Serginho recalls first impressions at Milan, Brazilian cohort and famous Champions League wins | OneFootball

Serginho has shed light on some of his most prominent memories at AC Milan, including the historic runs in the Champions League.

Better known by his nickname, Sérgio Cláudio dos Santos was a part of one of the most successful eras in Milan’s history under Carlo Ancelotti. He won the Champions League twice (in 2003 and 2007), as well as the Serie A title (in 2003–04) among other trophies.

He scored the first of Milan’s penalties in the shootout that decided the 2003 UCL final in Manchester against Juventus. The Brazilian became a real utility man under Ancelotti, playing in a number of different positions up and down the wing.

Serginho was the protagonist of the new episode of ‘Storie di Serie A’, a segment on Radio Serie A. The former Rossoneri utility man spoke about his story at Milan, and his comments were relayed by MilanPress.

There is a Brazilian love story at Milan…

“We Brazilians were born with football in our blood, the passion for football always comes from a young age. I have always been a big fan of Milan, I have always accompanied it since the years of Van Basten, Gullit, Rijkaard.

“I have always had the passion to arrive one day and have the opportunity to be part of the history of this club. Thank God I had this opportunity to make the history of this club, I also want to thank my teammates, it was a great joy.”

Photo by New Press/Getty Images

Who wanted to sign you?

“At that time it was very difficult because globalization was not like today. There was a scout from Milan, called Luizio Santos, he worked a lot in the South American market. He and Ariedo Braida were there: they were the two people who discovered me in Brazil.

“I was bought by Milan in March ’99, I was almost 28 years old. I started very late, I didn’t have the opportunity to do the youth sector. I started very late, before it was much more difficult. I had been a starter at San Paolo for three years, I was already part of the Brazilian national team.”

Do you remember your first day at Milanello?

“I remember, yes. When I first arrived, my great idol was always Paolo [Maldini], because he was the left back I always looked up to, I was going up the stairs and Paolo came down. They were in retreat for the Berlusconi Trophy. It was a very big emotion.

“When you come from South American football, the first three months are definitely difficult, our culture is different from that of Italian football. When I arrived, I went to the bottom 20 times. In the first training sessions with Zaccheroni I always went forward, he told me that I was a full-back, who had to take care of the defensive phase.

“I said: ‘Maybe you made a mistake, because my main characteristic is to go, not to defend’. The first year was very difficult to understand this culture. Then as we went along they started to understand my characteristics and I those of the Italian culture.

“I remember when I got on the bus for the first match at San Siro, I went in and there was a terrible silence. I said to myself: ‘I don’t know, strange isn’t it?’. We took the highway to San Siro, I hear the noise of the Telepass, I was the last on the bus and I heard just this noise. I said to myself: but could it be like this? I was used to the noise of the bus in Brazil.”

There were many Brazilians at Milan and in Serie A during your time…

“I remember very well the period from 2000 to 2008 when we were many Brazilians on the pitch, leading players not only in Italian football, but in world football.

“I remember the South American derby della Madonnina well, because on the other side there was the Argentine team against our Brazilian team. A double atmosphere was created for this long-awaited match, the derby always brings so many emotions.

“Are we still in touch?Every now and then we still have the chance to play with the legends of Milan, every now and then we see each other, obviously much less because life today is very fast and everyone has their own commitments. We always text each other, but seeing each other in person is difficult.”

What was the dressing room like?

“It was really really nice. We were lucky enough to create this great group. I think that football is not only won on the FIELD. If you don’t have a group where everyone wants to be together and loves each other, everything becomes much more difficult.

“We were very united, we went out to eat together, we talked after training, this makes a group stronger. I still have contact with many today, with Ambrosini, Brocchi, Seedorf, Oddo. When we see each other, it always seems the same. Loving each other is not only as footballers, but as people and as men.”

Tell us about the 2002-03 season…

“It was the first Champions League. A project created by Berlusconi and Galliani who wanted a winning team, to return to winning in Europe because it had been a long time since Milan had won the Champions League.

“There were great expectations and we had great satisfaction that year, but we also had it in 2004. It wasn’t just the satisfaction of the victory, but also of how we played. It was fun, it wasn’t work. We had reached a very high level. It wasn’t just 2002-03, but as long as the group was there, until 2008.”

Then, that Champions League final in Manchester against Juventus…

“The tension of the match was very strong. We had won the semi-final against Inter after all this project that had been created, you get to the penalty shootout and a gigantic tension is created.

“I remember a very tense moment, especially after Dida’s first save on Trezeguet, I had the responsibility of taking our team forward. I remember very well that Buffon had become a giant and the goal small, but in the end we were prepared for that moment.”