Braida: this Milan makes me ‘sick’ and ‘sad’, firing Maldini ‘unforgivable’ | OneFootball

Former Milan sporting director Ariedo Braida believes the Rossoneri are going through a ‘crisis of identity,’ resulting from ‘big mistakes’ the club has made ‘for years’, and partially due to the lack of Italian players.

Braida, who served as director general and director of sports during a 27-season stint that marked one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, admitted that Milan’s current downfall makes him ‘sick.’

epa11928998 Milan’s players show their dejection at the end of the Italian Serie A soccer match Bologna FC vs AC Milan at Renato Dall’Ara stadium in Bologna, Italy, 27 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ELISABETTA BARACCHI

The 77-year-old claimed it was predictable that Milan ‘wouldn’t be a competitive team’ this season, as he doesn’t see any ‘clear direction.’ He also pointed out that the club’s instability has affected on-the-pitch results, while some of the team’s most prominent players lack ‘the consistency and personality to be leaders.’

Braida: Milan are ‘a club and a team without identity’ and lack ‘leadership’

“I am sad,” Braida told SoFoot in an interview

“Seeing Milan in this state makes me feel bad.

“A crisis of identity and a lack of a sense of belonging. Big mistakes have been made for years, at all levels, and the consequence is that we have a club and a team without identity.

“I predicted at the start of the season that this wouldn’t be a competitive team: the club is too unstable, there is no clear direction, coaches come and go, and the squad changes every year.

“To be ambitious, continuity is needed, for example, by allowing a coach to work for 2-3 years, ten if possible.”

While Braida considers the players ‘responsible’ for the current situation, he also stressed that the club doesn’t provide them with the ideal conditions to perform.

“The players are responsible, but it’s difficult to perform in a club without identity,” he continued.

“What’s missing is leadership, a strong man like Berlusconi was. With him and Galliani, there was a clear direction.

“They [Rafael Leao, Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez] are talented players, but they are not leaders who can unite the team and push it forward.

Referee Szymon Marciniak shows the red card to Theo Hernandez of AC Milan during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between AC Milan and Feyenoord at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 18, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“They don’t have the consistency and personality to be leaders. No one at Milan is a leader today.

“I would bring in 4-5 Italian players, like at Inter for example. This allows you to create an identity, and then I would bring in players with character and personality, it’s the most important thing.”

Finally, Braida was harshly critical of the club’s decision to part ways with Milan ‘legend’ Paolo Maldini, suggesting that Ibrahimovic doesn’t have the skills to be a ‘strong’ figure in the Rossoneri’s board.

“Sacking him was a huge mistake, and firing him in that unforgivable manner,” Braida said.

“Maldini is a legend who worked very well and represented the institution at its best.

Ibrahimovic is not a point of reference, a strong man. He doesn’t yet have the skills and experience to be a strong man, capable of managing a club; he’s just a communicator.”