Van Bommel reflects on time at Milan and reveals openness to managing them one day
Mark van Bommel has revealed his desire to coach AC Milan one day, as his Belgium side get ready to face Italy tonight.
Van Bommel is someone who might not have spent the longest time at Milan, but he became a fan-favourite still. He joined from Bayern Munich in 2010 to add experience and leadership, making 50 appearances and winning the league title in 2010-11, as well as the Supercoppa Italiana too.
After doing an impressive job with PSV Eindhoven and then Antwerp, the former midfielder was actually linked with the Milan job in the summer of 2024 after Stefano Pioli’s exit. His name popped up again before Ruben Amorim was hired, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic being his endorser.
Nothing came of it, and an international job followed. On the eve of the first UEFA Nations League match against Italy in Rome, Belgium coach Van Bommel spoke to Sky about the Red Devils and about his past as a Milan player, with Calciomercato.com relaying his words.
You know Italy well…
“I had a really good time at Milan. It was short, but we played really well, we had a fantastic squad. I only played one game at the Olimpico and we won the Scudetto. Let’s hope we get another good result tomorrow.”
It’s a new era for your national team…
“It’s not easy to prepare the team in 3-4 days. We tried. We want the ball, to dominate the game, and to maintain possession. A new era begins for us; we’ll face strong national teams, but we’ll try. And Italy has the same problem as us.”
What do you expect from Mancini’s Italy?
“We don’t know what Mancini will do, it’s difficult to prepare for this match. I know Gattuso very well, but now Roberto is here. I’ve seen a lot of his games and I’ve prepared my national team to face him, it will be difficult for both of us.”
Quite a few Belgians have played in Italy…
“Lukaku, De Bruyne, Tielemans, De Ketelaere… We have several players who play or have played in Italy. This means we can adapt better to Italian football, which is great. Experienced players are also important for our national team.
“I spoke with De Winter and Moreira about Milanello, the stadium, and AC Milan. The Rossoneri need to get back to winning ways. They haven’t been in a great situation for a couple of years, but they need to get back to winning ways.”
Could you be Milan coach one day?
“Let’s wait… In the meantime, we’ll play the Nations League and the European Championship, then we’ll see. It would be nice, but let’s not talk about the future now.”
