Pioli on leaving Milan, Ibrahimovic and Maldini arguments and coaching Ronaldo | OneFootball

Former Milan coach Stefano Pioli has spoken about his Rossoneri departure eight months after hie left San Siro, has revealed that he had arguments with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paolo Maldini during his time at Milanello and has spoken about the reality of coaching an all-time great in Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.

The former Rossoneri boss spoke in-depth in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in Riyadh, published on Sunday, one day out from the Supercoppa Italiana final between Inter and Milan.

Pioli spoke very highly of the quality of football in the Saudi Pro League, and believes that three or four teams would compete for the Champions League positions if they were hypothetically playing in Serie A.

Discussing what a regular day looks like at Al Nassr, Pioli said: “It’s the one of a regular professional: At the training ground from 7.30 to 16.30, even when the heat reaches 45℃. On Fridays, we finish at 11 to respect the religious practices.

“I live in a well-equipped compound with my wife, my son and my staff, about 30km away from our training ground. We play padel, bowling, explore the different ethnic restaurants in the city. Apart from the traffic, everything is great.”

Stefano Pioli, Head Coach of Al-Nassr and Salem Al Najdi celebrate following the AFC Champions League Elite match between Al-Nassr FC and Al Ain FC at Al-Awaal Park on November 05, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images)

Asked if he has picked up any Arabic over his first six months in Riyadh, he replied: “Yalla, which I use every day in training to say ‘let’s go, let’s go’. And ‘Mabruk’, which means congratulations.”

Does he get recognised when he’s out and about in Saudi Arabia?

“Everywhere! In shopping centres, in restaurants. They call me ‘Bioli’, with a B. They say: ‘Ciao Bioli, AC Milan, Scudetto!’ There are many Milan fans here.”

And on the overall quality of the Saudi Pro League, Pioli added: “It’s better than I thought. Six or seven teams could compete in Serie A, three or four would compete for the Champions League spots. At the beginning at Al Nassr, I didn’t push much, then little by little we brought in the players that we wanted.

Pioli on coaching Ronaldo and differences with Ibrahimovic

Pioli is among an exclusive group of coaches who have been tasked with coaching one of the game’s greatest ever players in Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr celebrates victory with his coach Stefano Pioli after winning the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Riyadh and Al-Nassr at Prince Faisal Bin Fahad on November 8, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Explaining the reality of coaching one of the all-time greats, Pioli said: “If I arrive half an hour early, he’s there 25 minutes early. He’s always the first to get on the bus. He’s a perfectionist who demands a lot from himself and from others.

“He lives for the team, he helps, he advises. Sometimes I let him talk to the players. I can’t treat him like the others, but he’s intelligent and he respects his role and mine.”

And on the differences between coaching Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, the former Milan coach added: “They are different characters. Ibra was impetuous and had a dominant personality. Cristiano is a legend, he’s global, enormous. He has a thousand official goals in the back of his mind. He will score them, he’s not far off.”

Pioli on ‘strong discussions’ with Ibrahimovic and Maldini

Pioli and Ibrahimovic have a decent working relationship, but the pair were not afraid to raise their voices at each other from time to time while they were at Milan together, Pioli revealed.

Stefano Pioli head coach of AC Milan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic prior to the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and AC MIlan at Stadio Artemio Franchi on March 04, 2023 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

“He wrote to me when I signed for Al Nassr, I congratulated him after Madrid. We hugged when we saw each other here in Riyadh. It was a pleasure to coach him, not easy, but that’s also part of why it was a pleasure.

“He will definitely remember an important ‘discussion’ we had in my office. It was useful for me!”

The same could also be said for former Milan directors Ricky Massara and Paolo Maldini.

On his relationship with Maldini and Massara, Pioli added: “We’ve stayed in touch. I worked well with two honest and very competent guys. Our understanding was strong. There were also strong discussions with Paolo, because we were both stubborn.”