By CGTN's Zhu Mandan
Fabio Cannavaro, Italy's 2006 World Cup winning captain and coach of Chinese Football Super League team Tianjin Quanjian, said he hopes Chinese leadership can lead Italian football back to glory.
Serie A giants AC Milan are sold to Chinese-led Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux in April 2017. /CFP Photo
"The way of running football has been changing in recent years,” Cannavaro said. "Actually apart from football clubs, some of the Italian industrial groups and brands have been purchased by Chinese investors."
“We cannot ignore the economic elements in football. I just hope the Chinese investment can help lift Italian football to a higher level. I hope Italian football can get back to its peak,” he continued.
Massimiliano Allegri, the current boss of Italian Serie A club Juventus, also weighed in.
Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri. /CFP Photo
"I'd like to give thanks to AC Milan President Silvio Berlusconi and CEO Dr. Adriano Galliani for the chance they gave me to be head coach from 2010-14 and to win with AC Milan. Certainly they will be missed by Italian football. I think that they have played a big part in the history of Italian football." Allegri told CGTN.
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