With AC Milan’s 2018/2019 campaign coming to an end this Sunday, let’s take a look at the end of season awards report.
AC Milan Awards
Most Valuable Player
The first of the AC Milan awards in the Most Valuable Player. This award belongs to non-other but captain Alessio Romagnoli. The centre-back was the rock of the team’s defence. At only 24-years-old, Romagnoli has established himself as the undisputed leader of the team. Not only has he been the most consistent performer, but his loyalty from the club has never strayed.
“The club has to talk about rumours, not me,” Romagnoli told reporters on Monday. “I am happy in Milan and I am the captain, so I have many reasons to stay.”
Milan’s other centre-back options, due to Mattia Caldara’s nagging injuries, have been average at best. Mateo Musacchio and Cristián Zapata are prone to defensive lapses, but Romagnoli’s presence assured a strong line.
Besides his defence, Romagnoli contributed to crucial goals. Dropping points in winnable games has haunted Milan this season, but in a stretch of a week, Romagnoli scored two stoppage-time winners again Genoa and Udinese. These goals have single-handedly kept Milan in the Champions League race.
The Rossoneri will continue to focus their rebuild on Romagnoli, and for good reason.
Best Signing
Over the summer it seemed like Gonzalo Higuaín was Milan’s key to the Champions League. Instead, he left the club in January and his replacement, Krzysztof Piątek, has been everything Milan had been searching for and more.
Before coming to Milan, Piatek was Italy’s break-out star for Genoa. Nineteen goals in the first half of the season was enough to convince the Milan hierarchy to pull the trigger on ‘Il Pistolero.’ Piatek started his Milan career all guns blazing (almost quite literally with his personalized celebration) but slowed down before his latest goal against Frosinone this past weekend. The Polish striker has 11 goals in 20 appearances for the Rossoneri thus far.
Milan have struggled to find a quality striker since Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s departure in 2012. Notable names like Mario Balotelli, Andre Silva and Higuain all failed to cement their place. Piatek looks to be a different case. He already has the youth and numbers to back up his claim, and Milan have already decided to block all offers for him that may come during the summer transfer window.
Break-Out Player of the Season
Lucas Paquetá arrived in Milan to plenty of fanfare. The Brazilian was a star back home but relatively unknown in the European football realm. Sporting Director Leonardo Araújo used his Brazilian roots and professional contacts to pry the midfielder to Milan over the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United.
The looming question over Paquetá was how he would adjust to the European game, more specifically the Italian game. This proved to be no issue. He quickly adjusted to Italian football’s heavy tactical and defensive approach. Milan fans were devastated when fan-favourite Giacomo Bonaventura suffered a season-ending injury early on in the season, and Paquetá quickly filled the void. A natural attacking midfielder, the Brazilian was slotted into a more central role. Accepting the challenge, Paquetá established himself as one of Serie A’s young gems.
His creativity and distribution ability were quickly noticed, and something Milan was in desperate need for. Although a mistake of inexperience cost Paquetá his last three games of the season, he too has become a building block for the future.
Most Under-Appreciated Player
Suso is finishing another strong statistical season. The Spaniard currently sits at eight goals and another season with double-digit assists, sitting at ten. Suso receives plenty of criticism, and yes, some of it is deserved. He has a tendency to hit a midseason slump, and he briefly hit it this season. Milan fans, blessed with some of the greatest players of the past generation, have to be realistic and know Suso is not likely to achieve the heights of Kaká, Rui Costa, and Ronaldinho.
The winger is still the team’s top playmaker. Furthermore, his left foot strikes are something opposing managers game plan for. He is the focal point of the attack, one that would be lethargic without him. When Suso has his moments of brilliance, they are truly something to behold. Due to this, fans constantly expect it. Suso will need to elevate his game for Milan to truly become a contender in Italy once again but, for now, he is still one of the best pure talents in the squad.
Goal of the Season
The last of the AC Milan awards is Goal of the Season and Piatek once again takes the crown. On February 16th, Milan trailed Atalanta 1-0 right before halftime. With one minuted added on, Ricardo Rodriguez dished out a desperate cross into the opposing box. The ball landed right on Piatek’s weak foot, where he struck a no-look volley over the goalkeeper and into the goal.
Skill-wise, this was a fantastic goal. Piatek’s positioning, finishing, and awareness of the goalkeeper’s position was stellar. This goal, however, has proved to have more importance. It inspired the team before the break, where they went on to win the match 3-1. Atalanta currently lead Milan by one point in the Serie A table but will fall short due to head-to-head should Milan finish equal on points. This would ensure Champions League qualification for the Rossoneri.
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