Colombo: “Scoring was an incredible feeling but I haven’t done anything yet, it’s an honor to learn from Ibra”

Lorenzo Colombo ‘just wanted to scream’ after scoring against Bodø/Glimt against Europa League last night.

Colombo was thrown into the starting XI of Milan on Thursday in an unexpected way as Zlatan Ibrahimović tested positive for Coronavirus and had to miss the game against Bodø/Glimt.

The decision to start Colombo proved to be a winning one for coach Pioli, as the 18-year-old, on his first-ever European night, found the back of the net in the 32′ minute. Eventually Milan won 3-2 and advanced to the Europa League play-offs where they’ll face Rio Ave next Thursday.

“The goal? I just wanted to scream when I saw the ball come in,” he told MilanTV. “It was an incredible feeling. I tried to get away from my opponents and see where the ball might have fallen.

“Being a starter? I wasn’t calm but I was trying to be free mentally because in the end, it’s just a match, a football match and this is what we do, clearly I was really excited. I tried to keep it under wrap [smiles].

“My teammates? They were trying to give me advice on where to be on the field, especially off the ball. Obviously, I need their help a lot because I don’t have much experience so I need help. The rest works itself out, but their help is really useful. I got a lot of compliments on the break but there was a second half still to play and a qualification to be earned, so I was mostly advised on how to move in the second half, how to attack and everything else. So, a few compliments but mainly advice because the game was still open.

“My growth? I haven’t done anything yet. It’s just my first start, my first goal… but there is a lot of work to be done. I hope I have a long career ahead of me, and I’ll work hard every day to make it the best it can be.

“My journey at Milan? To be honest, I don’t remember my first training session at Milan. I do remember my development in this Youth Sector, I consider it my home. I’ve grown in all aspects here. To me, Milan means home in a certain way. I’m confident because there’s the whole future ahead of me and I have to work hard starting Friday.

“Playing against Crotone? I have to earn my spot in training and continue to grow. I enjoy training with the first team because I learn a lot and I try to steal all the secrets of my teammates and when I get a chance, I’ll do my best to get ready.”

Speaking to DAZN, Colombo said: “It was a great opportunity for me to demonstrate all the work I’ve done to get here. We needed a team performance, it was difficult on Thursday. Now we need to recover our strength ahead of Crotone.

“Scoring at San Siro? It’s an incredible feeling, I’ve always worked for this. There is still a lot of work to do, I haven’t done anything yet. I’m happy but on Friday we’ll go back to work.

“My personality? Having personality doesn’t mean not having your head on your shoulders, you always need balance. The important thing is to have balance with the right personality.

“If I want to stay in this group? Absolutely yes. I have been with Milan since I was a child, I want to stay there for a long time because it’s the club that raised me. If Pioli has taken me off the market? I had already been taken off before… I want to stay here.”

The striker also spoke to Sky Italia: “I made my big dream come true? It’s beautiful story but it’s just the beginning. From start to end, nothing is done, it’s important to create a career.

“How did I experience my day? I was trying to be calm, I knew it was a great opportunity to take advantage of. I have to be ready.

“Ibra? He gives advice with his way of doing. For me, it’s an honor to learn from him. Nobody is afraid of Ibra [laughs].”