‘He’s a gentleman, but a gentleman with a purpose. He has this quiet manner about him, which allows him to really listen. People who know how to listen properly take a lot in. He’s not a guy who will dominate the room, but when he does say something, it’s always worth hearing. Carlo is a good man and a great coach. I had hoped that he would come to Manchester United, but it didn’t quite work out. Another time, maybe.’──Sir Alex Ferguson
‘I wrote my memoir I AM ZLATAN before I met Carlo, so there is no mention of him in the book. If I were to write it all over again, there would be a whole chapter on him describing how, after playing under so many different types of coaches, all different characters, I finally met the best coach ever.’──Zlatan Ibrahimovic
‘Carlo likes to show a hard face to the world but inside he is an unbelievable person. He’s one of the best and most important people that I have met in my entire time in football. With Carlo it’s like a family – you become a part of his family.’──Cristiano Ronaldo
‘Those eight years with Carlo were Milan’s most beautiful period... We won eight trophies: an Italian championship, a Coppa Italia, a Supercoppa Italia, two Champions Leagues, two European Supercups and a Club World Cup. If you add this to the trophies he won as a player, Carlo can boast an unbelievable curriculum.’──Adriano Galliani
‘He’s a manager that any player would love playing under... In the dressing room his approach is calm. He believes that players should be able to motivate themselves. Some managers shout and get angry as a way of showing authority, whereas Carlo has that authority just because you respect him so much. That calmness he inspires throughout the changing room helps the players to be calm around him and want to play for him, and that is one of his great strengths.’──David Beckham
