Come to San Siro to enjoy the uncompromising 'competition' between the two Milan teams

The allure of San Siro

Like France, summer in Italy is scorching hot. From Nice, a beautiful city in the south of the hexagonal country, we arrived in Italy, then traveled to Turin and Milan by bus and train, where the outdoor atmosphere was stiflingly hot.

Nguyen Hoang Tuyen, a Vietnamese football fan who has lived in Italy for over 40 years, said: "The weather in Italy has never been as hot as this year. The summer is so hot that people are flocking to travel . Most shops and restaurants are closed, so the emptiness makes everyone feel even more tired. But that's just what we see from the outside; things will be different once we get to the stadium."

San Siro Stadium is a solid structure that has stood for nearly 100 years.

Indeed, arriving at San Siro, also known as Giuseppe Meazza, reveals a stark contrast between the allure of football and the atmosphere on the streets. From afar, the stadium's perimeter is incredibly vast, even larger than PSG's Parc des Princes or Barcelona's Camp Nou, which we had previously visited. Despite its immense size, the stadium is packed with cars and fans, creating the feeling that the space is being enveloped by a continuous stream of people. They come for various reasons: to see what's new at San Siro in the pre-season preparations, to admire the stadium's magical beauty with its unique nooks and crannies, and to be among the first to own the new jerseys and merchandise of Inter Milan and AC Milan players in preparation for their spectacular support in Serie A.

The author outside the San Siro stadium gates.

Most visitors to San Siro are tourists, as the 30 euros (over 800,000 Vietnamese dong) for a stadium tour isn't too expensive. However, not everyone gets their wish because you have to register in advance and buy tickets online, and there's a limited number of people allowed into the stadium each day. We arrived late because of the long car ride and our rush, so we couldn't get tickets and had to watch from the outside through the fence. Even so, the sights inside the stadium were incredibly beautiful and magnificent. The green grass was smooth like a carpet, and the stands were massive with their striking red and green colors.

The barriers separating the pitch from the spectators have been raised higher to prevent unruly individuals from jumping onto the field as before. Of course, even with these security upgrades, San Siro's safety is not compromised. Even more astonishing is the deafening roar of any announcement – ​​it's like thunder. Just these details alone are enough to show how magnificent the stadium where the two Milanese teams once dominated European football and Serie A truly is.

The grass is as smooth as a carpet.

San Siro stadium stands

Milan is more popular than Inter.

A large crowd flocked to the exhibition area displaying images of Milan and Inter players, watching short videos about the two teams, viewing the changing rooms, and most notably, the area selling merchandise from both teams. Not being fans of either team, we were very comfortable watching and observing that the number of fans interested in AC Milan was always greater. Garaedo Schillai, wearing Milan's traditional red shirt, said: "We are proud that Milan has two strong teams that have played very well in Serie A and European cups. Both teams deserve to be loved."

Fans are looking at Inter Milan souvenirs.

In the past, AC Milan was far superior, especially during the era of the Dutch trio Gullit, Van Basten, and Rijkaard, while more recently, Inter has been outstanding, winning Serie A and reaching the Champions League final under Inzaghi. But in my eyes, and those of many of my friends in Milan, the red half is still more popular than the blue half. Why? I can't answer it completely because everyone has their own choice, especially when it comes to love, which is based on heart and emotion. Perhaps those who love Milan are simply more captivated by its glorious past."

And also hunting for AC Milan jerseys.

Indeed, upon entering the "supermarket" of products from both teams, Inter's booth was far more impressive due to its vibrant blue color and pristine white jerseys. Even their booth, sharing the same hall as AC Milan's, attracted more attention with the stunning images of Nicolo Barella, Lautaro Martinez, Denzel Dumfries, Yann Sommer, and Marcus Thuram, prompting shoppers to take photos as souvenirs. However, only a dozen or so people shopped sporadically, each buying one or two items. We estimated that in 15 minutes they sold around 100 products (shirts, shorts, hats, umbrellas, bags, shoe bags, scarves, team balls, books, school supplies, etc.).

But the lines of people buying AC Milan merchandise were longer.

In contrast, the AC Milan crowd was incredibly dense, with people queuing in 3-4 layers. The red of Milan was vibrant, though less noticeable indoors compared to the blue, yet hundreds of people were scrambling to buy souvenirs of Rafael Leao, Theo Hernandez, Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata, and their teammates. Seeing the throngs of people buying AC Milan merchandise, each fan carrying at least 3-4 items, showed just how immense the fans' love and admiration for this team is. In just 15 minutes of observation, we saw nearly 500 items from the red half of Milan sold, perhaps 4-5 times more than Inter.

AC Milan's section is always more crowded than Inter Milan's.

Football can sustain professional teams season after season through various sources such as television rights, advertising, sponsorships, season tickets, and other related services, and there is always fierce competition in terms of both performance and image to attract attention and ensure survival.

What makes Milan special is that the two clubs share the same stadium, leading to direct, face-to-face competition. The sheer volume of merchandise sold daily demonstrates the intensity of this rivalry. Inter may be winning at the moment, attracting more fans, but Milan remains something that always stirs the hearts of fans, not only in this fashion capital but also hundreds of millions of others who watch daily around the world.

The author is pictured alongside images of Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/den-san-siro-thuong-thuc-cuoc-canh-tranh-khong-khoan-nhuong-giua-2-doi-bong-thanh-milan-185240815175324619.htm