Pellegrino introduces himself: “To Milan to learn”

Marco Pellegrino listens to the question and then always replies calmly, calmly, even a little shy. Even if the ideas and concepts are clear: “I’m a fast centre-back, strong in marking and aggressive. My idols are Sergio Ramos and Paolo Maldini. As a child, I watched their videos. At the end of the year, I can only say I’m satisfied if I’ve learned” . The new Rossoneri centre-back reiterated it in the press room. Aged 21, he is Milan’s only left-footed defender: “I can also play as a left full-back, I have no problems. When I started down this path I had several dreams, today I made one of them come true: to get to Serie A”.

origins and Italy

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Italy is the country of his maternal grandfather. He always spoke to him about the importance of origins. “Milan is a glorious team, with an important tradition. Being here is a great responsibility. The group is helping me a lot.” Pellegrino will be on the bench against Turin on Saturday evening. He will see San Siro for the first time: “Italian football is different, I’ve already seen some things done that maybe I hadn’t done in Argentina. I’ll try to contribute.” And maybe follow the path of Kalulu and Thiaw, who arrived at a low cost and as semi-unknowns: “We’ll see over time. For now, I’m only thinking about improving.” Before becoming a footballer he played tennis for several years. At 8 he was divided between mornings with a racket and afternoons with boots: “It’s a world where you’re more alone, but I carry some aspects with me, such as the mentality for example”.

Martin Palermo

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His biggest sponsor is Martin Palermo, coach of Platense, the club that launched Marco among the professionals. “He once compared me to Samuel. I would like to be like him. Martin and I are close, I will never forget it. Before coming here he advised me to listen to everyone, watch training videos and stay humble, focused. In the meantime, I observe Tomori, Kalulu, Thiaw and Kjaer. I steal with my eyes. In the youth teams, as a defender, I also scored several goals.” The latest flash is on Mateo Retegui, who arrived in Genoa after scoring a couple of goals for the national team: “We have the same agent, I know him well, I’m happy with the path he’s made”. Maybe Marco will do the same.