The Frenchman was the star of the show in the match against Nicola’s Cremonese, with one goal and three assists. As a child, he never stopped, he was tireless. Old habits, it seems, die hard.

Ange-Yoann Bonny took inspiration from his old life and remembered it during his first start at San Siro. Before scoring a goal and providing three assists, he practiced judo and enjoyed himself on the tatami, but he was so hyperactive that he could never calm down, even when he ended up on the mat. “I needed to let off even more steam, so my mother also enrolled me in a soccer school. I was five years old: I haven’t stopped since that day.” Today, he plays and scores at the Meazza with the same hyperactivity with which he broke windows in his house as a child. When he left the field, the fans gave him a standing ovation. At the end of the match, he praised Barella for the assist from the right wing that set up Lautaro’s goal. “As a playmaker, he’s always a 10.”

confidence—   Bonny knocked out Cremonese with an uppercut and three hooks to the chin. Before him, only Pablo Osvaldo had been involved in four goals for the Nerazzurri. In 2014, he scored two goals and provided two assists against Sassuolo. Bonny, who arrived in the summer from Parma, repaid the coach’s faith by equaling this particular milestone. He was the only forward missing from the starting lineup. Until Cremonese, he had played a part in every game, even scoring a goal in the 5-0 win over Torino. Chivu kept him there and fielded him from the 1st minute at the right moment, replacing Thuram. When told that the coach often has kind words for him, Bonny smiled and expressed his joy at tonight’s performance: “It’s all wonderful, the victory gives us continuity and I’m happy to have helped the team. Barella as playmaker? I give him a 10, he deserves it every day. Chivu gives me confidence every day, I know he’ll give me my chances if I deserve them: it’s always been that way, even at Parma, and I thank him for that. I want to continue on this path.” To score goals. Last year, he scored six goals in 37 games. Now he’s already at two in six appearances (and about 130 minutes). He continues at a steady pace.