Milano-Cortina Opening Ceremony set to begin in Milan
Buona sera a tutti. I’m a little jealous of Jake tonight because he’s in Milan and I’m in Livigno. Not that there’s anything wrong with Livigno; On the contrary, it is very impressive, I loved it. But San Siro, the site of tonight’s opening ceremony, is on my sports bucket list. And I’m running out of time to get over it.
For the uninitiated, San Siro (formally Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, named after one of Italy’s greatest footballers) is the home of both AC Milan and Inter Milan, and many of the greatest players in the history of the beautiful game have graced its majestic grass surface. You name it, they played there: Maldini, Ronaldo (even though OG, Cristiano played there for other teams), Baresi, Baggio, Rivera, Pirlo, Seedorf, Ibrahimovic… I could go on and on but I realize this is not a football blog.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic playing for AC Milan at the San Siro Stadium. Credit: access point
It also hosted World Cup matches in 1934 and 1990, the Euro in 1980 and many other important fixtures for Europe. AzzurriItalian national team and tenant clubs. Not to mention musical acts like David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Elton John… I could go on again.
San Siro is getting old and tired and it seems the matchday experience is no longer up to modern standards, but it is a beautiful stadium with character and history and that is a rarity.
San Siro Stadium in Milan.Credit: access point
Most new stadiums are built like spaceships and they all look the same. Unfortunately, this won’t be around for much longer. Both Milan clubs bought it and the surrounding land for €197 million a few months ago and plan to build a new stadium next door; It plans to demolish the old stadium when it is ready. This will probably happen around 2030, depending on the speed and efficiency of the Italian construction industry. Yes I know. But investing in new facilities is important for Italy’s top clubs; because they aim to stay financially connected with their competitors, which are prominent in many areas in the UK.
So tonight will probably be the last time this grand old stadium will be in the global spotlight. at bocca al lupoSan Siro – or good luck in English, break your leg etc.
