Moncada discusses scouting process, Leao, his new role and future of Milan

AC Milan technical director Geoffrey Moncada has revealed some fascinating details about his arrival at the club and his rise to being an important player in the transfer market. 

Speaking during an interview with the club’s official media (via Pianeta Milan), the man who could also be described as Milan’s sporting director opened up about his role and the future of the club.

He is a man that many fans know little about, largely due to the fact that he has no presence on social media beyond a LinkedIn account where he is listed as being a ‘video analyst’. You can read some more about his professional background in this piece.

He joined Milan at the beginning of the Elliott Management era back in 2018 and even back then it was regarded as a big scalp for the Rossoneri thanks to his impressive body of work. He was first asked about what his dreams in football were as a child.

“My first contact with football was with Monaco. I immediately understood that it was the job I wanted to do in the future. As a child it was my father who took me to the stadium to watch the matches. I started following and became crazy about football,” he said.

On the teams he followed most: “I like Latin and Italian football more. Milan had many Frenchmen in the team. But I also like Spanish football.”

On how he approached the world of football: “I had a grandfather who was crazy about football, he showed me lots of games. I started to understand tactics. I was born in Saint-Tropez but then I went to Monaco, to Nice, and these areas were important for football in France.”

His memories of Milan in those years: “Milan had many French players. I discovered Milan when they played against PSG and Monaco in the Champions League. I discovered San Siro and its fans, it was a very, very strong team.”

His playing career: “I was a player like Gattuso, very aggressive, with a lot of pressing and intensity despite not being very tall. I wasn’t bad but I wasn’t a super player. I didn’t have the right profile to play. I liked the world around football more than being a player.”

On the relationship with my parents: “I am very close to my parents. My father let me watch the games, he let me play football. My mother didn’t always agree with me but she always let me do what I wanted.”

The greatest teaching of his parents: “They always told me to do what I liked and above all to go as far as in the end. They told me to have my own experiences, to travel.”

The stages of his career: “I studied management, it was interesting but I was missing something on a sporting level. So after studying I found a football company, Video Profile. Their work concerned videos of the teams, players and above all scouting.”

The call from Monaco: “The Monaco sporting director called me and told me he had to have a meeting with me because the coach at the time, Claudio Ranieri, needed a match video analyst.”

The emotion of working with Monaco: “I didn’t believe it, but when the time is right you know where to go.”

His beginnings at Monaco: “The team was in Ligue 2, but the Russian fund changed everything. Mister Ranieri asked for me but there was nothing in the office, everything had to be created. For me it was interesting, having an immediate relationship with the coach, staff and locker room. That was important, because I saw and learned everything.”

Scouting work: “In the morning I worked with the coach, with the staff and with the players. In the afternoon I went scouting. It was difficult work, without rest, but very intense and interesting. The role of opponent analysis is very important. We had at least three appointments with the team to analyse the opposition.”

His travels: “During the week I was always in the office, to talk to the prosecutors. I went on the weekend and came back on Monday. But when you go on these trips you meet a lot of people including sporting directors and other scouts. The important thing is to know the player you are following, live work is very important.”

The relationship with the team: “The players saw that I arrived with humility. I was then lucky enough to have a good relationship with them.”

His best discoveries: “There are many, especially French. However, I say Ismael Bennacer, who is an example of how much we all have to work harder and harder to improve. We followed him some time ago then he went to Arsenal, he found little space and came here to Italy. He grew a lot at Milan.”

The call from Milan: “They called me in August to be the scout leader when the American fund, Elliott, arrived. For me the choice had already been made and I spoke with Monaco. Milan’s project was very interesting.”

On the differences between Monaco and Milan: “Everything is different, there is more pressure here. In Italy there is more passion, everyone talks about football. I immediately understood that I had to do well, find the right players. At Monaco it was easier to create a work process.”

Scouting at Milan: “We hold more meetings and once the video and analysis work is finished I speak directly with the staff and the coach. We did this for the summer market. We were looking for a particular profile, but then there was also the market. But the important thing is the relationship with the staff and the coach.”

On the modus operandi: “Today there is a lot of competition on the market, German, Spanish and Italian clubs who work well. We need to have a lot of important data, from statistics to injuries. When we have complete information I’ll go and see the player live. If you come to Milan it’s not just football, there are other important things too.”

What you look for in a player: “The data helps you find players you don’t know. But in person you see other things: physical and technical characteristics. Then I see what it speaks to me about, how it speaks to me. Let’s take a boy who enters a locker room of 25 players and we have to create a mix of cultures. The club is always more important than the player, Milan is more important. We want to create a group.”

On Rafael Leao: “I discovered him when I was at Monaco. In Lisbon there was a Sporting youth match. I saw a tall, fast and technically good boy who was Leao. We followed him, but he didn’t always do well. The most important thing for me are the player’s steps. Rafa did too well, he was on another planet. He’s playing well now and I’m happy he’s with us here in Milan.”

His presence at Milanello: “I speak in the morning with the staff and the coach. I know the players because we have been following them for two or three years. We talk about family and the game. I’m always open with them, to understand the things we can develop. Giorgio Furlani also helps me a lot and gives me a lot of space.”

Milan’s negative moments: “A season is very long, we have to be calm and work. There are always negative moments. For me it’s important to be balanced, we have a long season to play.”

On the future of Milan: “The idea is to create a strong group that can work over three to four years. If we make a good team we win. Now we have changed a lot, next year we will change two or three elements but now we have a base. We all want to win now, but we need a plan.”