Taarabt: ‘I put my hands round Kaka’s neck at Milan, I lost my head’
MILAN, ITALY - APRIL 19: Adel Taarabt of AC Milan (R) celebrates scoring the second goal during the Serie A match between AC Milan and AS Livorno Calcio at San Siro Stadium on April 19, 2014 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
Adel Taarabt has revisited his spell at Milan in a long interview, explaining why the move was never made permanent and how badly it affected him.
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, via CalcioMercato, the Morocco international was blunt about the 2014 decision. “Inzaghi didn’t want to keep me. Simple. In that period I’d been the best, with four goals and two assists. And I say that with all due respect to Robinho, Kaka and Balotelli, who were outstanding players. Seedorf rated me. We had almost a father-and-son relationship.”
“I still remember the Champions League debut against Atletico Madrid today, in the first leg I played a wonderful game. I thought I’d be kept on, but that wasn’t the case and I fell into depression. Along with the move to PSG that didn’t happen, those are the two great regrets I carry with me.”
Taarabt on Kaka incident: ‘I lost my head for a second’
He also addressed the story that he once grabbed Kaka by the throat in training.
“It was a drill, attack against defence. I didn’t pass the ball to Ricky and he started shouting at me for several minutes. He wouldn’t stop. At a certain point I put my hands round his neck. I lost my head for a second. In the end we apologised to each other.”
There were run-ins with Ignazio Abate too. “Sometimes Seedorf played me on the right wing and Abate was the full-back. He kept getting on my nerves: ‘Go here, go there, attack, defend.’ At some point I lost patience and told him to shut up. He wasn’t against me, but on the pitch he was really heavy going. Ignazio is still an extraordinary person.”
Taarabt is unrepentant about his reputation. “Nobody ever saw me in training. I did sombreros, elasticos, step-overs. I drove Mexes mad. Balotelli even compared me to Neymar. Then it’s true, during matches I told coaches where to go if they substituted me when I didn’t want to come off. But I was always good and kind. Then off the pitch I had fun. Restaurants and nightclubs. In Milan, after Sunday games, we’d go to the Hollywood.”
He also revealed that a teenage Luka Modric gave him a nickname. “Yes, and he called me ‘Zizou’. I was 18 and Luka once told me I was similar to Zidane in the way I played. Coming from a future Ballon d’Or winner, that has an effect.”
Taarabt backs Amorim and Moreira
On Milan’s current side, Taarabt was complimentary about Ruben Amorim, whom he knows from Benfica.
“He’s a top coach: he has great class and he’s very direct. If someone needs to be frozen out, he does it without any problem. He says what he thinks. I compare him a bit to Gasperini, for him the collective comes before the individual.”
Taarabt is close to Diego Moreira and spoke to him before the move. “I told him: ‘Diego, you’re going to a big club. You need broad shoulders because the pressure is huge.’ He’s a humble lad, always smiling. He’s a right winger, has incredible intensity and can cover the whole flank. With Amorim he can only grow. The brace against Lazio was only a starter compared to what Milan fans will see. He’s strong, I guarantee it.”
Taarabt was more cautious about Goncalo Ramos. “Another dear friend. He’s strong, even if I don’t know whether he’s a real number nine. At Benfica B he played wide, he’d take the ball and go. He was a horse. At Milan he seems to struggle with back-to-goal work. He can play as a second striker, but he gives everything for the team. Against Juventus he was left too isolated in the box, though I think in time Amorim will get the best out of him.”
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