long and there is still a long time to reach fourth place.
Tonight I was calm because I had rested and when you have the chance to skip a match you are certainly more in form the next game.
Now we have Arsenal, a very tough match, but we are ready."

PAOLO MALDINI:

"Tonight I played my one thousandth match from the first minute, these are numbers which will remain in history, too bad we did not get the three points, but it's OK to have highs and lows. We have reached the fourth place, even though we have played a game more than the rest, but we are certainly in a better situation than a month and a half ago. We are definitely going for that fourth place.
Now we have Arsenal, but we are the defending champions, we might get back some players and the environment in the stadium will undoubtedly be fantastic.
I would like to dedicate this target to my family, particularly to my wife who always followed me in these years and always stood by me."

Ancelotti quotes (Parma - Milan)

Adriano Galliani talked about Milan's performance in the 0-0 draw at the Tardini stadium of Parma:

"Tonight we had some difficulties, we improved in the second half when we changed our formation. In any case there is still a long battle ahead, there's time, now let's see what Fiorentina will do. Once again Kalac did very well, he's a certainty, but we already knew he was a great goalkeeper, otherwise we wouldn't have bought him. Now let's hope we get back Pato and Seedorf for the Champions League match in London and go there with a full squad, except of course for Ronaldo."

Also coach Carlo Ancelotti was positive on the team's second half:

"We were too scared in the first half, Parma played at a very high rhythm. Probably in the first half we were also still tired from the game against Livorno. But ours was not a physical problem because we improved in the second half and attacked with more vigor, we controlled the match and did not drop our pace in the final part of the match, showing a good overall condition."

"The objective was always to reach the fourth place, today we can say we've reached it even though Fiorentina have a game in hand of course."

"Kaká played a good match while Nesta was extraordinary. Kalac confirmed the high level of performance he's been giving lately. Now we have the match against Arsenal, we are confident."

IT'S OVER PARMA-MILAN 0-0

At the 'Tardini stadium of Parma, Parma-Milan finished 0-0 on the second anticipated match of the 23rd matchday of Serie A.
These were the starting formations:

MILAN: Kalac; Cafu, Nesta, Kaladze, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Emerson, Ambrosini, Serginho; Kakà; Inzaghi

PARMA: Bucci; Zenoni, Couto, Falcone, Castellini; Dessena, Morrone, Cigarini, Pisanu; Reginaldo, Lucarelli

Parma president willing to sell Cigarini to AC Milan

Parma president Tommaso Ghirardi has revealed he sounded out Giovanni Trapattoni about taking over from current coach Mimmo di Carlo.

Trapattoni has since taken the Republic of Ireland job and Ghirardi said: "I did contact Trapattoni and talked with him. But I insist that I am confident of Di Carlo's capabilities."

The Parma supremo also revealed: "I'd like (AC Milan striker) Pippo Inzaghi to close his career here. I could give Milan Luca Cigarini, who is surely the only genuine heir to Andrea Pirlo."

Milan to renew Ronaldo deal

Milan are interested in offering Ronaldo a new contract, according to the Brazilian's solicitor.

Ronaldo ruptured a ligament in his left knee against Livorno on Wednesday and has since been ruled out for nine months.

The 31-year-old's current contract at the Rossoneri ends on 30th June, but solicitor Fabiano Farah is confident that Milan will offer the striker a new deal despite his career-threatening injury.

"Everything makes us think that the club are interested in renewing his contract," Farah told Terra.

"Vice-president (Adriano) Galliani has already expressed this desire.

"Ronaldo wants to return to playing, but his primary aim is to get better and have a good rehabilitation.

"He is the type of person that continues right to the end in his challenges, he has always won them.

"He is a born fighter and I am sure he is ready for this new battle."

Dolce Gabanna photos shoot

parma - milan called up players

Here are the 21 called up players for tomorrow:

GOALKEEPERS: Dida, Fiori, Kalac;
DEFENDERS: Bonera, Cafu, Jankulovski, Kaladze, Maldini, Nesta, Oddo, Serginho;
MIDFIELDERS: Ambrosini, Brocchi, Emerson, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Kakà, Pirlo;
STRIKERS: Gilardino, Inzaghi, Paloschi.

Milan comfort Ronaldo but no talk of new deal

AC Milan have yet to commit to a new contract for injured Ronaldo after the Brazil striker was ruled out for at least nine months following knee surgery.

The 31-year-old's deal runs out in June and, with question marks hanging over his career, the European champions are not guaranteeing him a fresh contract despite saying they hope he plays for them again.

Former Real Madrid player Ronaldo underwent surgery on his left knee in Paris on Thursday after being carried off in Wednesday's 1-1 Serie A draw with Livorno, only his sixth appearance in an already injury-plagued season.

The three-times World Player of the Year sustained a similar injury while with Inter Milan in 2000 but came back to help Brazil win the 2002 World Cup.

"Milan will do everything so that Ronaldo's desire to be a great champion returns," coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference on Friday, without mentioning a new contract.

RONALDO DESIRE

Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf told the BBC he feared his team mate's playing days could be over but Ancelotti said that was premature.

"No one can know if Ronaldo's career is over or not," said the coach. "I can't know and neither can Seedorf.

"Only Ronaldo can know and he knows what he is up against. It all depends on his desire."

Milan said before the injury Ronaldo's deal would be renewed if the often-overweight striker recovered his fitness and form.

The club are not rushing into a decision over whether to give him a short-term contract as a carrot to get fit.

Chief executive Adriano Galliani said the injury was not as bad as the one suffered eight years ago and Ronaldo would probably stay in the Paris hospital for a week.

The Brazilian could continue his rehabilitation in Milan or with his son in Madrid, he added.His father Nelio Nazario da Lima told reporters in Paris: "My son is used to fighting and I am sure he will return to playing."

Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in World Cup finals with 15 goals in three tournaments.

Leonardo quotes about ronaldo conditions

Leonardo, who's currently in Paris to stay close to Ronaldo, explained that the Brazilian 'had a calm night. Now he only has to rest. Yesterday he had an emotional day. Ronie knows what he has to go through and what he has already been through.

I think he is ready.' Nelio Nazario, Ronaldo's father, added: 'He still has a lot to give to the football world, he will come back to play.'

AC Milan will outbid Barcelona for Chelsea's Drogba

AC Milan are ready to break the bank for Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

Gazzetta dello Sport says Ronaldo's knee injury has kicked Milan into action as they seek a new centre-forward for next season.

Drogba has declared an ambition to move to Barcelona, but that won't put off Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, who is prepared to go head-to-head in any bidding war for the Ivory Coast ace.

Ancelotti declaration during the eve of AC MILAN - LIVORNO

“Doubts and certainties for tomorrow? There will not be Pato or Kaka. Gattuso will return, just like Gila, following his suspension of last Sunday. For the rest, we must evaluate those who played on Sunday. Probably Nesta will not play, because he has not yet recovered from the back problems, and even Maldini, who I must rest for one round. Pirlo and Ambrosini are fine, they have recovered and will be available. Pato is a bit behind Kaka. Ricky will be available against Parma. Ronaldo? It’s a condition not physical problem. There is the possibility of making him work well this week and propose him against Parma. Gattuso is fine, he has recovered very quickly, also thanks to the great application that he had in under taking the treatment. He is particular in this, he’s a great professional. Seedorf is fine, he recovered from the ankle injury. Gourcuff? Tomorrow could be a chance also for him."

“If Inzaghi has difficulty in his recovery, Paloschi will play from the start. Otherwise he will start from the bench and Inzaghi will play. Pippo with Gila? It’s a possibility, at most we shall put a traffic light! (he jokes and laughs). Paloschi is very young, just like Pato, and he still has the possibility to form himself and grow. Pato is already physically formed. Alberto will surely stay with us next year, the intention is of adding him to the squad of the first team. If I was moved after his first goal? Something incredible happen, at times football can reserve these unexpected emotions and surprises for everyone. We hoped in the goal, but to happen for real it was a great surprise. To develop the young ones? Kaka and Pato have become first team players. At Milan to play you must be very good. For Paloschi it’s different, he must grow, acquire personality and knowledge, we need more caution.”

“The young ones give enthusiasm, I see them careful. In the case of Pato and Paloschi, they seem to me very mature and settled, without the danger of easy enthusiasms. Milan is a team which manages to add in the best way any type of age. No one pays the fact of being added to the team. A normal rapport is created between the team mates, also amongst the younger ones and the most expert."

"With the arrival of Camolese, Livorno changed gear as it climbed up the standings and found the right goal scoring vein of Tavano. It’s a healthy formation, just like Siena was. Even the Amaranti played on Sunday. From a rhythm point of view, I think that we shall have less difficulty than in the last game, where we found problems tied to the long inactivity of many players who were coming back following an injury. It’s very important to have recovered them, they will useful for us from now onwards.”

“The team is doing well, because it's evaluating well the moment. Tomorrow we consider it as a great chance. From when we started again, we did more from the points level than what we thought we could do, we almost always won. Tomorrow we have the great chance of returning to the fourth place.”

“Referees? They make mistakes because to ref is not easy. They made mistakes towards everyone. There is no subjection. More errors in favour of Inter? Just chance. The appeal of Catania on Materazzi? It’s something to ask the club, but it has already happened before that a player who is not fine on Wednesday recovers for Sunday.”

“Ronaldo? On Sunday he was not in the best condition to play, if I had other possibilities I wouldn't have sent him on the pitch. Paloschi from the first minute was excessive in my opinion, so not to charge him too much. On Sunday I appreciated Ronie's will to help out, despite the fact that he wasn't in good condition. If Ronaldo finds the right conditions, his contract will be renewed. He has problems tied to the conditions, which he did not manage to find due to the numerous injuries. We have passed a period of emergency and we still are. Now Inzaghi has recovered, Kaka and Pato will do so in a week's time. We can risk of not having Ronaldo in the best form."

“Returning in fourth place could be an advantage, but we know that the fight will continue till the end, as we face great opponents. The training camp of Dubai did us well, it was an important period, especially for those like us who have the possibility to work during the week. If we think that from now until May we will only have two weeks without work, from the 9th until 16th March and the 13th up to 20th April, we have little time to develop a certain work of physical and tactical work. You find it difficult to train, from every point of view."

MILAN-LIVORNO THE DISCIPLINARY SITUATION

There are two players carrying a caution for Milan against Livorno: Favalli and Nesta. With Livorno, instead, one suspensed player (Balleri) and four cautioned players: De Vezze, Galante, Grandoni and Pavan.


from acmilan.com

MILAN-LIVORNO CALLED UP ROSSONERI

Here are Milan's called up players for tomorrow:

GOALKEEPERS: Dida, Kalac;
DEFENDERS: Bonera, Cafu, Favalli, Kaladze, Oddo, Serginho, Simic;
MIDFIELDERS: Ambrosini, Gattuso, Gourcuff, Pirlo, Seedorf;
STRIKERS: Gilardino, Inzaghi, Ronaldo, Paloschi.

Milan Drive Brazil Nuts Over Kaka

The former Rossoneri midfielder, who is now the general secretary of the Milan Foundation, confirmed the club will be reluctant to let the 25-year-old travel to Beijing if he is selected as one of his country's over-age players.

Leonardo told Brazilian TV station O Globo: "The competition comes at a time when teams face the preliminary round of the Champions League, which represents a major percentage of the club's finances.

"If Kaka is named to play the Olympics, he would not be able to play two very important games for Milan if we finish the current Serie A season in third or fourth place."

Despite this, Leonardo believes the relationships between FIFA - whose regulations would not not compel Milan to release the player for the tournament - UEFA and the relevant football associations can help resolve the situation.

"(Sepp) Blatter's management at FIFA and (Michel) Platini's at UEFA are very good and Ricardo Teixeira is a powerful man as the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation.

"Nowadays, there is a level of communication that did not exist in the past.

"It has nothing to do with saying, 'Milan do or do not release a player'.

"There are regulations we follow to release players or not. The Olympic Games are not organised by FIFA but by the Olympic Committees."

Another Praise for Paloschi

During the program "Studio Milan" on Milan Channel, Chicco Evani spoke about Paloschi: "This is a real, modern player who has a great work culture and a huge capacity of learning. In my two years with him I managed to transmit him my experiences. He has improved and will continue to do so. He's an attacker who can play upfront on his own, who sacrifices himself a lot and spends a lot of energy. His most important characteristic is that of being humble."

Milan Targeted Raimond Manco

According to the player himself in Lima's airport, Alianza Lima's young forward traveled to the Netherlands so as to keep up on negotiations and sign with PSV Eindhoven.17-year-old Reimond Manco told the press he is under no test, he was invited to travel by the team. He will be accompanied by his father, his agent (Raul Gonzalez), and the Peruvian Institution's president (Carlos Franco).

Raimond Manco, could be the next engage of Fiorentina in the summer market. "Farfan, the attacker of Psv, called me and told me that he hopefully to see me in a team with him. I read that I am also in the target of Milan and Fiorentina, it is an honour to be in the notebook of these great clubs. "

"I've read that AC Milan and Fiorentina are trying to sign me.

"It is a great honour that I am in the notebooks of two such famous clubs."

"I'll see what happens. I'll analyze things and I'll make up my mind on my return. I'm not going on loan, I'm going to negotiate," underlined the seed.

The forward debuted last season on the major category of the Peruvian soccer being just 16 years old, after receiving the award of best player of the U-17 South American by the South American Football Confederation.

The local side's coach, Jose del Solar, called on him for the first time with the elder team on Wednesday at a friendly match, which his country lost 2-1 to Bolivia.

The young seed denied having contacted other European sides, which fact was suggested by the local press. He pointed out that his first option is PSV, where compatriot Jefferson Farfan is already playing.

MILAN VS SIENA PHOTOS

from acmilan.com

Players quotes (milan vs siena) 1-0

ALBERTO PALOSCHI:

"When I scored I blacked out, I only saw the arms of the fans going up behind the goal and I didn't know what to do anymore. It was a good goal, Inzaghi told me he tried to stop Loria with his body to allow me to score. Sincerely I did not expect to come on the pitch so quickly, I thought I would play in the last five minutes, it's a great feeling and I still can't believe it happened.
I knew on Monday morning that I had to leave the Viareggio Tournament which I was playing with the Primavera, but even though I missed an important tournament like Viareggio I was happy to have an opportunity to train with the first team, which is always great.
My model as a player is Inzaghi and it was nice to play alongside him. I always listen to his advice about what food to eat and once in a while I stop to watch him during trainings to see how he moves and learn from him. Before the match against Catania in the Coppa Italia he gave me some pointers as to how to behave on the pitch.
I have been coached by Evani who was an important coach for me, because he taught me many things both on the technical aspect and the behavioural one."

KALAC:

"At the moment when I saved that shot by Frick in the last minute, I thought if we concede a goal now it was over and we could not have won anymore. We earned three very important points for the standings and now we have three days before the midweek game against Livorno. We are in a good position now, we've done well because we have recovered a lot of ground and we must continue like this.
Before the start of the match the fans sang both in favour of me and for Nelson, that was a nice gesture towards Dida because the fans showed they still support him in this difficult period.
I am happy for Paloschi, because it's extraordinary to come on the pitch and have an impact like that. I think that tonight he will not be able to sleep."

CAFU:

"Did you see Paloschi? He was great and now he will pay the pizza for everyone! He was extraordinary, but he has great qualities, he's very quick and goes past opponents very well. Now he has to stay calm and continue like this, in any case we will see to it he stays on the right track. Today's game was very difficult against a team who are very strong on the counterattack, today's three points were very important. Personally I'm happy with the way I played, I'm doing well and I always train with a lot of serenity, when it's necessary the coach knows he can count on me. Ronaldo? He's trying to recover as well as he can, we have to stay close to him, in any case he's always done well whenever he played."

JANKULOVSKI:


"My initial reaction after the game was positive, I hadn't played since the Club World Cup in December, and I think by now my knee is doing fine. Now I have to work hard to regain the match rhythm. Finally on Wednesday we will have the chance to get into fourth place, this is an objective we don't want to miss. Paloschi? He did very well, we all complimented him, now he has to keep his feet on the ground. Locatelli's goal? I think he was in front of everybody, so it was right not to give it."




from acmilan.com

Galliani and Ancelotti quotes

ADRIANO GALLIANI:

"After Paloschi's goal I immediately left the stadium exactly like I did last week following Pato's goal. Paloschi did great, he's only 18 years old and he's already scored three goals: two in the Coppa Italia against Catania and one today. Now we have the match against Livorno on Wednesday which gives us an opportunity to leapfrog Fiorentina in fourth place, we have to try. Yesterday night I made a pact with the team for the following two league games after Muslimovic's second goal against Fiorentina, we have made the first step and now let's hope we can continue on Wednesday. Siena played very well, we knew it would be a difficult match especially because of our missing players, and because five of our players were coming off a long injury lay-off, like Serginho and Jankulovski. It was a fundamental victory, we were fearing this game all week.
Once again Kalac saved the result at the last minute and I'd say we have to thank him for the four points he has added to our total between today and the match against Fiorentina, where he also made a great save near the end.
Today we got our fifth consecutive victory in 2008, plus a defeat and a victory in the two recovered matches in midweek."

CARLO ANCELOTTI:

"Not everyone is able to do what Paloschi did today, scoring on your debut 18 seconds after coming on is incredible. I'm very happy for him, I think he's predestined, he has a great goalscoring ability. The players experience the same tension on the bench as on the pitch, they come in with the right spirit and are able to change the course of a match. I am very satisfied with what the team did today, there is a great sense of belonging to this club. Today we had players on the pitch who hadn't played for quite a while and they managed to do well. Until today we have been following other teams, now on Wednesday we'll try to make the others follow us.

"Paloschi has been playing with us for seven years, he can still improve a lot, but all the coaches he's had worked well with him. He's a very determined and serious lad, the future is on his side."

"Vergassola's red card? I think it was the right decision to take, the arm was not close to his body, after the recent meeting with the referees the indications regarding these episodes were very clear."

"Today we started a small rotation, we have to thank all the players in the squad, everyone made sacrifices to be ready. The same goes for Kalac. He feels very sure of himself and is getting stronger and stronger, we have to be proud to have two great goalkeepers."




from acmilan.com

3 GOALS on 3 MATCHES .... PALOSCHI!!!

Alberto Paloschi, remember this name. It was the 18-year-old who gave Milan a crucial victory in the difficult match against Siena, he did it on the day of his Serie A debut, and he did it about 18 seconds after coming on with his first touch of the ball. Everything points to him being a predestined player.



On his Serie A debut, 18 seconds after coming on Alberto Paloschi decided the match against Siena with an extraordinary goal. For the 18-year-old it was the third goal in three official games with the Milan shirt.

It should have been the day of the odd couple Inzaghi-Ronaldo, and instead it was the 18-year-old from Chiari who contradicted all expectations. He did it with a disarming coldness which is typical of experienced strikers. 18 seconds after coming on, 'Palo' couldn't even experience the emotion of making his debut at San Siro, that he was already celebrating a goal after beating Manninger with a powerful shot on an incisive pass by Seedorf, thereby allowing Milan to open the score in a deadlocked match.

For Alberto Paloschi, who turned 18 on 4 January, it was the third goal in three official matches with the Milan shirt.

Remember Alberto Paloschi's name also considering Carlo Ancelotti's policy when it comes to young players. The Milan coach is known to allow young players chances only when he thinks they have the DNA of a world class player, such as the likes of Pato and Kaká. To call the player from his engagements with Filippo Galli's Primavera youth team at the Viareggio tournament was a courageous choice and indicates Ancelotti thinks he is ready for the big jump, ready to play alongside Ronaldo, Inzaghi, or Gilardino, or to control passes from the likes of Seedorf and Kaká.

from acmilan.com

PALOSCHI SCORES ON HIS DEBUT

Albert Paloschi came off the AC Milan bench and scored with his first touch on his Serie A debut to give them a 1-0 home win over Siena.

Paloschi's confident half-volley from the edge of the area beat Alex Manninger and he said afterwards:"I had a bit of luck. I really didn't expect to score on my debut and I still feel goosebumps now."

Before Paloschi's introduction the European and World Club champions looked far from impressive.

With Pato and Kaka absent, coach Carlo Ancelotti switched 4-3-3 formation to play 4-4-2 with Ronaldo and Filippo Inzaghi paired in attack but the move did not pay dividends

Ancelotti was delighted by Paloschi's contribution and was quick to warn off any suitors who might want to take him on loan.

"For now he is staying with us. We need him at this point in time. Let us allow him the chance to develop."

Clarence Seedorf, who has only just recovered from injury, replaced Ronaldo at halftime and his lofted ball over the Siena defense gave Paloschi his scoring chance.

Milan are now two points behind fourth-placed Fiorentina with 36 points and a game in hand.

No More Kaka to Real - World’s Worst and Oldest Transfer Rumour Finally Dies :D

Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon has finally killed off the Kaka to Real Madrid rumour, which we genuinely feared was going to live forever. The rumour actually predates The Offside, as it all started when Calderon was elected Real president in July 2006 with a promise to sign the Brazilian playmaker. The Kaka to Real story reappears every few months, and no doubt Calderon et al have made the occasional approach to see how many big bags of euros Milan would want. They even managed to tempt Kaka onto the Real team bus last year.

But this week Calderon either finally realized AC Milan weren’t selling, or - shock of shocks - decided to start listening to Bernd Schuster, the man who gets paid to pick the Madrid team, and has more or less ended the endless pursuit.


“Any signing must fit three criteria,” says RC. “Firstly that the coach and sport director want him, secondly that he fits the behaviour and philosophy of the club, and thirdly that he can help the team become better. With Kaka the first criteria is not met.”

Kaka belongs to jesusSo does this mean the absolute end of the Galactico era? I know the days of Beckham, Zizou, Figo, Bobby Carlos and Ronaldo are behind us, but Real have still seemed keen to make the replica shirt cash registers ring with potential big name signings like Cristiano Ronaldo. (darryl,theoffside.com)

More likely is that Calderon is smart enough to know a transfer dead end when he sees one (or when he’s run into it for the nth time) and that to keep being linked with the same player over and over without actually signing him gets embarrassing eventually.

Plus, we all know Kaka belongs to Jesus anyway. LOL =D

Soccer Ronaldo wants final honour

AC Milan's returning Brazilian star Ronaldo says he is determined to help his team win the Champions League this year so he can snatch the one major honour that has so far evaded him.

After recurring calf problems kept him out of the team for much of the first half of the season, Ronaldo is finally back in the starting line-up this weekend for a Serie A match against Siena.

Later this month Milan will face English premiership leaders Arsenal in the first knockout round of the Champions League.

''A Champions League cup is missing from my trophy room, so I'm going to do everything I can to win it,'' said Ronaldo.

Milan won the Champions League title in 2007 but without Ronaldo who had only just joined the team. Despite performing well in the opening round of the Champions League, the star-studded squad coached by Carlo Ancelotti has been struggling in the domestic championship.

It is now in fifth place, 20 points behind cross-town rivals Inter, the current leaders. In order to be sure of a Champions League berth for next year's tournament, it needs to get into the fourth spot now occupied by Fiorentina, which has four more points than Milan.

''The championship began badly for various reasons and now we have to pull back a lot of points so it's important to win and score goals,'' Ronaldo said With fellow Brazilian strikers Pato and Kaka' injured, the team badly needs Ronaldo's former goal-scoring prowess to re-emerge now on both European and domestic fronts.

Ronaldo, who has won the World Cup with Brazil and been awarded FIFA's World Player of the Year award three times, has only played for Milan 14 times since being signed a year ago. He has scored seven goals.


from ansa.it

Ronaldo, Inzaghi boost for Milan

AC Milan should be able to call on fit-again strike pair Ronaldo and Filippo Inzaghi this weekend as they continue their charge up the Serie A table.

The European champions host Siena tomorrow on the back of five wins in their last six matches, a run that has lifted them up to fifth in the table and just four points off fourth spot and Champions League qualification for next season.

Milan got off to a disastrous start this season, failing to win any of their first seven home league matches and languishing in mid-table until the turn of the year.

Their situation became so desperate that people started to speculate on the possibility that the Italian giants could miss out on qualifying for Europe's premier club competition. But crucial 1-0 victories at Udinese and Fiorentina, as well as a run of 15 points from a possible 18, has left Milan's situation looking a lot more promising. That good feeling was at risk of being derailed following last weekend's victory in Florence when attacking Brazilian pair Pato and Kaka suffered injuries.

With Italy forward Alberto Gilardino suspended for the Siena match, there was a serious risk that Milan would be left without a single attacking player. But the timely return of the World Cup's record goalscorer Ronaldo and European club competition's record goalscorer Inzaghi leaves Milan looking a lot healthier.

Even so, playmaker Kaka is worried about the effect the constant changing of players could have on the team's consistency. "In this team there's a lot of player turn-over," he said. "Pato is out, Ronaldo is back and hopefully also Pippo."

Siena drubbed second-placed Roma 3-0 in their last outing, a result that dropped the capital-based club to eight points behind leaders Inter Milan. Roma host lowly Reggina today and although anything other than a win is unthinkable, such a result could even see Roma being dragged down into the clutch of teams that are battling it out for Champions League football next season.

They are just four points ahead of Juventus, who have a four-point advantage on Fiorentina, after which there are four more points to Milan and Udinese. Sapa-AFP

Milan vs Siena Records

Siena have never managed to beat Milan. There were three convincing victories by the rossoneri and one draw, the 0-0 of last season. Milan will face Siena at San Siro on the 22nd matchday of Serie A.

There are four precedents between the teams on Milanese ground. Siena have never managed to beat Milan at the San Siro. The best result obtained by the Tuscan side was the 0-0 draw of last season: on 1 October 2006 (5th matchday of Serie A) the match finished in a goalless tie. But Milan fans still remember the crossbar hit by Alberto Gilardino and the unjustly disallowed goal by Andrea Pirlo. Another interesting fact concerns Clarence Seedorf, who made his 200th appearence with Milan against Siena last year.

Whereas in their last meeting at San Siro the match remained deadlock, the same cannot be said of the preceding three games, which always saw Carlo Ancelotti's Milan prevail. In 2003/2004 the Rossoneri won 2-1 thanks to goals by Kakà and Tomasson.

The following season, 2004-2005, the match once again finished 2-1: Shevchenko's brace canceled out Argilli's goal, which came when it was 1-0 to Milan.

In the 2005-2006 the teams faced each other at the start of the season (2nd matchday): after the 1-1 draw at Ascoli, Milan won in front of their own fans. It finished 3-1: Ambrosini gave Milan the lead in the 15th minute, Sheva doubled it in the 31st, Tudor reduced the disadvantage in the 45th, and Kaká scored the final goal in the 81st minute.

Andriy Shevchenko is the match's top scorer, with three goals: the players who have played the most are Dida, Cafu, Gattuso, Kakà, Seedorf and Siena player Vergassola, who have played all 4 games.
Here are the four precedents

SEASON 2003-2004
28 january 2004
(13th round)
MILAN-SIENA 2-1

SEASON 2004-2005
14 november 2004
(12th round )
MILAN-SIENA 2-1

SEASON 2005-2006
10 september 2005
(2nd round)
MILAN-SIENA 3-1

SEASON 2006-2007
1 october 2006
(5th round)
MILAN-SIENA 0-0

from acmilan.com

AC Milan chief Galliani Dida remains our No1

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has declared they will stick with Nelson Dida as their No1 goalkeeper next season.

"I want to reveal that this morning (yesterday) I called Dida," said Galliani. "I wanted to personally reassure him. I told him he should stay calm because he's one of the great goalkeepers in the world and with him we've had some of the best years of our lives. His time will come again.

"With all due respect to (Fiorentina keeper) Sebastien Frey, we go forward with our two goalkeepers, Dida and Zeljko Kalac, next season."

BERETTA 'Difficult game'

Mario Beretta spoke about Milan-Siena: "We have worked well during this week, with the satisfaction of beating Roma and winning three important points. Another big team awaits us. It's a very difficult game because Milan is trying to reach the fourth place. Pato, Gila and Kaka will be missing? Ronaldo and Inzaghi will play... We just have to mention these two names to understand who we shall face."

source acsiena.it

SIENA: Called Up Players for the match Against MILAN

Coach Mario Beretta has called up 21 players for the match on Sunday at 15.00 at San Siro against Milan:

Alberto, Bertotto, Codrea, Coppola, De Ceglie, Eleftheropoulos, Forestieri, Frick, Guadalupi, Jaakkola, Jarolim, Kharja, Locatelli, Loria, Maccarone, Manninger, Porta, Portanova, Rossettini, Rossi, Vergassola.

Milan given World Champions' badge

FIFA have awarded a special 'Club World Champion' badge to AC Milan to honour their victory at the 2007 Club World Cup.

The Rossoneri will wear the badge on their jerseys throughout 2008, until the new Club World Champion is crowned in December. Milan, concluded the website of Fifa, can show off on their shirts this badge of honour until the final whistle of the next World Cup final of Yokohama of the Fifa Club World Cup.

The new badge will also be provided to the winning club of all future editions of the competition, as well as the three previous winners of the cup - Corinthians, Sao Paulo and Internacional.

With the badge of the world champion team at club level, officially writes today the Fifa official website, fifa.com, the international Federation of football wants to award every year the winners of the world title and will be reserved, after Milan, also to the following winners of this great event. "Milan is extremely proud of being the first club in the world," declared today Adriano Galliani in Zurich, "To be able to wear on its shirt the world badge of Fifa. Milan's history is tied to the great international events, just like Fifa Club World Cup. Our triumph in Japan is considered a milestone of our activity, both from our club and from our fans."



Ricardo Kaka was instead elected as best player of the most recent edition of the Fifa Club World Cup. Kaka declared: "This badge is a great idea. This symbole will remind us all that we are the world champions at club level and that until next December, no one can take this title away from us. It would be fantastic to win the Champions League again, to be able to defend this historic title again in Japan in December."

Current Condition of Pato, Kaka, Rronaldo, Inzaghi and Gattuso

These are the declarations of the MilanLab coordinator of AC Milan, Jean Pierre Meersseman with ‘Milan Channel’, yesterday afternoon at the Rossoneri’s sports centre of Milanello:

Doctor, what is the situation of the injured Rossoneri players?

“Pato is better today. Up to yesterday he was walking with the help of the crutches, but now he manages to walk without feeling the pain. We are confident with regards to the recovery time. Up to yesterday we thought he would need two or three weeks, but now I believe that within two weeks he is recoverable for the game against Arsenal. He was surely very scared because it was his first injury, following a wonderful goal and the day after he had to reach the training camp of the Brazilian national side. He suffered a lot physically, but at the same time also psychologically, but now he’s serene.

“Kaka will surely be available for the game against Arsenal, but he won’t be available for Siena. His knee problem, which he has been carrying for the past two years, is suffering a bit of pain the day after the games. For this reason we have decided to take action in order to recover him at 100% because his pain is influencing his way of game.

“Ronaldo and Inzaghi will surely be part of Sunday’s game against Siena. I saw them in form during today’s training session.

“Today we have undertaken an echography to Gattuso and we have noted a huge progress and also he should be available for the game against Arsenal. Rino will surely need to be protected from himself because he does not feel any pain and to know the real situation we must undertake him to instrumental exams like the magnetic resonance or an achography.”

Fiorentina's Frey welcomes AC Milan interest

Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey has sent a 'come and get me' plea to AC Milan.

Corriere dello Sport says Frey was asked about Milan's interest by Radio Montecarlo this week and declared: "It's an honour that a club of this kind would be thinking about me."

Inter's Julio Cesar urges Ronaldinho: Choose right-side of Milan

Inter Milan goalkeeper Julio Cesar has urged management to move for Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho.

The Brazil international goalkeeper said: "All those who've said he's finished, do not understand anything about football because he can always make a difference and will do so again.

"Right now, my club is courting similar players, but Dinho must forget AC Milan and choose the right side of Milan ..."

Kaká: Ronaldo Second Only To Pelé

Kaká did not shy away from expressing his appreciation for his team-mate and friend.

"Ronaldo is number one. In the history of the Brazilian soccer, he is only behind Pelé," he stated.

The midfielder was speaking after missing out on Brazil's narrow 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday and reiterated his desire to be part of the U-23 team that will go to the Olympics in Beijing later this year.

"I want to go the Olympics because Brazil has won almost everything, but have still not been able to win Olympic Gold in football. I never got the chance to play in them when I was the right age and therefore I hope to be included as one of the three players over twenty-three in the summer."

Kaká was asked about the tough regime that new England coach Fabio Capello seems keen to enforce, but did not feel that such an approach is always effective.

"In the World Cup in 2002, after each game we had one day of rest and before the departures we could tan a little in the sun. We could also use mobile phones and we were successful. We were clearly always very professional.

"In 2006, a different regime was adopted and we were only allowed out at certain times with more restrictions and the results were not positive."

Finally, Kaká was asked what being world club champions meant to AC Milan and the players.

"We are the world-wide champion of clubs and until December nobody can take that away from us.

"It would be wonderful to win another Champions League title so we can defend the trophy," he concluded.

Nice keeper Lloris emerges as top AC Milan target

Nice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is emerging as a major target for AC Milan.

Milan chiefs are eager to find a replacement for Nelson Dida at the end of the season and 21 year-old Lloris is fast emerging as their top keeper target for the summer.

Nice FC rate Lloris at £3.5 million.

-- indonesia lang --

Hugo Lloris dikabarkan menjadi target Milan sebagai pengganti DIDA di bawah gawang, Milan seperti dikabarkan sedang menjadi pengganti DIDA di akhir musim ini.
Lloris sekarang bermain untuk klub NICE di liga perancis. Lloris diberi bandrol oleh klubnya sebesar 3,5juta Pounds

Name : Hugo Lloris
Birth : 26/12/86
Height : 186 cm
Weight : 73 kg
Nationality : France

he also played for France u-21

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: "A"-LIST MADE UP OF 25 ROSSONERI PLAYERS

Milan's Uefa squad list for the Champions League 2007-08, valid starting from the eighth finals:

GOALKEEPERS - Dida, Kalac, Fiori
DEFENDERS - Cafu, Maldini, Kaladze, Nesta, Simic, Jankulovski, Favalli, Bonera, Darmian, Oddo
MIDFIELDERS - Emerson, Gattuso, Seedorf, Gourcuff, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Brocchi
STRIKERS - Inzaghi, Gilardino, Kakà, Ronaldo, Pato.

Paloschi added to the "B" squad list