The former Milan winger reflects on pain and memories: “My son was an athlete; he practiced Jiu-Jitsu, but he spent all day ‘vaping.’ At first, I was supposed to go to Juve; Ancelotti wanted me, Dida, and Marcio Amoroso. With Zaccheroni it was a nightmare, thank goodness that…”

His face turns serious as soon as you bring up the subject. His usual beaming smile disappears, his gaze grows somber. “I’ll never get used to talking about my son’s death. It’s a tragedy that has called every certainty into question. My life has been turned upside down for a year now.” Serginho answers from Milan, where he lives with his family. He travels back and forth from Brazil, but his home base is in Italy, in the city that remains in his heart, just like the Rossoneri club and the Curva Sud. When you talk to him about his Milan, he lets his emotions take over and memories take precedence. The former Brazilian full-back ranges from his arrival in Italy to Berlusconi teaching him how to anticipate and mark opponents. The president would enlist the help of his bodyguards, using their silhouettes to give tactical lessons. He also dabbled in talent scouting. “I helped Braida and Galliani discover Thiago Silva.”

Serginho, let’s start with the hardest topic. A little over a year ago, in August 2024, your son Diego passed away. How do you live with that kind of pain?

“You can’t put into words the wound that such a tragedy leaves you with. I’ll never get used to talking about Diego’s death. Since he’s been gone, I’ve questioned all the certainties I had. It’s the most intense pain a human being can endure. Today I live for him; I’m sure another life awaits us where we’ll be together forever.”

It all happened so fast, and the causes weren’t clear for a long time…

“He had shoulder pain, but we didn’t understand it. He was an athlete; he practiced Jiu-Jitsu. We had him get some tests done; they were perfect. Then, within a couple of weeks, it got worse. But almost suddenly. I know it’s the smoking’s fault: he spent all day ‘vaping’ with his e-cigarette. It had become an addiction.”

Have the Rossoneri fans been there for you?

“So much. I felt so much love during the hardest time; I’ll never forget it.”

Let’s move on to your time at Milan, taking a step back in time. Do you remember when Braida signed you?

“Can you believe that the day before, Carlo Ancelotti—who was coaching Juve at the time—had come to see me? We played a friendly in Fortaleza against the Brazilian national team. He recommended me, Dida, and Marcio Amoroso to the Bianconeri… but then Braida arrived and beat everyone to it. He convinced me in ten minutes. He showed up accompanied by Edinho, a former defender with over a hundred Serie A appearances for Udinese, who acted as an intermediary and translator. Within a month, I was in Italy under Zaccheroni’s guidance.”

Zaccheroni, yes—the start with him wasn’t easy…

“A nightmare! We spent at least half an hour on tactical sessions. I kept asking myself, ‘When are we actually going to use the ball?’ Training sessions where we’d play 11-0—things that were inconceivable to me. I was sad, I was suffering from the cold, and I wanted to leave.”

Then Cesare Maldini arrived and everything changed.

“I have to thank him and Ancelotti. Cesare Maldini saved my career: he told me to focus only on attacking; with him, we won the derby 6-0. I was always the best player on the field. Then Carlo arrived and things changed for good. We were an incredible team, the strongest in the world back then.”

Speaking of derbies, do you remember those six days between the two semifinals?

“Agony. I remember Berlusconi coming into the locker room to fire us up. I know Nesta, Pirlo, Gattuso, and the others were having a really hard time with it, partly because of the newspapers and TV. We Brazilians, on the other hand, were more relaxed, far removed from all that pressure.”

Does the penalty you scored in the final remain the most important moment of your career?

“Yes, and the Champions League victory in general. Before the penalty, with Buffon in front of me, the goal seemed tiny. Luckily, though, everything turned out fine.”

Over the years, you’ve had many reasons to celebrate. Great victories and two Champions League titles—which could have been three…

“I believe that in Istanbul we would have lost even if we’d played for a whole week. It was a cursed, surreal night. The save Dudek made on Sheva’s shot was supernatural; I even talked to him about it years later. On the bench, even before the penalties, we were demoralized and sure it would go badly. We even told Carlo: ‘Coach, we’re going to lose; it’s cursed.’ And in fact, from the spot, I, Pirlo, and Shevchenko—the three best penalty takers—all missed. It was a mental issue, not a technical one. Or, if you will, witchcraft…”.

They say that at halftime, some people were already celebrating…

“Total bullshit. The opposite happened: we all argued, and harsh words were exchanged. In fact, it often happened that season that we’d lose focus when we came back onto the field. And it happened in Istanbul too. But don’t even think anyone dared to celebrate.”

That team could count on great management and a president from a bygone era like Berlusconi. Do you have many memories of him?

“You bet, I could write a book about the president. He was inimitable, one of a kind. He often came into the locker room, giving tactical advice and telling us to put on a show. He would even have lunch with us at Milanello. Let me tell you this: one day he took me aside to teach me how to defend. ‘I’ll explain how to do it—you have to anticipate the play,’ he told me. And he went out onto the field with one of his bodyguards and a couple of dummies to show me the movements.”

After your playing career, Galliani and Braida asked you to stay on with Milan, creating a link between the club and Brazil. How did it go?

“Galliani called me and asked me to take on this role: a sort of bridge between the club and Brazil. We founded a Milan Junior Club, involving lots of kids. Plus, I tried to suggest some talents to him, traveling around the country. I pointed out Miranda and Thiago Silva; Braida fell in love with the latter. He already had a pre-contract with Inter, and Villarreal was also interested in the player. But we talked, and… he chose the Rossoneri in five minutes. He was won over by the club’s prestige and the idea of developing alongside someone like Sandro Nesta. In hindsight, I’d say he made the right choice, with all due respect to our Nerazzurri cousins…”