Zvonimir Boban has questioned Milan’s summer business and the direction of the club, singling out the fee paid for Goncalo Ramos and casting doubt over the overall progress under the current management.
Milan spent around €150m across three signings this window, bringing in Ramos from PSG, Mario Gila from Lazio and Diego Moreira from Strasbourg, with Ruben Amorim now tasked with turning that outlay into results quickly. Boban has rarely spoken warmly of his former club since his exit in January 2020, and the departure of Paolo Maldini has only sharpened his tone.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Boban was blunt about where he feels the club stands. “Milan haven’t done things like AC Milan for years, in any sense. I don’t see any progress, except for their courage and desire to play attacking football. Last year they lost to Cagliari because they’d played defensive football all season: when the time was right, they couldn’t dominate the game.”
His assessment of Ramos was mixed, acknowledging the striker’s movement while questioning the outlay. “Ramos cost a disproportionate price, but he moves well for goals and has a good eye for goal, but we’re far from the quality that changes the game. Instead, I was moved by Cisse’s story, a kid who rose from nothing thanks to talent.”
Boban also touched on Luka Modric’s decision to keep playing at 41, and how the veteran might fit into Amorim’s setup. “Luka Modric has genius, and genius doesn’t fade with age: with his logic, he anticipates situations. Of course, these are life choices. I think it will be tough for him to play in Amorim’s system.”
He pointed to how the demands of the new system differ from what Modric knew under previous coaches. “Under Allegri, he was defended by two midfielders and played deep, now he’ll have to cover 60 meters with another player. It will be tough.”
On Maldini, Boban defended his former team-mate and stopped short of assigning blame for his exit. “Guardiola has the utmost respect for Paolo Maldini. The fact that he couldn’t bear the pain of returning to the pitch every day says a lot. We’re talking about a coach who has given so much to football. I don’t know who made the mistake; it depends on the agreements and who broke them, but that certainly wasn’t Paolo.”
For a club that has just backed a new coach with serious money, Boban’s verdict lands as a challenge to Amorim: prove the ambition on the pitch, because the man who lifted trophies here is not yet convinced.