Gabbia reflects on Villarreal ‘crescendo’, Scudetto memories and being raised at Milan

AC Milan defender Matteo Gabbia has reflected on what his time with Villarreal taught him and how his journey so far has helped him reach the point that he is at today.

The decision was taken last summer to loan Gabbia out to LaLiga in order to get him more playing time, but he was recalled in January because of the injury crisis at Milan and he has stepped up when the coach needed him.

He has started 16 games for Milan this season and has shown a level to his game which suggests he is maturing into a very well-rounded defender. Gabbia is under contract at Milan until June 2026 and the strong expectation is that he is now back to stay.

Gabbia was a guest on the second episode of ‘Unlocker Room – The Rossoneri Podcast’ and he spoke about a number of different topics including his season to this point and how he has changed as a player. MilanNews relayed his comments.

Where does the nickname ‘Matthew Cage’ come from?

“Honestly I think it comes from social media, where nice nicknames are now being developed. Having Fik and Ruben, other Englishmen, it’s nice to share it in the dressing room.”

What do you think of social media?

“If I play a great match, I rarely let myself get carried away that much. Before, I suffered much more if perhaps I wasn’t able to give what I wanted: now I understand that that thing took away some important energy from me.

“In the last two years I’ve found a balance with respect to this, I no longer give it importance but because I practically don’t watch it anymore and consequently I experience it as a restricted thing for my friends, outsiders and footballers. It’s more for entertainment now.”

How has this season been for you, given you went on loan to Villarreal?

“It was very strange. I knew I had to leave this summer, I had also spoken to the coach. At the beginning of the summer I had options that didn’t allow me to experience that emotion I wanted to feel.

“The day we left for America, I heard my agent telling me not to leave because everything was done with Villarreal. So I left I heard from director Furlani and there were still some things missing, they told him that until everything was defined I should stay with Milan.

“I spent two or three days in Los Angeles until everything was defined and I went back It was born quite quickly and I immediately liked it as an experience, I was eager to get involved even in a different country and league. It was very nice, I was happy with the choice I made, with how the six months went and then obviously coming back.”

How was your experience in Spain?

“It was certainly tough, more because I had been in a personal comfort zone for four or five years. For me Milan is family, it’s faces I’ve known since I was little. Changing country, a new city and with team-mates who don’t speak your language was certainly testing but it was something that gave me a lot.

“The impact was very positive, there were positive and good kids, even the coach who had influenced my signing. Then it depends on how you approach it yourself, I tried to make myself known for who I am, I was lucky enough that Pepe Reina was there and also Raul Albiol who spoke Italian.

“It was a crescendo: already after a couple of weeks everything was more beautiful, I found home. An experience that opened my mind, I didn’t know the difficulties that could exist from one country to another but I was lucky to find everything immediately.”

Did you maintain a bond with Milan while out on loan?

“For me it’s as if I never left again, many times I felt the Italian guys had a daily relationship with me here. Sometimes even the foreign guys. From that point of view it’s like I never left because I knew what was happening, how the boys were, I saw them all when there was a chance.

“I’m always attached to Milan also because I’m a fan and so I’m happy to watch them. How was it watching matches as a fan? Certainly [it was] in a different way, with more enthusiasm, as if I were injured at home…

“Now I watch Villarreal’s matches when they play but I don’t have the same sensations as when I saw Milan’s matches.”