AC Milan, Boban attacks Gazidis and reveals Christmas Eve Ibrahimovic backstory
"Ragnick? Talking about him is not good for anyone, the worst thing is that this destabilizing event is happening during a time in which the team is growing and we see great work by Pioli," Boban opened up.
"Not warning us [about Ragnick] was disrespectful and inelegant. It is not a move worthy of Milan, at least not of the Milan I remember. We already talked to Gazidis, for the good of Milan it is certainly necessary to meet the ownership as soon as possible. Unity means sharing and respect, the basis of everything and the only way to be able to work well."
The Croatian went on to speak about the potential budget available for the near future as well as the overall uncertainty in this aspect. He also spoke about the impact of Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the team and revealed an interesting backstory in his communication with the Swedish superstar before the move was officially completed.
"The budget for the future? The ownership must be clear in both budget and goals. In summary: we respect the economic and financial needs and correct management to ensure a healthy balance.
"At the moment, despite the efforts in the January transfer market and the many cuts, with two important sales and salary cuts, we do not know what limitations we will have in the future.
"Ibrahimovic? Everyone sees the impact that Zlatan has had. He is a special player and I don't think there are doubts that we should negotiate a possible renewal today for next season, beyond the final result of the team.
"Who contacted him first? Maldini called him first and then I continued also because of the language and Balkan character we have. It was fun when he called me at around 10 pm on Christmas Eve saying: 'Boban, congratulations to Milan, you got Ibrahimovic. Merry Christmas and see you soon'."
Finally, Boban spoke about the overall situation in the squad itself and about the goals that the management had in terms of the sporting aspect. He also elaborated on where Milan must aim towards the future in order to return back to the top and be able to compete with the best in Europe again.
"We were asked to rejuvenate the squad and we have done it but always claiming that we need the right mix of youth and experience. The winter market showed that we were right, it is enough to see how the young players have grown in a short time.
"We are sure that Milan has only one way: to think big for a simple fact - it's called Milan, it has 120 years of winning history and it has seven Champions League trophies won.
"We do not think of founding our Milan again because we are not fools and we know that that cannot be replicated. But we would like to bring back the club in the Champions League, with all the understandable differences with the top clubs of today. If you can't have samples, develop an idea," Boban concluded.