Gimenez’s agent reveals all on Milan move, struggles in Italy and Porto switch
Rafaela Pimenta, Santiago Gimenez’s agent, has once again shed some light on the circumstances surrounding her client’s AC Milan exit.
Gimenez’s journey at Milan ended up being quite a short-lived rollercoaster. He joined midway through the 2024-25 season and started well before enduring a drought towards the end of the campaign which ultimately spanned the entirety of last season.
Multiple changes in manager and an ankle injury that needed surgery did not help the search for consistency. After Goncalo Ramos signed for €75m from PSG in the summer the decision was made for the paths to separate, and Porto landed the Mexican on loan with a conditional obligation to buy.
Pimaneta gave an interview to TNT Sports Mexico about the striker, lifting the lid on some of the difficulties he encountered in Italy and why the time was right to move in the summer. Her words have been relayed by MilanNews.
He arrived in Europe, moved from AC Milan, and is now at Porto. How is Gimenez? What’s your impression of him?
“I have to say I really like these three transfers. It’s one of my three favourite paths ever, because I think, at this stage of his career, Porto is the ideal team for this player.
“He’s enjoying this experience very much, and that’s the most important aspect of playing well. I think Porto and Santi are a match made in heaven, a perfect combination.”
He needed this change, didn’t he? It didn’t work out at Milan, partly due to injuries. He was unlucky in that regard…
“It bothers me a little, however, that Santi’s story and what happened are being forgotten. Santi arrived at Milan midway through the season. It’s not easy to fit into a team in January.
“It’s very different from arriving at the start of the season, especially when it’s a different country, a different language, a different culture, and a very different kind of football than he was used to. Then the coach changed, the entire management changed, and this year everything changed again.
“Continuity becomes impossible, truly impossible, when the club, like Milan at that time, doesn’t have a stable structure. And when the structure isn’t stable, it’s difficult for a player to find his place, especially if he’s a foreigner and is arriving in a new environment.
“You know the situation in Italy: those who arrive criticise what was done before, those who leave criticise the decisions of the previous management. It’s a bit of a political issue.
“I think Santi was caught up in a situation much bigger than his sporting performance. In my opinion, even considering the injuries, he didn’t have the right opportunities to express himself better.”
Did Santi have other offers?
“We can’t forget that Santi had many other options, but he chose Milan because, ever since he was a child, it had always been his favourite club.
“Sometimes, however, a choice dictated by the heart can influence the perception of a club that, at that moment, is perhaps no longer the same as the Milan Santi knew as a child, right? He left many other options, many other opportunities on the table.
“He placed his chips – I don’t know if that’s the right expression – on a team that is rebuilding, that needs to rebuild. I’m a Milan fan, everyone knows that, but Milan is going through a period of reconstruction. The Milan Santi knew as a child was something else.
“At that time, choosing Milan was difficult, and it was also the most important, the most expensive transfer under that management. Then, of course, a new management came along.
And do you think Porto is the ideal place for Santi to shine again?
“For me, yes. For the style of football, for his characteristics, for the people there, for his teammates and, above all, for the trust this team has in him.”
