Hauge reveals why he couldn’t turn Milan down and what Ibrahimovic was like | OneFootball

Jens Petter Hauge has admitted that he was wanted by various clubs before eventually joining AC Milan, which was too good an opportunity to turn down.

In many ways, Hauge’s story was a fairytale as he arrived at San Siro during the early part of the 2020-21 season to represent his hometown team Bodo/Glimt against Milan, and he left a mark with a goal and an assist.

Afterwards, the Rossoneri set about signing him and they managed to agree a fee with Bodo/Glimt at €4.5m. He made a brilliant start but got less and less chances under Stefano Pioli, before moving to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan with an option to buy. After a loan to Gent, he ended up back at Bodo.

Hauge gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport in view of tonight’s match between the Norwegian side and Lazio in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, and he spoke about how he ended up at Milan.

Tell us about that game against Milan on 25 September 2020…

“It changed my life. I, a boy from Bodo, found myself playing at San Siro. And I was having a great time. A few days earlier I had played one of the best games ever. I had confidence in myself, I ran more than the others and I finished with a goal and an assist.

“There were many clubs. English and Italian. Both before the match and after. I had reached an agreement with Cercle Bruges, but they kept postponing it and I said no. Another club sent me the plane tickets, everything was done, but I refused because of Milan.

“For me it was the only possible option , also because several Rossoneri players wrote to me, such as Davide Calabria. He told me that wearing the Diavolo’s shirt would be an honour. ‘We’re waiting for you, when are you coming?’. I never thought of refusing, and in the end I went.”

What was it like sharing a dressing room with Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

A sort of… ‘wow’. Incredible. He acted as my translator. I was struck by his personality: I remember a free-kick against Sassuolo, I approached him slowly and asked him to take it.

“He said something like, ‘if you ask me again I’ll kick you in the ass’. I’ve remained very attached to the Rossoneri. I follow them, I’m sorry they’re doing badly.”

And what was Stefano Pioli like?

“First of all, a premise: we are talking about a fantastic coach , clear and direct. When Milan won the Scudetto I sent him a congratulatory message. At the beginning it was difficult because he communicated with me through a translator: I didn’t know Italian, he spoke little English.

“When I wasn’t playing I always wondered why, so I went to Frankfurt. I didn’t want to spend another season on the bench, also because at the beginning I had scored some important goals and had several chances. Later, no.

“I was a bit frustrated, but not with Pioli, on the contrary, these are choices that are part of life. Milan is a top club, but I wanted to play, so I thought about myself. There is one career. I am happy to have represented the Rossoneri. They made me the man I am today.”