Ibrahimovic admits Cardinale convinced him about returning to Milan and working as a RedBird adviser after several meetings.
He told GQ: “I wasn’t even looking for something to do. No challenge, nothing. I told myself: Take your time. See what happens. Slow down. Get used to the new life. And after three months, I came to visit the guys here at Milan. I talked to Furlani, the CEO. He liked our conversation and said to me: You should meet Gerry Cardinale. So I met him. We talked. He wanted to know more about me, what I want, who I am. To get to know me better.
Then he said: ‘I want you in RedBird. Not in Milan. In RedBird. I want you to work with Milan. Bring your experience. Learn the other side of football, the one you don’t see on the field. Finance, numbers, how everything works.’
“Cardinale pushes. He pushes hard. Now I understand why he’s successful: he never gives up,” Ibra added.
“He’s the real Wolf of Wall Street. He always gets what he wants. In the end, he gave me an opportunity I couldn’t refuse. And then my wife also told me: If I know you well, I know that after a while, you’ll get bored. You need a challenge. Go, do what you have to do, and be yourself. And she knows me well. And no, it’s not about the money. Because Milan do not pay me, got it? I’m not a Milan employee. I work for RedBird. But my responsibility is clear: to bring Milan where it belongs. To win.
Cardinale is very attached to Milan, he wants to succeed. Milan is absolutely central to RedBird’s plans. He wants to bring Milan back to where we deserve to be. In his own way, with his vision, his ambition. And we follow that path. He has put the right people in charge of Milan. And he gives you responsibility, but in return, he wants one simple thing: results.”
