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00:00Good afternoon everyone, we're here to unveil the new Milan striker, Santiago Jimenez.
00:13He's a player that we've been following and tracking for a long time, including last summer.
00:22We spoke as to whether we could do the deal last summer, but there wasn't scope to do
00:27so, and so we went in another direction.
00:32But he's now here, that's the most important thing, we're delighted about that, and I'd
00:37like to introduce you to Santiago Jimenez.
00:42Then again, his quality and everything else goes without saying, don't necessarily need
00:48any further introductions, so I don't want to put too much pressure on him, I'll let
00:51him introduce himself.
00:55Milan TV, good morning Zlatan, hi Santi, Zlatan, throughout the club you have strengthened
01:08the team in the January transfer window.
01:12Do you expect the Milan season to take a positive turn now, for the better?
01:18It was a very intense day yesterday, albeit it was always under control, I need to thank
01:24the lawyers, the general secretary and everyone that was involved, because they did so much
01:30work, there were so many deals on the table, but ultimately we were able to succeed in
01:37securing every deal that we wanted to.
01:39It's quite simple, we're not happy or content about our league position at this moment in
01:43time, we have strengthened the team, five in, five out.
01:53And for every player that left in a certain position, another player came in to fill the
01:57same role, so we're happy about that, and this is the team that will now change our
02:06situation.
02:08Thank you Zlatan, hi Santi, I wanted to ask you about your emotions of this move from
02:17Feyenoord in Rotterdam to Milan.
02:22You've conducted this transfer with your family alongside you, your dreams and aspirations
02:27at this moment in time.
02:31Thank you very much.
02:36One of my main dreams when I was a kid was to play in Europe, and that's now a dream
02:41come true.
02:42And once I was in Europe, I wanted to play in one of the biggest clubs in Europe, and
02:47I'm now doing so.
02:49But my dream, my main ambition now is to try and leave my mark in such a big side.
02:56Hi Santiago, welcome to Milan, I wanted to ask you, given that you came off injured in
03:03your most recent match, how are you?
03:05Because you trained separately yesterday, and are you available for selection to play
03:09against Roma tomorrow?
03:12To Ibra, I'd like to ask you, five in, five out, as you just mentioned, have Milan simply
03:19cut the gap on the teams above them in the league table, or have you completely wiped
03:25the slate clean in terms of the golf between you and other sides with the last day of the
03:29transfer window?
03:33With regards to the first question, yes, I did suffer a small injury in my last game,
03:40but I am raring to go, I am ready to play.
03:47As to whether we've cut the gap, in terms of quality you mean?
03:51We've strengthened our squad.
03:54What we think and what we believe is that this will allow the team to progress.
04:00As for whether we have cut the gap, we'll see, time will tell.
04:07But this is what we believe, this is what we've done, consulting with the head coach,
04:14I believe the team has improved a great deal.
04:16Gazzetta del Sport.
04:21Hi everyone, hi Santi, I'd like to start with Zlatan, a question for both of you.
04:26Zlatan, I'd like to ask you something personal, it's probably your first transfer window where
04:33you've had a starring role along with Furlani and Moncada, do you really feel that this
04:38is your mission for Milan?
04:40I wanted to get your personal thoughts on how the last couple of days have gone as a
04:45sporting director essentially.
04:48First and foremost I'm not a sporting director.
04:53It was intense, it was very interesting because there were so many transactions, you go from
04:59one situation to another, and then there's the countdown, the clock is ticking, and you
05:05need to make sure you get everything done before the countdown comes to an end.
05:13But everything that we've achieved is everything we were trying to do.
05:16Certain situations arose, it's all very dynamic, things move very quickly.
05:21I have some colleagues that are doing a terrific job, they're doing excellent work, and everything
05:29that we do is done so as a team.
05:34The results will speak for themselves, but it was very interesting.
05:41And to Santiago, I'd like to ask you your behind the scenes look, what was your experience
05:49of this deal, maybe Sergio Conceicao has been on the phone to you telling you about how
05:54he wants you to play, or talk to us about the negotiations, whether it was a difficult
05:58deal.
06:06First and foremost, although they were tracking me since last summer, all I do as a footballer
06:13is to try and focus on what I have to do on the pitch.
06:17So my family and my entourage, those around me, have made sure that this is possible.
06:26I'm a man of faith, I think everything is in God's hands, and thanks to God we've been
06:31able to make this deal a reality.
06:33A question for both of you, I'd like to start with Zlatan.
06:39Zlatan, what didn't work out over the last six months, and what do you believe you've
06:44now sorted out with this transfer overhaul, because it is a transfer overhaul?
06:51I believe we lacked continuity, consistency, because when things are going well, we couldn't
07:02necessarily string together several wins on the bounce, but then when you do win matches,
07:08then victories breed confidence, but otherwise, if you encounter hurdles, then of course
07:18you need to almost wipe the slate clean and start again from scratch, but you need to
07:22once again seek consistency, that's what was missing, that's what we're lacking.
07:27We've had some highs and some lows, but we're the only team thus far that's taken a piece
07:35of silver home with us.
07:37It could have gone better, but it's not been bad, we'll keep battling, Milan are playing
07:44to get results, to win things, and when you win things, you win trophies.
07:50Welcome Santi, I wanted to ask you, what do you think about this team from the outside
08:00looking in, I'm sure you've watched some of Milan's matches, what's been your perspective
08:06and what do you think you can contribute, how many goals do you think you can score
08:09between now and the end of the season?
08:17What I can promise you is that I'll do everything in my power out there on the pitch, I don't
08:23believe in individualism, I believe in team play, I think we've got a great team here,
08:29a very competitive side, and we can be competitive in many different ways, I think we can win
08:35and win a great deal.
08:36On a personal level I can't necessarily promise you X number of goals, but I certainly will
08:41give my utmost for this team out there on the pitch.
08:46Just a quick question for Zlatan, hi, I'd like to ask you, did there come a time when
08:52all of you in the senior management took a moment to think and said, let's start restyling,
08:59let's start overhauling the team, because this is unusual, this really is a massive
09:04transfer revolution, signing five new players, when was the time that came that we needed
09:10to make so many changes, five new signings and a new head coach?
09:14At the start of the season when we began this campaign we believed in what we'd done, but
09:22the situation is very dynamic, it all depends naturally on results, and as you've seen with
09:30everything that happened yesterday and with Santiago a few days ago, clearly not happy,
09:35we're not satisfied with the situation, so we've tried to change things, we've tried
09:42to bring something new in, not with one single signing but with several signings to try and
09:49bring more to the team. As I said earlier on, if you don't get results, then you try
09:56and get them in another way, and that's the situation here. That's what it all comes down
10:02to, we weren't satisfied, we're not happy, we still have a piece of silverware and yet
10:09we're still not happy, we want even more, because we're hungry to achieve even more.
10:19Hi Santiago, welcome to the club. A question for each of you. Zlatan, I'd like to start
10:23with you. You made five important signings, almost all of them were sealed in the last
10:33week, some of which were in the final hours of the transfer window. Is there a reason
10:36why you decided to make your moves right at the end of the transfer window? Were there
10:44certain situations that led you to making these particular choices, maybe there were
10:51issues or there were specific requests from the head coach Sergio Conceicao that led to
10:57you changing a large portion of the team in the final days of the window?
11:03Every situation is different. There are three parts to a deal. There's Milan, the player
11:11and the club where the player is playing. All three parties need to reach an agreement
11:17in order for the deal to get over the line, but as I said, everyone had their own situations.
11:24Certain negotiations were longer than others, some deals were quicker, but every case is
11:31different. Ultimately, the players came in in consultation with the head coach so that
11:42we can then turn the page, but every case is different. The final one was Riccardo Sottile,
11:50which was 90 seconds before the end of the January transfer window. We got it done, it
11:57was hugely stressful, that's why I thanked the lawyer and all of the secretarial team
12:02because they work behind the scenes and no one's speaking about them. Yet they deserve
12:11a lot of credit for that, they're doing a great job, they're young people, that's what
12:15I like, they're really hungry, they're very keen and they work very hard. That's the way
12:21it should be.
12:22A quick one for you, Santiago. What do you think your biggest strength is and do you
12:33think you have a weakness that you'd like to work on and is there a striker that you
12:36look up to or idolise?
12:43Thanks for the question and thanks for what you said at the start. I'll start with the
12:50second part of your question, someone that I've been keeping an eye on not simply because
12:57he's here but because of his entire playing career is Latan Ibrahimovic. What he's just
13:02been saying here in the press conference room is everything that he showed on the pitch
13:06and it's wonderful now for me to be a Milan player. Passion and power are two of my strengths
13:14and my skill set but there are certain areas of my game that I need to work on, I need
13:21to touch things up here and there in various areas of the game but that's something that
13:26we'll do whilst I'm here. I'll work very hard to make sure I'm up to standard and that I
13:33do the utmost for the fans.
13:35Hi Santiago, could you give us the correct pronunciation of your surname so at least
13:40we know it once and all? Jimenez. I wanted to ask you this, we know that it's never easy
13:51to move clubs in January, Feyenoord are a big side in the Netherlands. How tough was
13:57it for you to actually ask Feyenoord and convince them to let you leave mid-season? How much
14:03did you have to push to leave the club and come to Milan?
14:11I think Zlatan should probably answer that question and the lawyers and my agents and
14:19representatives, they were the ones that were in charge of the negotiations, they were the
14:23ones that had to push the club. All I had to do was play football, leave everything
14:28in God's hands and ultimately things were successful because that's what God wanted.
14:36We players don't get too heavily involved in negotiations, certainly we don't argue
14:41either, we simply focus on working hard, playing football and we leave everything in the hands
14:46of negotiations and those who are overseeing the deal.
14:51A question for Santiago Jimenez and one for Zlatan as well. What's the meaning behind
14:58you choosing number 7? Have you chosen that for a reason and were you fearful in the January
15:05transfer window that the deal might not have got over the line like last summer given that
15:11Milan were interested in you last summer? And to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, why has Benasser
15:19left the club? There's rumours about him falling out with the head coach, could you clarify
15:26the situation as to why Benasser has left the club?
15:34As for Milan's approach last summer, Milan have always been a dream for me, a goal, an
15:40objective, something that I wanted to reach in moving here. But as I've already said,
15:48I really am focused on working hard and playing football. I knew that the door was always
15:53ajar, Milan were keeping an eye on me and that was a huge source of motivation to keep
15:58performing. Number 7 has a number of reasons for me, it was one of the numbers which was
16:06available and it was also Andrei Shevchenko's shirt number, so that was a huge source of
16:11motivation for me. And there's another meaning, in the Bible 7 is the perfect number, so I
16:18had absolutely no doubts whatsoever in picking 7. As for Ismael Benasser's situation, it
16:25was quite simple, he asked to move on to pastures new, he was very important for Milan,
16:32he won two trophies, he was very unlucky with the injury that he sustained, that meant he
16:37was on the sidelines for quite a while, he's just come back to full fitness. Just before
16:43the Super Cup in January when he came off the bench, he tried to get back in but in
16:49fact it was actually him who was seeking a new adventure, a new opportunity. And I say
16:56if someone comes to us and they're looking for something new or they've got another idea
17:01in their mind, then they shouldn't be here, because if they've got something else in mind
17:07then they're already out of the team. Then we gave him a hand to try and find the best
17:12possible solution, both for him and for us. Very simple, thank you.
17:17Hi Santi, welcome to the club.
17:24What did you mean with that celebration when you scored against Bayern, were you saying
17:29I'm staying here? The Milan fans got a little bit concerned because at that stage we were
17:34all a little bit discombobulated. And a question for Ibra, do you want to answer?
17:43Was yesterday's an answer to all the fans protesting the ownership recently?
17:49That was a message for us, no?
17:54No, if you actually watch, even in previous matches, that was the way I celebrated every
18:00time I scored. As if to say no, we're here, we're here and now, this is what we're all
18:05about, this is Feyenoord, that's the way I celebrated my goals. But yeah, from a media
18:09perspective, yes, then that did cause a bit of a ruckus, but that's typically how I celebrate
18:14when I score. As for the fans, the last Scudetto that I won was thanks to the fans. And this
18:26team is much stronger, doubly strong, if and when we have the fans behind us, because the
18:33supporters are very important for everyone. And there's a big difference between when
18:37there's silence and when there's a lot of noise. You can see that out there on the pitch
18:41as well. The team, it's Milan 2.0 with the fan base behind us, that's very important.
18:51But for other reasons, there are a number of things that I can't necessarily keep an
18:55eye on, but we are working hard, we're doing everything in our power to try and get results.
19:03And as I said, this team is a lot stronger with the fans behind us. You only need to
19:09look at the last Scudetto that we won. We were a team that weren't necessarily even
19:16in the top four, according to everyone. But we won it with the fans driving us on, and
19:22that's why it's very important for the players to have the fans behind them. Because when
19:30you get that lift from the crowd, then it does give you a big lift. That's what it's
19:38all about.
19:40Welcome, Santi. It's always nice to see people from our continent playing here. A very quick
19:51question for you, which pertains to the atmosphere that you've come into, what they've said
19:57to you, the Milan fans. And our last question to Zlatan in Italian. What really caught your
20:13eye in terms of Santi and his ability and his skill set? What do you think he can bring
20:18to this team? Could you say as much to the fans watching from the other side of the world
20:25in Mexico, what sort of team is Santi Jimenez coming into? At this moment in time, what
20:32are Milan all about? What sort of team are they?
20:45Milan really are like a tailor-made suit for me, because there's passion, there's strength,
20:50there's power, there's a will to win. They're hungry for trophies. There's great spirit
20:55here at the club. I really identify with those values. I see myself in the club. I've got
21:01that spirit and that will to win. So I do think this is bespoke for me. It's a perfect
21:07fit, this club, for me. I'll do everything in my power to try and leave my mark. Jimenez
21:11is a player with great ability. He's hungry to score goals. He reminds me of another player
21:19Francesco Camarda. He's got the same hunger to score goals, and you either have that or
21:25you don't. But he can score goals with his head, his right foot, his left foot, inside
21:31the box. I think his real strength is inside the box, but he can help the team, works hard
21:38off the ball. He can set up goals as well as score them. I didn't really understand
21:45the last question that you were saying. What sort of Milan side does Jimenez come into?
21:52What sort of condition are Milan in at the moment? No, he'll come into a Milan side that
21:56are very strong. He'll play with Rafi Gugliel, Pulisic, Reinders, Fofana, with Walker, with
22:07a number of players that can provide him with assists. Don't worry about that. Thank you.
22:16Even Mike Magnon can provide assists. He's also done so in the past.
22:23I'm back here. Question for Zlatan in Spanish. I wanted to ask you, speaking about Santi,
22:35as you were saying earlier on, I wanted to get your opinion about Santi's qualities,
22:41his attributes, because you really made history in football, Zlatan. Do you really believe
22:53that Santi can leave his mark in football in general and in Milan more specifically?
22:58That's what we want. He's here to get results. He's here to bring us results. We do hope
23:09that he will leave memories, positive ones, at that. We'll help him every which way, every
23:16way we can, so that he is successful. I think he's in safe hands. He's got good chance of
23:25being successful, but we'll take things one step at a time. He's only just joined the
23:29club. We'll help him. We'll give him the best possible chance to succeed. It also depends
23:36on the player. What sort of desire he has, what his targets are, what he's looking for.
23:46But everything around him is down to us. That's our issue, but he needs to be fit and firing
23:53and try and get results. That's what his job is.
23:57You've already asked the question that I wanted to ask, so I'll press on with Ibrahimovic,
24:07but welcome anyway. We've already spoken about the fans. There have been some tricky months
24:14recently. I wanted to ask you, you've always said that you're used to being criticised,
24:22but I wanted to ask you whether this has actually hurt you a bit more, given that you're
24:28a Milanista and you've always shown your great love for this team. How does it feel to hear
24:35all of this rumours and noise around the club? What do you think about the situation?
24:44I've just explained things when it comes to the fan base. The team are much stronger with
24:49the supporters behind us. As I've said, the most recent Scudetto we won was thanks to
24:54the fans. In my case, I'm focused, I'm working hard to get results. But if you're talking
25:03to me as a footballer, I love to be hated. You're speaking to the wrong person.
25:12Because I didn't necessarily need everyone around me to be motivated. When I was angry,
25:23that would bring the best out of me.
25:27Hi, a question for Zlatan and one for Santi. First, for Zlatan, after the Champions League
25:37play-off draw, was it important to sign Santi, given that you're going to play against Feyenoord?
25:49We're even concerned that Santi might actually score goals against Milan, but Santi, how
25:55do you feel about your first upcoming matches? You're coming up against Feyenoord, given
26:00that you've played for them for the last two and a half years, and I wish you all the best
26:03for the club.
26:05No, we would have been better off beating Dinamo Zagreb and we wouldn't have gone into
26:10the play-offs, we wouldn't have had two extra matches. It wasn't a positive result for us,
26:14but that's fate. When you bring a player in from a certain club, then fate sees to it
26:21that you come up against that same side. It happened to me on a couple of occasions. A
26:25couple of times I won, a couple of times I lost. This time we'll win and this time
26:31around Jimenez will play in Rotterdam with the Milan colours and he'll score too. Thank you.
26:42It's going to be lovely to go back to Rotterdam, as Zlatan said. As football, these things
26:48happen. It'll certainly be a very special occasion for the fans, but also for the other
26:55players and the staff, because they were my family and they'll continue to be my family
27:00in the future, so it'll certainly be a special occasion.
27:03Last two questions.
27:04Good afternoon. Welcome, Santiago. Ibra, you have a great relationship with Adriano
27:18Gagliani, who loves to sign big players. Is this your time now, Ibra, after yesterday?
27:25Was it the hours and the days of Ibra in the transfer market? What does that mean? I don't
27:37understand the question. Adriano Gagliani used to love signing transfer deals in the
27:45final days and hours of the window. No, I've already explained that it's all very dynamic.
27:52Everything happens at the end. These are negotiations. You conduct one to try and get results elsewhere,
28:01but it's very interesting. But it's a new experience and I worked with the number one,
28:10and today I realised just how good Mino was compared with everyone else. I don't mean
28:21to offend anyone, I say it with the utmost respect, how much better Mino was than everyone
28:25else.
28:27Welcome to Milan and Milan. When the news broke that you might be signing for Milan,
28:33all of the Rossereri fans, the Mexicans and all Mexican supporters were over the moon
28:40because there's not a great tradition of Mexican players in Italy. I think you're the second
28:44Mexican player in Milan history. What does that mean to you? Does that give you added
28:49motivation? How have your first few days gone in Milan? Have you spoken to Sergio Conceição?
28:55What have your impressions been?
28:57Every player has the responsibility to carry their national colours out there on the pitch
29:05and it's now up to me to represent Mexico here for Milan. It's a great opportunity,
29:12it's a huge responsibility to represent Mexico at such a top club and also to leave my mark
29:18here.
29:19We're a very united, together country in Mexico and we all want each other to succeed.
29:29And I won't be on my own whilst I'm at Milan, I'll have Mexico right behind me, they'll
29:35be pushing me forward, driving me forward and that is a huge source of pride.
29:39One final question, Carlo Berragatti, very quickly.
29:42A very simple question. Can you become a better player? You're already a Mexican hero because
29:50you already scored a winning goal a couple of minutes in the Gold Cup from time against
29:55Panama. Can you become a better player than Hugo Sanchez, the greatest Mexican player
30:00of all time?
30:02I think that's a very good question. I think that's a very good question. I think that's
30:08the greatest Mexican player of all time. I haven't come here to make comparisons with
30:15other players. I'm here to continue my career, to leave my mark. Of course, I'll try and
30:22do what I want to achieve with humility and faith, working hard as I've always done and
30:28then it will be up to people to decide what will be. But I will try and press ahead in
30:35my own career. I'm not going to compare myself to any other player. I'm Santiago Jimenez
30:40and I want to make my own mark. Thank you very much.