Zvonimir Boban is not one to take things for granted, and he showed that once again after the Bayern-Inter match. The former Milan player and Sky pundit was very surprised when he learned that it was Alessandro Bastoni who had been declared the best player of the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. A decision that Boban criticized openly and without hesitation.
Zvone had particularly praised Thuram and Lautaro, who according to him “had never played like this” against Bayern. In his analysis, the former UEFA chief spoke about the performance of the Inter players: “The attacking duo was incredible, of course without wanting to take away the credit for the rest of the team for their complete performance. But those two forwards were extraordinary. Also the reading of the game by Mkhitaryan and Barella who made many classy moves. Maybe they didn’t notice much because those two forwards dominated. I was impressed by the personality of the team from the beginning”.
At this point, moderator Federica Masolin informed Boban that the MVP award had been given to Bastoni. Boban's reaction was immediate and unfiltered: "They don't even understand... they understand very little about football, with all due respect to Bastoni. Tonight, with a win, giving it to a defender makes no sense."
When the debate in the studio heated up, the Croatian continued in the same tone, but laughing: "Tonight, with a victory, giving this award to a defender makes no sense at all. When I was in charge of football at UEFA, this would never have happened. Never! (laughs)".
Even coach Capello seemed to agree with this stance, while Boban explained his opinion further. He had nothing personal against Bastoni, on the contrary, he also had compliments for his good game: "The award for a defender? Yes, for Carlos Augusto it would make sense. I admire Bastoni because he has class and played a very good game. But I would have voted for Lautaro."