How did the move to AC Milan come about? You had a contract with Atlético for two more years.
Madrid was definitely a great experience for me, I’m very happy for it. The Spanish league has an excellent level, I got to know other great players and clubs. But the engagement was demanding from a psychological point of view. Much more than anywhere else.
What can you imagine behind it?
The people around the team really put pressure on us. Except for strength. When things didn’t go according to their expectations, they blamed us for doing a lot of things wrong. I don’t like this approach. I am mentally resilient, I don’t mind match or competitive pressure, quite the opposite. But I have to feel good at the club, which was not the case at Atlético. I wanted to leave already in the winter, but the club hasn’t let me go yet. We discussed the summer transfer with the agent. There were offers from England and AC Milan. I chose to return to Italy, where it suited me before and I felt good there.
I speak Italian fluently, only sometimes I mix in a word of Spanish during the conversation. Knowledge of the language is a big plus for me.
Have you already trained at AC Milan?
So far I have passed health and physical tests in Milan. The preparation starts immediately after the current national team meeting, I have to report to the stadium on Thursday.
Your teammates from the national team, the Dubcova sisters, have been playing for AC Milan for a year.
This is very pleasant, I will finally have a Czech track in the cabin. But Míša is finishing, we will be there with Kamila. I am happy that I will have her there, that we will help each other. We also sit in the national team, we are well-coordinated. We play together from the selection to the age of seventeen, it will also help us in Italy.
Photo: Vlastimil Vacek, Law
Footballer of the year Andrea Stašková during the announcement of the 2022 Footballer of the Year poll.
Will you have the chance to play at Milan’s famous San Siro stadium?
I’ve already played there with Juventus, I’ve made my debut at the San Siro. It’s an incredible stadium. We will play big matches there, of course also the derby with Inter. I’m really looking forward to that. Of course, also for matches against Juventus, where I have a lot of former teammates. Hopefully the matches against them will not be heated. But in Italy I have a lot of friends in different clubs, I’m looking forward to the league in general.
How does the Italian league compare to the Spanish league?
Both competitions are incredibly high quality. In addition, there are great visits for big matches. For example, seventeen thousand spectators came to the match with Barcelona in Madrid. We played at the wonderful Wanda main stadium. In Italy it is similar in this respect.
What ambitions does AC Milan have?
We will not play in the Champions League in the fall, AC finished third in the league last season. We will want to get there next year, we will need to be in second place. The goal is also to win the Italian Cup.
The start of the Fantasy League is approaching
Milan is a city of fashion. Do you welcome that too?
This is just wrong.
Me and fashion… I’m still shopping. Until my mom forbids me to go out. The first thing she told me when I signed the AC was that I would definitely spend on things. Better be at home, he urges me. It will be hard to fulfill this and not go shopping.
“Andrea is a great player and shooter, but at Atlético she didn’t have the workload we all imagined. We already had offers for her in the winter, but Atlético didn’t want to deal with the change yet. That’s why I’m glad that it came out in the summer, and also at the beginning of the transfer window, so that Andrea could go through all the preparation and play with the new team. In the context of women’s football, this is a really huge transfer and shows a lot of confidence from AC Milan. I believe that it will be an ideal solution for Andrea and she will show herself in her best form.” Karol Kisel, executive director of K2K Sports, which represents Stašková