Mirante: Leo is the champion and can decide the game alone, Roma is as pragmatic and rigorous as the coach

November 1 News In the 10th round of Serie A, Milan will face Roma at home. Italian goalkeeper Mirante, who has played for both teams, was interviewed before the game.

What are your predictions for this game?

I thought Milan performed very well, compact and united. Of course, the absence of Rabiot and Pulisic is a problem, and I hope to let Leo take more responsibility. He is a championship player and can decide the game alone.

What kind of person do you think Leo is?

He is a sunny boy, always smiling and possessing championship-level skills. Sometimes, especially off the court, he can give the impression that he is still a kid. But he has actually grown a lot and now he can focus more on the game.

Maignan has now become the captain of Milan. Do you still remember him?

I remember him as an unbelievable professional, and there were only a handful of people like him in my 20 years as a player. He is always meticulous and pays attention to every detail, almost to the extreme. I was the “old guy” on the team, but I learned a lot from him, and he was actually still a young guy at the time. He was outstanding and, believe me, even without the armband, he was the leader of the team. And now as captain, he will be even better.

Who in this Milan team surprises you?

There are many, but the most outstanding one is Pulisic. I originally thought he was just a strong player, but I didn't expect that he is a kid with a very good football IQ. There is no one like him in Serie A. He can perfectly complete the tasks on both ends of the offense and defense. It's a pity not to see him at San Siro this Sunday.

Gasperini has become the coach of Roma this season. What do you think of this Roma team?

This team is just like their coach: pragmatic, rigorous and very organized. Gasperini was a game changer, he was 10 years ahead of everyone else in many ways, such as reading the game, he was the best in the world.

What memories do you have of your time in Rome?

There it was just like when I was at Milan, I came as a substitute goalkeeper... but ended up playing a lot of games. Those years at Roma were a special period of transition, as we experienced changes in ownership and management. As you can imagine, Alisson was sold two days after I joined the team, so Olsen and I had to compete for the starting spot.

After Di Francesco dismissed get out of class, Ranieri coached Roma.

From then on, I started to get more opportunities to play. I didn't have many opportunities during the coaching period of Di Francesco, but Ranieri gave me trust and I played until the end of that season. It was a strange season that ended with De Rossi's farewell. It was a special night, unbelievable, I remember there were countless fans crying in the stands, adults, young people who had grown up following De Rossi, and children, no difference to anyone.

You were diagnosed with a heart problem in Bologna. Were you afraid at that time?

Yes, those 10 days were like hell. Everything flashes before your eyes, a lifetime replaying in an instant. I was on my way back from a road trip and felt unwell, so I had a test and found an irregular heartbeat. Darkness fell... At that time all you wanted to do was survive, football was put on the back burner.

Did you ever think about retiring at that time?

Yes, at that time I thought that I had been playing in Serie A for a long time and should think about my family. Later, the doctor comforted me and I started rehabilitation training.

There are reports that you considered giving up football when you were 20 years old? It was Coach Gasperini who gave you the opportunity

Yes, it was him who pushed me. You know, I was 20 years old at the time and had not yet played a game in the youth team, but I was on the bench for two seasons. Then I met Coach Gasperini in the youth team and he believed in me from the first training and he made me play and I never lost my place. I owe my career to him, he changed not only my playing career but my life as well. He is like a second father to me and I owe him a lot.

Please tell me an anecdote that happened between you two

I think of one... It was in the last round of Serie B, in Crotone. We had a great season together and Gasperini wanted me to stay with him. After the last league round, I told him that I wanted to stay, but my dream was to play in Serie A. He hugged me and told me “you deserve it.” He's a good guy, even though he's going to push you hard on the court and demand the best from you. Roma fans will fall in love with him sooner or later.