Tonali Shares How AC Milan Stood Out From Long List Of Interested Clubs

Sandro Tonali had plenty of teams to choose from but ended up picking AC Milan. Considering the list included big-name teams like Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United, the choice comes a bit of a surprise to critics. However, the 20-year-old had his reason for choosing The Red and Blacks.

During a media conference, the Italian midfielder revealed how he would not pass up a chance to join his childhood team. When AC Milan made it clear they wanted him, Tonali “closed all other doors.”

Tonali was signed on loan by the club which includes an option to buy for about $41 million last week. The deal brought to a close three great seasons by the Italian with Brescia. He had a chance to join Inter Milan as well but AC Milan proved too good to turn down, Goal reported.

"I've wanted to wear this jersey for a while. I didn't speak much to Massimo Cellino [Brescia president], but he realized straight away what it meant to me. He said he'd let me make my choice and he kept his word,” Tonali said. "I asked him to make this effort for me and he was super about it. When I realized there was this opportunity to join Milan, I closed all the other doors. I had to go to Milan. I had to.”

Tonali also revealed that it was his agent who did most of the work. His agent left him out of talks so that he would not get distracted. When Milan got into the picture, he talked to his agent and let him do all the work.

Tonali has been compared to Andrea Pirlo. But as mentioned in a previous post, Pirlo did not play down the comparison and even said Tonali was a more complete player.

The Italian is a technically gifted midfielder blessed with great dribbling and passing abilities. He scored once and issued seven assists for Brescia last season. Looking ahead, Tonali could make his debut in the Europa League this Thursday. It will be a qualifying match against the Shamrock Rovers.

"We can't wait, we want to just go out there and play," Tonali said.