Tonali is a new idol for AC Milan fans and of the esthetics of Milan

Once he knew about AC Milan, Sandro Tonali said, he would not hear further offers from other teams. The strong (and fan) words of the midfielder during the presentation at Casa Milan give well the idea of how Rossoneri is his DNA, and how AC Milan has invested as much on talent as on the image. Because this transfer is not only a big market hit, but also the arrival at Milan of a sporting icon, aesthetic, and above al,l Milanese. Tonali, in fact, is an emblem of the ways of doing local, from outfits to tastes to attitude, and for this, its lifestyle typical of its region make it a perfect exponent of the new Milanese class. 

Tonali is not only milanist: it is before Lombardy. The player was born in Lodi and grew up between the province and the city of Milan, building a biography network woven into local customs and ways of life. His Instagram profile in this does not mind: Sandrino Tonali still carries the echoes of his past on social media, with teen photos and some indications that reveal his being, typically, Milanese. From Club Dogo and Canova quotes to the combo bomber plus sweatshirt and hood, Tonali represents the way of being of the Lombard Gen Z. He is the boy who trained at the Oratory, who grew up in the suburban fields - in Barona - and who now joins the Football League with the team he has always cheered. He followed the sporting path that was born in the province (Lodi and Brescia) and goes all the way to the great team (the Milan), a Lombard honorum cursus respected in perfect style both in the field and in geography.

An evolution also confirmed by the costumes. From the Nike bomber jacket with which he was travelling around Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Tonali has switched to the elegance required by Maldini for AC Milan. And in fact, at the press conference he immediately descended into the mood of a top club like AC Milan, wearing the Harmont and Blaine shirt designed specifically for the formal occasions of the Rossoneri players. And it doesn't start from scratch, since the sponsors have already noticed him and the importance of his icon. Dolce and Gabbana dressed Tonali off the pitch, and already several times - including the day of signing at Casa Milan - he had arrived with bosses of the Italian brand, while on the pitch, it is Nike who wanted to tie the player to what most resembles him in the facial features: Andrea Pirlo. The fact that international brands have noticed its future and the potential that its image has is a certification of the off-the-pitch visibility of the former Brescia.

Because Tonali is a character that will be on the billboards of Milan: despite the mammoth presence of Ibrahimovic (and Donnarumma), Tonali is the perfect player to become the cover man of AC Milan. Also because in addition to the sporting aspect, the operation that brought Tonali to Milan is part of the new marketing strategy of the Rossoneri brand. Milan, in fact, is proposing its brand in a cross-cutting way, working a lot on the international image brand, but also rediscovering the relationship with the fans. The references to Milan in Puma shirts, the retail partnership with Slam Jam and now the arrival of Tonali, milanist and Lombard, connect Milan even more with the local fan base. The fan sees in Tonali a real Rossoneri and projects on him the dimension of new milanist totem, seeing in the player his Milanese identity. It will not only be the idol of the kids of Milan for the way he kicks the ball, but also for his aesthetic equal to theirs.