The former Milan winger between pain and memories: “My boyfriend was an athlete, he did Jiu-Jitsu, but he spent the whole day ‘vaping’. At the beginning I had to go to Juventus, Ancelotti wanted me, Dida and Marcio Amoroso. With Zaccheroni it was a nightmare, thank goodness…”
His face becomes serious as soon as you open the topic. The usual toothy smile disappears, the look becomes gloomy. “I will never get used to talking about my son’s death. It is a drama that has called into question every certainty. For a year my life has been turned upside down.” Serginho responds from Milan, where he lives with his family. He goes back and forth from Brazil, but the base is in Italy, in the city that has remained in his heart, as well as the Rossoneri club and the Curva Sud. When you talk to him about his Milan he lets go of emotions and memories win. The former Brazilian full-back ranges from his arrival in Italy to Berlusconi who taught him advances and marking. The president was helped by bodyguards, taking advantage of the silhouettes and giving tactical lessons. Plus also a stint as a talent scout. “I helped Braida and Galliani discover Thiago Silva”.
Serginho, let’s start with the toughest topic. Just over a year ago, in August 2024, his son Diego passed away. How do you live with pain like that?
“You can’t explain in words the wound that a drama like this leaves you with. I’ll never get used to talking about Diego’s death. Since he’s no longer here I’ve questioned all the certainties I had. It’s the strongest pain a human being can bear. Today I live for him, I’m sure that another life awaits us in which we will be together forever.”
It all happened quickly, even the causes were unclear for a long time…
“He had pain in his shoulder, but we didn’t understand. He was an athlete, he did Jiu Jitsu. We had him do some tests, they were perfect. Then, in a couple of weeks, it got worse. But almost suddenly. I know that smoking was to blame: he spent the whole day ‘vaping’ with the electronic cigarette. He had become a habit.”
Were the Rossoneri fans close to you?
“A lot. I felt so much affection in the most difficult moment, I will never forget it.”
Let’s now move on to his Milan, taking a step back in time. Do you remember when Braida took it?
“Just think that the day before, Carlo Ancelotti, who was coaching Juventus at that time, had come to see me: we had a friendly match in Fortaleza with the Brazilian national team. He recommended me, Dida and Marcio Amoroso to the Bianconeri… but then Braida arrived and anticipated everyone. He convinced me in ten minutes. He showed up accompanied by Edinho, a former defender with more than one hundred appearances in Serie A for Udinese, who acted as an intermediary and translator. A month later and I was in Italy under Zaccheroni’s orders.”
Yes Zaccheroni, the beginning with him was not easy…
“A nightmare! We spent at least half an hour doing tactical sessions. I asked myself ‘But when do we use the ball?’. Training sessions in which we went 11-0, things that were inconceivable to me. I was sad, I suffered from the cold and I wanted to leave.”
Then Cesare Maldini arrived and everything changed.
“I have to thank him and Ancelotti. Cesare Maldini saved my career: he told me to only think about attacking, with him we won the derby 6-0. I was always the best on the pitch. Then Carlo arrived and the music changed definitively. We were an incredible team, the strongest in the world in those years.”
Speaking of derbies, do you remember those 6 days between the two semi-finals?
“An agony, I remember Berlusconi entering the locker room to give us energy. I know that Nesta, Pirlo, Gattuso and the others had a very bad time, also thanks to the newspapers and TV. We Brazilians, on the other hand, were more serene, far from all this pressure.”
Does the penalty scored in the final remain the most important moment of your career?
“Yes, in general the victory of the Champions League. Before the penalty, with Buffon in front, the goal seemed very small. Luckily, however, everything went well.”
Over the years you have gained a lot of satisfaction. Great victories and two Champions Leagues raised, which could have been three…
“I am of the opinion that in Istanbul we would have lost even if we had played for a whole week. It was a cursed, unreal evening. The save that Dudek made on Sheva’s shot is supernatural, I also talked about it with him years later. On the bench, even before the penalties, we were demotivated and sure that it would have gone badly. We even said it to Carlo: ‘Mister, we lose, it’s haunted’. And in fact, Pirlo, Shevchenko and I, the three, missed from the spot. best eleven meter shooters. A mental issue, not a technical one.
It is said that at halftime there were already those celebrating…
“All bullshit. Instead, the opposite happened: we all argued, even words flew. In fact, it often happened in that season that we suffered lapses in concentration upon returning to the field. And it also happened in Istanbul. But imagine if anyone dared to celebrate.”
That team could count on great management and a president of times gone by like Berlusconi. Do you retain many memories?
“Yes, I could write a book about the president. He was inimitable, unique. He often came to the dressing room, giving tactical advice and telling us to put on a show. He also happened to have lunch with us at Milanello. I’ll tell you this: one day he took me aside to teach me how to defend. ‘I’ll explain how to do it, you have to play in advance,’ he told me. And he got on the pitch with one of his bodyguards and a couple of figures to show me the movements.”
After her career, Galliani and Braida proposed that she continue with Milan, creating a link between the club and Brazil. How did it go?
“Galliani called me and asked me to carry out this role: a sort of bridge between the club and Brazil. We founded a Milan Junior Club, involving many kids. Furthermore, I tried to suggest some talents to him, traveling around the country. I pointed out Miranda and Thiago Silva to him, Braida fell in love with the second. He already had a pre-contract with Inter and Villarreal was also on the player. But we talked to each other and… he chose the Rossoneri in five minutes. The coat of arms of the club convinced him club and the idea of growing alongside someone like Sandro Nesta. With hindsight I would say he did well, with all due respect to his Nerazzurri cousins…”
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED