Interview with the Danish former Rossoneri defender: “In the year we won the Scudetto, Ibra brought tension, both positive and negative. Pioli did a good job of managing the chaos he created.”

Simon Kjaer is like a large, calm lake. Water is everywhere around him: beyond the windows of his house overlooking Lake Como, in his bright blue eyes, in his smooth way of speaking, like a calm and accomplished man. Ten months after his retirement, he feels ready to talk about Milan with detachment, to recount the day he saved his friend Christian Eriksen’s life.

In Danish, Kjaer sounds very similar to “kaer,” which means “beloved.” Does that describe your relationship with Milan fans?

“I am a fan of Milan and Denmark, I love the others: it’s different. The Milan fans understood that.”

The 2022 Scudetto sums it all up. What memories does it leave you with?

“In 2022, when a teammate parked at Milanello, I could see the joy of being there on his face. The match against Lazio gave us the decisive boost. Ibra created tension, both positive and negative. He just wanted to win. Pioli was very good at understanding the moments, and we were good at managing the chaos that Ibra created. Sometimes you had to put your hand on his shoulder and say, ‘Calm down, breathe.’ Zlatan, however, taught me a lot.”

This chemistry was missing in 2024-25. Seen from the outside, what happened?

“For me, there were too many changes. At all levels. I won’t say more because I would have to talk about things I know from my friends, and those are confidential matters. Of course, I felt bad like all the fans, and now I feel much better.”

What is Allegri’s Milan like?

“It’s back to being Milan. If you bring in Modric and Rabiot, you get experience back… and experience is one of the most underrated things today. For me, they can win the Scudetto because they have the right coach. Now you know who’s in charge. Last year, I don’t know.”

Is Matteo Gabbia Simon Kjaer’s heir?

“Yes, I love him. It’s hard to find a more professional player: he’s ready to sacrifice himself for Milan.”

And Leao? Does it make sense to ask him to be more consistent?

“Yes, it makes sense, I ask him that too. Rafa can be one of the best in the world. If only he could learn a little from Gabbia… Dembélé won the Ballon d’Or and Rafa can be at the same level. He needs to develop 1% every day. I don’t think he can do it on his own; few people can. He needs a coach and a club to help him. He’s 26, and at 29 it will be too late: it’s now or never. There are a lot of people on his shoulders, and it’s not easy.”

Let’s talk about the derby. Is it true that Inter in 2008…?

“Yes, Inter were interested in signing me and Real sent an offer to Midtjylland. Then Palermo signed me.”

Who is the favorite on Sunday?

“Inter are playing at home, right? Then I’d say 60-40 for Inter. On the pitch, it’s evenly balanced. Enough about Milan, let’s talk about Simon Kjaer. You retired from football after six months of inactivity. What happened? I learned that Milan would not be renewing my contract in September 2023. So I started thinking about what conditions I wanted. I had a couple of options, but I realized I would have to make compromises. My wife and I decided that we wouldn’t compromise on these things.“

What offers did you receive?

”Lots, some in the Champions League in Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands. But none of them were close to a yes.”

Was it difficult to stop?

“Yes, it was difficult, but my decision wasn’t made from one month to the next, and that helps. Of course, I miss my friends and teammates.”

Why stay and live in Italy?

“Because we’re happy here. I stopped for the children, to take them to soccer and be with them. So far, I’ve missed more than half of their lives.“

What kind of family are the Kjaers?

”A mess. I speak Danish, my wife speaks Swedish, they speak English, a little Italian, all mixed up.“

And your job at Midtjylland?

”I’m on the board. We changed a coach who hadn’t lost in 18 games because we wanted to grow: there’s a great hunger. Now I have to figure out if I want to be sporting director, general manager, or something else. There are some aspects of soccer I don’t like.“

Which ones?

”There are too many interests. If I have a problem with you, I’ll tell you. In soccer, that’s often not the case. And now I understand the game behind it.“

What changed on June 12, 2021, the day Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest at the European Championships?

”Everything. If Christian had passed away, I would have stopped playing. I realized that soccer is soccer, life is life. Soccer is work and passion, life is something else.”

Do you think about it every day?

“No, I don’t think about it, but something happened to me a few days ago. During my son’s game, a boy broke his wrist and the ambulance came onto the field. I felt strange. But as long as Christian is okay, I’m okay. They explained to me that when you experience trauma, you remember some things and not others. There were 40 of us on that field, and we all remembered those hours together. Now I don’t know which memories are mine and which aren’t.“

As if the memory of a single person had developed in that circle around Christian?

”Yes. My teammates told me that if we hadn’t been hugging each other, some of them would have run away. Some were watching, others weren’t.”

Have you ever seen the images again?

“No. At most, a few fragments on social media.”

Since we’re talking about emotions, let’s choose one flashback from your career for each one. Let’s start with happiness.

“The Scudetto with Milan.”

Disappointment.

“The 2022 World Cup. In Denmark, there was debate about whether or not to go to Qatar. It felt like we weren’t there to play.”

Fear.

“The European Championship with Christian’s illness, of course. In Turkey, the opposing fans once invaded the pitch to beat up the players and the referee. I saw the others running and I knew I had to run too…“

Amazement.

”When Theo crossed the pitch against Atalanta and scored…”

Where will Kjaer be in five years?

“I hope here, working for a club. Maybe I’ll do what I’m doing with Midtjylland, but in Italy. I don’t know if that’s possible at Milan. I’ll do something that interests me. I’ll try with soccer, otherwise… I’ll look elsewhere.”