Milan secured the Scudetto in Rome last weekend in a 0-0 draw and there was one man in the stand who was as happy as every player on the pitch. Filippo ‘Pippo’ Inzaghi may have had to endure a frustrating season having been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with torn knee ligaments in November but he had a vital part to play in the triumph. A loyal servant to the club and a massive character in the dressing room, SuperPippo is the consumate professional and throughout his excruciating spell on the sidelines he did not complain once. He continued to work hard on his rehabiliation and cheer on his teammates in each game and he may yet be rewarded for this loyalty to the Rossoneri cause by securing a new deal next season.
And the veteran striker has vowed to stay at the San Siro and has already stated his intentions for the following year. Speaking after the Scudetto triumph, Pippo said: “I intend to renew my contract with Milan. I hope to end my career with this side and everything points towards that being the case.” These confident statements would seem to point towards Inzaghi being told by the club hierarchy that he could well be offered a new contract and he certainly would be deserving of one. A proven goal scorer even at the ripe old age of 37 (and he will be 38 by the time new season rolls around), he proved this by bagging a brace against Real Madrid in the Champions League this year to bring his total number of goals in the competition to 70. It is obvious then that the former Italian striker still has goals in him and he is deserving of one final swansong next season.
Having had to endure the agony of watching from the sidelines this season, Pippo said that it was tough but he is looking forward to being back aiming to retain their crown next season. “Unfortunately this year I had to spend alot of time on the sidelines, which is particularly difficult for someone like me, but I’m happy to be celebrating another trophy with Milan and I would like to take part in next year’s celebrations too.”
Inzaghi, who can break the 200 appearance mark next season if he plays six games for the Diavolo, will have to wait a few weeks to find out if he will be offered the new contract as negotiations could be put off until the end of the league season. However, early signs from the Milan and Inzaghi camps indicate that the forward could be offered an extentsion to the deal which expires in June and Italy will be able to enjoy watching one of the greatest predatory goalscorers the country has ever produced for one more year.
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