AC Milan legends will be playing Benfica legends in Toronto on May 21, 2014. Could be a cool line up if players like Gatusso, Inzaghi, and Sheva play. Would be epic if Maldini plays.
is it going to be the milan glorie team playing? if so, i think those guys and maldini typically do play. i don't know about pippo though.
Some reasonably good names showed up, but no one major like Gattuso, Inzaghi, Maldini. Vieri was the biggest name.
Glad I didn't go then. I read Maldini was supposed to play. I wonder what happened? Did Vieri play the whole game?
No Vieri didn't, even at 40 though he looked like he could still play professionally, most of the other players were fat or old. The problem with these games, is they are usually put on by 3rd rate business people who have a loose affiliation with the clubs, just enough to get a license to "represent" the teams, they reach out to players and offer fees to show up, often times the players will say "yes" and either not show or just decline all together. My feeling is that if it is a "testimonial" match, in the traditional sense, it has to be club-run, that's the only way you'll get all the players who are fit enough to play to come out. The knock from Benfica supporters, is they didn't even get their retired stars out. For me Maldini, Inzaghi, Gattuso would have to be no-brainers if you're having a match like this, but bottom line is that they never "officially" published a Milan roster to keep themselves flexible. It was a complete waste of money IMO.
What a scam. Both sets of supporters should be pissed. Did Rui Costa even play? He was on the promotional poster along with Gattuso, Shevchenko, and Maldini. That poster is pure false advertising. On a side note. What do you think of TFC never having a Portuguese or Italian player in their entire history?
Not to my knowledge. A Benfica fan mentioned to me he spent $160, found out the roster and literally left the game. Figures. They're trying to catered to the "perceived" English/Irish hooligan types and have been since inception. Recently they've tried to harness the hispanic people of Toronto with Laba, Rey etc. Realistically, they should have made an attempt at Di Vaio, Nesta and Del Piero, but now since Saputo is in the league he has his elbows entrenched in Italy and any player that even "thinks" of leaving Serie A he uses his contacts to talk to (from what I understand he has connections at Parma, Juventus, Inter, Bologna, Milan...so TFC can basically write-off any available player unless they're going to bring it with a big purchase. As far as I'm concerned Montreal now owns Serie A transfers. As for Portugal, it would have been another no brainer, but they consistently went with a "know it all" UK Manager type, who never made ties with any of Porto, Benfica, Sporting or Braga, so when Nuno Gomes became available, or players started leaving Portugal to go play in Turkey, they completely missed the boat. Simao, Almeida...would have been significant signings, but instead they went with De Guzman during those years. If they think signing Brazilians means Portuguese, then they have a misconception of how close Portuguese feel to Brazil.