AC Milan’s Alia Guagni recently gave an interview to DAZN in Italy during which she talked about her decision to join Milan, her injuries, her former team (Fiorentina), and how much women’s football has grown since she started playing it.
Below is a translation of the interview, with the transcript courtesy of Milan Press…
On her injuries: “I am currently in a recovery phase. There was a slight problem when I was with the national team, but I hope to return soon.”
On her return to Italy: “It was beautiful because I was still out of the country for a year and one month. I arrived in a group that immediately accepted me. It was beautiful and emotional.”
On the growth of women’s football in the country: “We are still growing. In Spain, they started to invest in women’s football several years before we did. In Italy, there are now many squads that have invested in their women’s teams, like Milan, and Roma. It will take some time to see the fruits of this labour.”
On how things have changed since she started playing football: “When I first started playing football you couldn’t think of doing it as a job, as playing it was a matter of passion. That’s the way things were up until a few years ago. Then things began to change. Now that we are approaching professionalism, girls will have a different outlook than I did when I was young.”
On the last Women’s World Cup: “The [last] Women’s World Cup has opened up everyone’s eyes. They saw a great tournament, great football, and great football that still has to grow, but also has an incredibly bright future. Now, girls have seen that there are idols in women’s football. It was one of the best moments of my career.”
On the biggest personalities in the Milan locker room: “Miriam [Longo] is a joker, she is always sunny and happy. She is always exuberant and it gives you joy.”
On what she thinks of Milan [the city]: “I have yet to experience Milan at the moment. It is incredibly cold here and I will start to explore more of the city soon.”
On the potential return to her old team, Fiorentina: “Obviously, when I first thought of returning to Italy, my first thought was of returning to Fiorentina. However, it was not possible to return there for several reasons that I do not want to talk about right now. I needed a real place where I could play well and that really wanted to have me there [Milan]. I spoke with the Mister [Maurizio Ganz] and he left a good impression on me.”
On Serie A Femminile: “The league is very competitive. The last, two matchdays have demonstrated that there are no guarantees here. That is a good thing for women’s football. There are a couple of complicated fixtures that await us, as there is Juve in the Coppa Italia and Roma in the league. We must do everything we can to remain on top.”
What do Milan need to do to stay on top? “There were certainly some points lost during the first round of matches. The squad has now found a balance but at the moment, there are too many injured players. Now we must find the game that we saw little of during our last match: we must become more ferocious.”
On the two-legged fixture against Juventus: “Playing against Juventus always brings out something extra in me. It will be a fight to the death [laughs].”
