In the history of Milan, Brugge evokes unpleasant memories, beyond the international challenges which in themselves are already historically complicated. Worse still, however, are the transfer deals between the two clubs. Few negotiations, great expectations and bitter disappointments. There are two names that for one reason or another have angered the Rossoneri fans of two different generations: Jan Ceulemans and Charles De Ketelaere.
Let’s go back 43 years, with the borders having reopened a year ago. Summer 1981, Milan returned to Serie A after a year of purgatory following the football betting scandal of 1980. You can only buy one foreigner, which would make you smile today. After a clumsy unsuccessful attempt for Zico and the Austrian Krankl, the club is betting everything on Jan Ceulemans, a Belgian midfielder who shone the previous summer with his national team at the European Championships organized in Italy. The Red Devils reach the final, the player impresses, scores a goal against England and is chosen in the UEFA Top 11. He is the star of Brugge, he has won a championship and stands out for his physical strength, a great shot from distance and the ability to enter and score. He can be the totem of Milan’s midfield, we go all in on him. Too bad the negotiation will have an epilogue bordering on the grotesque.
There is an agreement with Brugge for 2 billion and 400 million lire. And there would also be one with the player, for a three-year contract. So much so that Ceulemans arrives in Milan with his partner in tow to discuss all the details. All done, there is also the usual photo that immortalizes him shaking hands with vice president Gianni Rivera. He leaves for Brussels, but never returns to Milan. The reason? Ceulemans, 24 years old and an only child, doesn’t want to abandon his mother. When questioned by the Belgian press, she limited herself to saying: “Jan is a man, not a boy. He’s old enough to do what he wants. I just told him that I would be sorry if he left.” Milan will fall back on Adelio Moro in midfield, while the foreigner chosen, with all due respect to coach Gigi Radice who was against it, is Joe Jordan. We end up in Serie B, this time due to sporting demerits.
41 years later it is another Brugge player, but what makes the difference this time is the player’s desire to come to Milan. Charles De Ketelaere is the transfer coup of the Italian champions in the summer of 2022. The rest is recent history, which we all know. A player who paid excessively for the leap from a reality like the Belgian one to the Scala del Calcio, which devours you if you don’t have broad enough shoulders. An experience to forget for CDK, who however made great use of the second chance that Italian football gave him. It’s a shame it was with a different shirt to that of Milan.
Today there is another player who pays attention, and it is Andreas Skov Olsen. He didn’t impress in Bologna, despite the high expectations placed on him. The Dane, to play for his chance in Italy, said no to a big European team like Benfica. Under the two towers, however, he scored a paltry 3 goals (plus 5 assists) in 71 games. The move to Brugge was only apparently a step backwards in his career. The impression is that it helped him get a running start. Without the tactics of Italian football and with a freer head, despite playing right winger in the 4-3-3 he has the numbers of a centre-forward: 45 goals and 25 assists in 109 games. On matchdays he is unplayable, too strong for the Belgian championship. However, he maintained his fluctuating performances that distinguished him in Bologna. He is only 24 years old and the Rossoneri have set their sights on him, he will be a special watchdog at San Siro.