Niang: Pato at Milan blew me away; not even Mbappé did things like that
The Injury and Galliani
M'Baye Niang, the former AC Milan striker now playing for Gençlerbirliği in Turkey, revealed in an interview with Bein Sports the details of a metatarsal injury that sidelined him during his time at the Rossoneri.
Club CEO Adriano Galliani told him the recovery would take four months and allowed him to go to Spain to be with his family, but stressed that he could not run or jump and that no videos should be made.
Despite the instruction, Niang filmed himself jumping into a hotel pool with a friend; the video was sent to the Milan players’ group, prompting Galliani to call him five minutes later, halve his wages and order him to return from holiday.
- Metatarsal injury requiring four months recovery
- Permission to stay in Spain with family
- Ban on running, jumping and filming
- Video of pool jump leaked to Milan players’ group
- Wages halved and ordered to return immediately
The Best Player Seen at Milan
Niang said that during his stint at AC Milan he admired teammates like Robinho, Filippo Inzaghi and Gennaro Gattuso, but the player who truly impressed him was Alexandre Pato.
He explained that, despite Pato’s frequent injuries, the Brazilian’s combination of skill, strength, speed and heading ability was extraordinary.
“From what I saw of Pato, not even Mbappé does those things… He had thighs that were terrifying. Your two thighs put together were just one of his.”Pato vs Mbappé: Niang’s Verdict
Niang stressed that even Kylian Mbappé could not match what he witnessed from Pato, praising the latter’s right‑foot, left‑foot, power and aerial ability despite his physical problems.
