Yahoo Sports CM: Milan renewal and Italy call-up – doors unlock for Gabbia after derby heroics
There is rightly a lot of talk about Matteo Gabbia after his derby heroics for his boyhood club AC Milan on Sunday night, and it could unlock a couple of doors for him.
As Calciomercato.com write, Gabbia was born in Busto Arsizio which is a suburb of Milano and he grew up as a fan of the club, making his way through the various levels of the youth academy before becoming a first team player.
He made a transformation from central midfielder to central defender and looked ready to forge a regular role under Stefano Pioli, and yet he remained behind other players like Fikayo Tomori, Simon Kjaer, Malick Thiaw and Pierre Kalulu.
Gabbia learned a lot from Kjaer who became a sort of mentor to him, but in the summer of 2023 Villarreal came calling for a loan and he chose to accept, given his desire to play regularly and develop. That loan would end up lasting just six months as he was recalled due to an injury emergency.
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The Italian was very solid in the second half of last season and he hoped for a call from Luciano Spalletti to tell him he was part of the squad for the European Championship in Germany, which never came. However, a call-up now ‘seems to be a matter of time’ given Spalletti was in the stands during the derby.
Gabbia must have also made Zlatan Ibrahimovic smile, who said of him in recent months: “Gabbia should have been in the national team for the European Championship, after the experience in Spain he has grown a lot. I can say that he has been transformed by the experience in La Liga.”
Milan meanwhile are rooting for him and will soon have him sign a contract renewal until 2028, doubling his current salary of €1m net per season, an absolutely deserved award for a player who has always given everything and more for the club of his heart.
