Dejan Savicevic, the 'Genius' who scored at San Siro, recalled his time at Milan and the way his football was understood in Italy. Speaking at the Derbyssimo Legends x MilanNews event, the former Montenegrin international, who as a Rossoneri player won 3 Scudetti, 3 Italian Super Cups, a Champions League and a European Super Cup, opened up about his early days and his adaptation to Milanello.
"I started playing in 1984 and became a starter shortly before I turned 18. I played three seasons; I didn't have a very high performance, because I played as a midfielder and wanted to complete every move. After 60 minutes I couldn't stand up anymore. At a certain point I realized that I couldn't do everything alone", he said. "In the third season, after two seasons as a starter, I realized that I could have a great career. There was interest from Red Star and Hajduk Split; in 1986 I made my debut in the national team. That's when I understood my path — before that I didn't even believe I would reach Red Star."
Regarding style, Savicevic explained that he didn't just live off instinct. "There were days when I was more inspired and others less. I liked playing at night more than at 3pm, because Capello woke us up very early. If I couldn't sleep afterwards, it was a problem. In my country, on the day of the game we didn't wake up so early — Capello forced us to do that. That's why I preferred games at night: in the afternoon I could still sleep for an hour or two."
The biggest difficulties arose in the first pre-seasons. "I suffered a lot in the first stages at Milanello. And also when I wasn't playing: for me, training doesn't replace competition or the rhythm of the game." When asked if anyone at the club didn't understand their football, he was categorical: "No. At Milan there were always players of great value. From 1996 onwards, the board started to sign some players who weren't at Milan's level, making mistakes in certain signings of foreigners. When the market opened, some arrived who weren't at the club's level — as is the case now."
Who was the first to understand your football? “Berlusconi”, he replied without hesitation. And, when asked if he would play today, he was clear: "Yes. Me and Baggio would play today. Also Del Piero and Totti, who couldn't run any more than me. Players with that talent last longer. Either you put one of those playing behind the striker, or find a midfielder who runs for him."
