Manuel Rui Costa spoke about his time at Milan and claimed Lucas Paquetá will be an idol for the Rossoneri.

Milan face Fiorentina away from home this evening (20:30 CEST kickoff), and one man who knows both sides very well is Rui Costa. The Portuguese played for the Viola from 1994 to 2001 before moving to the Rossoneri and spending there 5 years.

“That day that I left Fiorentina for Milan was so full of emotion,” Rui Costa told Serie A’s YouTube channel ahead of tonight’s game. “I was leaving a charming city that had given me a great welcome and allowed me to grow as a person.

“On the other hand, I was going to a club that I’d always wanted to play for. I grew up watching Sacchi’s Milan, with the Dutch trio… they won everything. There was a tradition of having players of quality at Milan. I was set to replace Boban and that says it all really. [Former owner Silvio] Berlusconi loves attacking midfielders and having that kind of player in his side. Kaka came later and Milan always had great players in that position – like Savićević. It was five years as part of an extraordinary team, we left our mark on the game and we won absolutely everything.

“Paquetá [who Rui Costa, the current Sporting Director of Benfica, scouted for a while]? Lucas must be given the normal amount of time that all foreign players take to adapt to new leagues such as Serie A. But I’m in no doubt that very soon he’ll become a Milan idol.

“Fiorentina-Milan? If there’s one game that I don’t like to watch then it’s this one. You might think it’s good watching my two teams but I don’t know who to support. If Fiorentina score then I feel bad for Milan, and if Milan score I feel bad for Fiorentina. The only thing I can hope for in this game is that the team that needs the points most is able to make the most of it.”