AC Milan: Is Sandro Tonali the new Andrea Pirlo?

[ad_1]

A 12th-minute free kick by Sandro Tonali gave Milan the lead in their 4-1 Serie A win against Cagliari on Sunday, August 29.

Sandro Tonali has been dubbed the “new Pirlo” since the start of his nascent career – with the nickname first being mentioned even a minute before he played football.

So when the 21-year-old Milan midfielder lines up at Anfield on Wednesday for his Champions League debut, he won’t be swayed by such lofty expectations, even if his game is modeled on an entirely different Milan legend.

Tonali scored his first goal for Milan with a superb free kick against Cagliari two weeks ago, an effort almost identical to Andrea Pirlo’s first goal for the club against Parma in 2002. The ‘new Pirlo’ sign was on everyone’s lips once again.

I’ve followed Tonali since the first time his name was mentioned in the press. In July 2017, the newspaper Giornale di Brescia published a special article about the promising young man entitled: “A man born in 2000 moves and looks like Pirlo. With hair like this, it’s impossible not to notice.

In fact, Tonali – who was 17 at the time and had not made his debut for Brescia – had roughly the same haircut as the 2006 World Cup winner who began his professional career at the club in 1995, before signing with AC Milan and achieving . 401 appearance of them.

With Tonali playing in a similar position to Pirlo on the field for Brescia, he proved very difficult to erase from people’s minds – even though his role model was an entirely different kind of player.

Tonali scored six goals in 88 matches for Brescia Calcio, who is currently in the second division

Tonali, a die-hard Milan fan, has always admired Gennaro Gattuso’s skills. After signing for the Rossoneri in the summer of 2020, after Brescia’s relegation, he personally asked his star for permission to wear his number eight shirt – and he got it naturally.

“The Pirlo comparisons started because of this haircut. They don’t bother me, but they don’t fit. We are different on the pitch, and Pirlo had high qualities. I don’t know who could reach such heights,” Tonale told Corriere della Sera two years ago.

Pirlo himself agrees, but in a different way. In May, the former Juventus coach said: “Tonali does not look like me as a player. He is more complete defensively and offensively. He is a mix between me and the other players. He is not an heir because he plays differently, but he will definitely become a great footballer.”

Former Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo scored 32 goals in 284 games for AC Milan between 2001 and 2011.

“The Pirlo comparison is a huge misunderstanding,” journalist Erica Pariselli told BBC Sport. “Tonali is stronger and dynamic, but less imaginative than Pirlo. When Pirlo was Tonali’s age, he wasn’t that physically strong. Their personalities are quite similar, though. They were both very confident in themselves as kids, they both reserved the playground, and they both liked to joke around in the locker room.” “.

“Tonali is a stronger leader in Brescia than Pirlo at his age. Like Pirlo, he is able to provide assists and has a great passing range”, adds another journalist, Cristiano Tognoli.

Tonali has always been considered one of Brescia’s top potential players.

“When he debuted in Serie B, club owner Massimo Cellino asked the coach not to play with him until he signed a professional contract,” said Alessandro Rodella, writer for Italian website Tivobreccia.

“Cellino Sandro promised to sell him to the club of his choice, and he was true to his word. Naturally, the midfielder went to Milan, and even agreed to take a pay cut to stay at the San Siro this summer.”

Life in Milan hasn’t always been easy for the youngster, who only made 17 Serie A appearances last season.

Andrea Ramazzotti, Corriere dello Sport journalist, said: “He’s in a big team now, and he needs to gain experience. Tonali has arrived with the expectations of the ‘new Pirlo’, but after watching him in action, everyone realizes he looks a lot like Gattuso – he’s good at reclaiming the ball. “.

“Sandro may have underestimated the differences between clubs, he was not mentally prepared last season. It is normal for a young player. This season, he is more confident, he stopped thinking so much and started playing at his true level. This is what Corriere Della writer Carlos Passerini said. Serra “could be a great season”.

Impressing his three starts this season, Tonali has made a successful start to the season and is now ready for his debut in the Champions League at Anfield.

Regardless of the comparisons, Liverpool have always been a very special opponent for a Milan fan like him. The finals between the two teams in 2005 and 2007 will long be remembered, with Pirlo and Gattuso playing key roles in both matches. Milan now faces rivals for the first time in 14 years, and Tonali is out to write his own chapter.

[ad_2]