Simic reflects on magical Milan moment but admits: “I should have made my debut earlier” | OneFootball

Jan-Carlo Simic has reflected on the debut that he made with AC Milan almost a year ago, and the goal he scored at San Siro.

Simic arrived at Milan in the summer of 2022 from Stuttgart and his potential quickly became apparent. He captained the Primavera side and was often tipped to make his first team debut when he was a teenager.

Then, the 19-year-old made his first team debut last December at a time when there was a crisis in the rearguard. He scored against Monza off the bench, making six appearances in total under Stefano Pioli.

However, his deal was set to expire in June 2025 and he was clearly in pursuit of more regular senior minutes. Anderlecht then found an agreement with Milan over a permanent transfer, and thus his brief spell with Milan ended.

Simic spoke to Meridian Sport almost a year after his professional debut with the Rossoneri, and his comments were relayed by MilanNews.

“Almost a year has passed since then. Time flies at an incredible speed. It was unreal for me to have made my debut so young with the Milan first team, but to have scored my debut in just 17 minutes on the pitch… Even now I often can’t believe it,” he said.

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“I don’t know how many other defenders managed to score in their first match. Forwards like Pato did it, but for us defenders it’s hard to score on our debut. I’m proud! Everyone was wondering ‘how did this little guy score a goal?’ Honestly, I don’t know either.

“I was completely unaware of the situation. I didn’t hear or see anything in those moments. I felt all my team-mates jumping on me, there were hugs and blows to the head. Indescribable, like in a movie.

“A few minutes later it was half-time. I remember going into the dressing room. We take off our shirts, try to rest and I keep my head down, looking at the floor. Everyone around me is happy. Rafael Leao was the first to come up to me and ask: ‘Do you know what you just did?’.

“I can’t describe those moments to you. Olivier Giroud also spoke to me straight away: ‘Carlo, I can’t believe it!’ Everyone was smiling at me. They knew how hard I had fought for this, how hard I had worked.

“I should have made my debut earlier, but due to a combination of circumstances the coach made different decisions. Kjaer and Florenzi hugged me and kissed me. The whole team rejoiced with me, but even before that they had always encouraged me and told me that my time would come.”