Milan in retreat from Friday: the squad locks down at Milanello ahead of the decisive Cagliari clash
AC Milan have confirmed their pre-match retreat: from Friday, the Rossoneri squad will withdraw to the Milanello training centre, recreating the protective bubble that already yielded positive results ahead of the Genoa fixture. This was a bottom-up decision, born from the players themselves, who collectively agreed to isolate themselves in order to focus entirely on the most important appointment of the season: the match against Cagliari, scheduled for Sunday evening.
A squad decision: the players demanded the retreat
This was not a directive handed down by management or the coaching staff — it was the players themselves who requested the retreat, emboldened by the positive experience before the Genoa match. Shutting out external noise, speculation and pressure is seen as a decisive advantage at a moment of such competitive intensity. The schedule sees a double training session on Wednesday, while Thursday will be a rest day for the group. From Friday to Sunday, Milan will live in a bubble at Milanello, fully focused on the big objective.
As already reported on these pages, the Milanello retreat was strongly requested by the players themselves, a testament to the remarkable unity within the Rossoneri squad in this final stretch of the season.
The big surprise: Modrić can play from the start
But the news that is truly warming the hearts of every Rossoneri fan comes from the training pitch: Luka Modrić is not only fully recovered from his cheekbone injury, but could actually start from the first minute against Cagliari. The Croatian midfielder, 2018 Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest players of his generation, has been training regularly wearing a protective mask to shield his still-sensitive cheekbone, as confirmed by photographs from recent sessions at the training ground.
His story over recent weeks is a perfect emblem of the spirit that defines a true champion: the club had bid him farewell with an official statement following his injury, wishing him a swift recovery in time for the World Cup. And yet Modrić, at 40 years of age, gritted his teeth, returned to work, and convinced Massimiliano Allegri to recall him for the Genoa match — even if, with the result already safe, the manager chose not to bring him on.
A rare example: the champion who never holds back
Watching a player of Modrić’s stature — a man who has won everything the game has to offer, from five Champions League titles with Real Madrid to a World Cup with Croatia, not to mention countless individual honours — training with this level of dedication and sacrifice at 40 is something that transcends ordinary professionalism. It is an example. It is proof that class knows no age, and that respect for the shirt and for one’s teammates comes above all else.
What remains to be seen is whether Allegri will opt to start him from the beginning, giving him the chance to be a protagonist in a match so laden with meaning, or whether he will prefer to manage him carefully and bring him on during the game — perhaps to gift him, and gift all of us, the emotion of a thunderous ovation from the San Siro crowd. Either way, his very presence on the pitch is already a victory in itself.
