“Mike Maignan is an unworthy captain”: The Frenchman is taking it easy with Milan
Fabio Ravezzani speaks out. “I wonder if Mike Maignan, in particular, isn’t ashamed of this behavior, because there’s a difference between Maignan and Rabiot, Maignan owes a lot to Milan, and Milan launched him onto the international stage; they put their trust in him when he was still a relatively unknown goalkeeper, helped him make the national team, paid him well, and renewed a very lucrative contract that runs through 2031.”
“Not only that, but Maignan was also made captain of Milan—a symbol of the club. Here is the Milan captain who disappears, who comes back whenever the hell he feels like it, who removes every reference to Milan from his social media. He is an unworthy captain, and this must be said—unworthy because he should have a modicum of respect for the fans who loved him so much.”
The facts that have fueled the controversy are now well known: the French goalkeeper, fresh off the World Cup with France, secured an additional four days of vacation from the club beyond what was originally planned and will return to Milanello only on August 16—one week before the start of the league season. This behavior has infuriated a large portion of the Rossoneri fanbase, which was already irritated by the goalkeeper’s absence from Franco Baresi’s funeral. To make the picture even more telling, Maignan has removed any reference to Milan from his Instagram profile—just as his compatriot Youssouf Fofana, a player now on his way out of the club, has done.
The situation seems all the more surprising considering that just last January, Maignan had renewed his contract with the Rossoneri through 2031. Despite reassurances coming directly from Ruben Amorim—who had contacted him by phone in recent weeks to reiterate his central role in the new coaching project—the goalkeeper’s behavior suggests that something has gone deeply wrong.
There is no shortage of clubs interested in Maignan: over the past few years, the goalkeeper has been linked to Juventus, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich. Several of these clubs are still on the hunt for a top-tier goalkeeper, and his potential departure cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, calls are growing among fans on social media to reassign the captain’s armband to Luka Modric. The issue will be one of the key topics at the transfer summit with Gerry Cardinale, who is expected at Milanello in the coming hours.
