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00:00 Hi Simon, welcome!
00:02 Thank you for being here
00:04 We have reached the end of this long adventure
00:06 What emotions do you feel?
00:08 A lot of them, positive and negative
00:10 But it was a couple of months where I had the feeling that the end was now
00:20 And then there is a new adventure after
00:24 So you feel that the end has come at the right time?
00:26 Yes, in my four years I have reached a good point
00:36 But I could have given more to help
00:40 But now is the right time
00:43 The adventure as a captain with your Denmark is coming soon
00:46 But for the European position you already have a clear idea
00:50 My future is divided in three parts
00:54 I have one week to be ready for the last game at San Siro
00:58 I still have to wear the Milan jersey
01:02 Then there is an adventure with Denmark
01:05 Always something special
01:07 And then I have to find the club where we can continue to play football
01:14 With my family
01:16 But the most important thing is this week
01:20 How do you approach this project? With more stimulation, more curiosity?
01:24 No, no fear
01:26 I think I have tried so much in my career
01:30 The experience I have now is that fear gives you nothing
01:36 A great curiosity and a great desire to make an impact on a group like I did here
01:47 Simon, you always said that for you Milan was a dream and it is a dream
01:51 I ask you, looking back at these four and a half years, what emotion do you feel?
01:55 I think that, as I have said many times, I came to Italy when I was 19 years old in Palermo
02:03 And right there I told my agent that I wanted to go to Milan
02:07 It took a little time
02:09 But in the end I came here
02:12 This is my club
02:14 This is my logo
02:17 And it will always be like this
02:19 When I arrived here, Milan was in a very difficult period for many years
02:25 Paolo Eriche brought me here to make an impact, especially for the young
02:30 To give continuity and to grow the group
02:34 I think I did my job
02:36 When you arrived here, you did it almost standing up, in silence
02:40 As a great leader, what did you expect?
02:44 It always depends on the group
02:47 I was lucky, I was 20 years old, that Slatan came with me
02:54 I never had to scream or give that kind of stimulus
03:00 I could work a little more on each person
03:06 He showed me that you arrive early to work and you go home late
03:12 When I arrived here, there were two or three first training sessions in the gym
03:17 Now everyone is in the gym
03:20 It was a journey, not only me, but also with the coach
03:26 It was a journey and now no one can relax
03:33 Many of your teammates have shared this adventure
03:36 But you are the last veteran of this cycle
03:39 With Mr. Pioli, the qualification of Bergamo, the penalties of Rioave, the Scudetto, the Champions League semi-final
03:46 It was a long film
03:48 What is inside and what has been the growth for this group?
03:52 Quality is not enough
03:55 To improve, to grow the team, you have to suffer
04:01 Always have the right mentality to look forward and work
04:06 You can do many things with a group, even with less quality
04:11 In the world of football, there is only one thing that commands, and that is the mentality
04:15 Because everyone knows how to play football
04:17 And in my opinion, of the budget that Milan has spent to make this journey in four years
04:25 There are few in Europe who have managed to do what we did
04:29 You were convinced of this many years ago
04:32 Because in the 2021 season you already underlined that this was the strongest team in Italy
04:37 We finished second in that championship
04:39 But the Scudetto arrived the following year
04:41 I ask you, how did you understand this possible victory?
04:45 Were there any signs?
04:46 Was there something special in the air?
04:48 A Milanetto, a dressing room?
04:50 Quality
04:52 You can't talk about a Scudetto if you don't have quality
04:56 If you have quality, you can also bring the fundamental thing
05:01 All these things that you do every day
05:04 There you can do things that no one expected
05:10 I don't think anyone here, even the real Milanese, thought of that Scudetto
05:19 Speaking of that Scudetto, you had a long injury that made you skip the second half of the season
05:25 Why do you feel that?
05:27 A part of it was my injury
05:35 But it was also an injury that made me grow a lot
05:39 You have to take advantage of the moments you have
05:43 It was easier for me to find pure joy in my work
05:53 But also at home with my family and my wife
05:57 I was very aware of the things I did before
06:02 But now it's twice as much
06:05 Because if you have to do 10, at a certain point you start doing 9, 8, 7
06:14 But every time you go from 10 to 9, you have to understand that you have lost 10%
06:19 If you put all this together, it becomes a lot
06:25 If you can make people understand these things, the team can grow even more
06:30 We have made a great path, we have grown a lot, but we have to improve even more
06:37 How important was the support of your family and your wife in this journey?
06:41 It's fundamental. If you don't feel at home, you're not at home
06:49 I love Milan, but it's not my home
06:54 Milan is also home for my children
06:58 They speak better Italian than Danish
07:02 So Milan has become home
07:07 There's a tablet under your armchair, can you take it?
07:12 Hi Simon, I'm captain of the Under-12 Milan team
07:17 I'm a defender like you
07:19 I've learned to be very aggressive with people and never give up
07:25 I've learned a lot from you, like the grunt, the slides
07:30 I'll always remember you, you were ahead of everyone
07:34 I've learned not to whine and to be a good defender
07:43 In difficult games, you're always in the game and you're like a captain
07:49 Hi Simon, you're a great defender like me
07:53 I liked you when you went into the slide
07:55 When you play, you're always careful with everything you do
08:01 I'll always remember your grunt and the slide you do
08:06 I was inspired by you from the start, from the first game
08:10 I saw you play, your grunt and your desire to win
08:15 Nice, thanks
08:19 What's your characteristic? They've mentioned some you'd like to be remembered for
08:24 As a defender, I've left a mark on the players
08:29 The grunt and all that
08:32 It's a part of me that I'll always carry
08:37 Even when I'm not playing football, I'll find something else to have the grunt
08:42 We talked about an injury earlier, which came with a bit of a special timing
08:46 Because two days later, you were nominated for the best 30 for the Ballon d'Or
08:53 You came in 18th, the first Milan player to succeed after so many years
08:57 How important was this club and what pride was this nomination for you?
09:02 The journey I had with Milan was my dream in my career
09:07 To have the chance at 32 to go to the Ballon d'Or with a Milan shirt
09:17 If I could sign, I would have done it at 18
09:24 You've worn so many shirts since you were 18, why is Milan special?
09:29 The history, of course
09:32 When I was a kid, Milan was the top club
09:38 Paolo had an impact on that, because he was the best defender in the world
09:50 When you're a defender, you follow these types of players
09:56 I'll ask you to pick up the tablet
09:58 I'm starting
10:00 Hi Simo, I was hoping this moment would never come
10:04 But life is like that
10:06 My team-mate from Tavola, Milanello, I'll miss him a lot
10:11 You've helped us a lot since you arrived
10:15 In a bad moment for the team, but we managed to win together
10:20 Without the player, there's a fantastic man who gave a lot
10:24 Hi Simo, Danish Viking
10:27 Thank you for last season
10:29 It was a pleasure to meet you and to play with you
10:33 Hi Simo, how are you?
10:35 I just want to say you've been a great keffer
10:40 As I call you always, you put a smile on my face
10:43 You gave me the determination to keep working
10:45 A great leader, a person who helps us in the dressing room
10:49 We had some good times, funny times in the dressing room
10:53 Thanks for the help you gave me, it was a great information
10:57 I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me
11:01 For the times you stopped to help me to understand where I was wrong
11:07 I still remember from this night to everything we've been through together
11:17 What remains is the man you are and the mark you leave to everyone
11:23 You were a great example for all of us
11:26 One of the most important people here
11:29 I knew I could always ask you a question
11:31 And you would answer in the best way
11:33 If it was football, but even the life in Italy
11:36 How it was for you when you were young, I ask you a lot
11:38 Hi Simo, my friend
11:40 You've been like an older brother to me
11:43 I'll always be grateful to you
11:45 Please answer the phone when I call you
11:48 You've helped me to grow as a player and as a person
11:52 I wish you the best, you and your family for the next year
11:58 Thanks for your experience, I'm happy
12:02 You're lucky to be a part of my friends in the football world
12:08 I assure you that they count on your hands
12:12 It's a pleasure to be under your guidance when I first arrived in Milan
12:17 You helped me a lot with Italian, with Italian football, everything like that
12:21 I wish you the best
12:24 I'm just thankful for your leadership
12:28 And the work that you put in every single day
12:31 I learned really a lot from you
12:33 You were always kind and really nice to me
12:35 We've had a lot of experiences together
12:37 You've always been looking for perfection
12:43 Working with you was a great motivation for me
12:48 I'm sure you'll have the best of your next experiences
12:52 You're the best
12:55 I made a big impact
12:58 What I like the most about these messages is your human side
13:02 Is that what you like the most?
13:04 Of course, it's the most important thing
13:08 It's the only thing that remains
13:12 That's why I'm happy
13:17 I'm proud and it's a pleasure
13:22 Three years ago you were the star of a very strong gesture
13:26 That made a lot of news
13:28 I don't want to go back to that episode
13:30 But you proved to be a friend, a partner, a leader, a captain
13:33 What does it mean to you to be a team?
13:36 Everything
13:38 It all starts from there
13:40 You need everyone to do it
13:43 You can't be a team if you don't have five people following you
13:48 Because you don't become a team
13:51 If you're in trouble, the group can help you
13:55 It's the first group in my career
13:59 That I have the same feeling I have when I go to the national team
14:04 It's a 14 years journey
14:09 That I've been in the national team
14:11 And I've been able to do it in four years
14:14 You never backed down from the words
14:16 And from having to face it
14:18 You've always been a leader, even on the outside
14:21 There are moments of joy
14:24 And there are moments when you take a beating
14:28 I never needed to speak up
14:33 When there are good moments
14:36 I know that when I get home
14:39 My children, my wife, my parents
14:42 Compliment me if I played well
14:44 Or if we did something
14:47 It's those moments
14:50 That are more natural for me
14:54 To take the beating
14:57 I've also paid for it in my career
15:00 But when you hear a message like that
15:04 From so many people, your teammates
15:08 It only confirms that it's the right thing to do
15:11 Among the many video messages
15:12 There are also those from your teammates
15:14 With whom you shared a long road
15:16 It was a bit of a micro-family within the family
15:19 With many human and technical advice
15:21 I've always been available to them
15:24 If you play with Gabby, Fick, Malik or Pied
15:29 The basics must be the same for everyone
15:33 Because it's not us who decide who plays
15:37 But if we can have continuity
15:41 And I know the person who plays on my left
15:45 8 out of 10, I know what he does
15:48 Do you see them ready to go forward on their own?
15:50 Yes, but they have a lot of quality
15:54 Fick is perhaps the one with the most experience now
15:58 Who has to make that jump now
16:01 He either becomes a good player
16:05 Or he has all the possibilities
16:08 To become one of the best defenders in the world
16:10 With his characteristics
16:12 The others have the same possibilities
16:16 But a little more time because he's a little younger
16:20 I left one of the most important topics
16:23 What relationship have you built with the Milan fans?
16:26 It's a relationship that is very close to my heart
16:31 It surprised me many times
16:35 Last year and this year
16:37 How they have behaved with us
16:40 I didn't expect it
16:42 We too have become Milan fans
16:44 My children
16:45 Simon, I leave you a final message
16:48 I thank everyone
16:50 The journey I had here
16:52 The pride, the dream
16:55 That brought me so much joy
16:58 And satisfaction in my career
17:02 But also in my life
17:05 And in the future
17:07 When I finish playing football
17:11 I'll come back to live in Milan
17:14 With my family
17:16 Because Milan is our home
17:18 We'll be waiting for you in San Siro
17:20 Thank you and good luck
17:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]