Former Chelsea midfielder Samuele Dalla Bona has admitted he thought he should have stayed at the club rather than joining AC Milan.
Dalla Bona came through Chelsea’s youth ranks in the 1990s, having joined the club from Atalanta in his native Italy in 1998.
He enjoyed a rapid rise from that point, with the following year seeing him promoted to the senior team and starting a Blues career that would see him rack up 73 appearances in all competitions for the club in the following three years.
His time at Stamford Bridge came to an end in 2002 when he moved back to Italy with AC Milan, going on to win the Champions League and Italian Cup with the Serie A giants.
Despite that, he has insisted he doesn’t regret leaving Chelsea but now admits he didn’t think a move was wise at the time.
“For me, it was a great experience,” he told Calcio Napoli 1926.
“It all started with an Under-16 European Championship played in Scotland where Vialli noticed me. Travelling has never bothered me. I have good memories of London.
“Yes, I went to Milan, and we won the Champions League. I thought I should have stayed at Chelsea, but at that time, it was impossible to refuse that Milan.”
