An African star has claimed he once got into a fight with his ex-teammate Kaka, and that he was the most talented player in a side that included the Brazilian, Mario Balotelli and Robinho, among other staggering revelations.
During his time at Queens Park Rangers, Moroccan footballer Adel Taarabt had a brief stint on loan at AC Milan between January and June 2014, a period in which he accumulated four goals and two assists in 16 appearances for the Serie A giants, and he has now made some stunning claims about his time in Italy.
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"I don't want to sound arrogant, but in those six months, I was the best player on a team with Balotelli, Kaka, and Robinho," he said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
When the 34-year-old arrived at the San Siro, he played under then-manager Clarence Seedorf. However, Filippo Inzaghi then came in at the end of the season, and the Serie A side club decided to not make the Moroccan's move permanent.
"The fans knew it and Seedorf loved me. I was happy, and after just two months, there were rumours about my permanent transfer," Taarabt explained.
"However, Inzaghi told the directors he didn't want to rely on me and preferred Alessio Cerci.
"I respect him, but I couldn't even hear something like that. Now everyone can see what career he [Inzaghi] has had as a coach. His brother [Simone] is doing well, unlike him.
“It took 18 months [for Taarabt] to recover."
The former Tottenham Hotspur star went on to share a story about Balotelli driving at high speed with a ferocious dog as his passenger during their time as teammates.
"Once, he arrived at Milanello driving at full speed with his rottweiler inside the car," Taarabt shared.
"He was going so fast that the dog was dazed. He looked like a cat! The doctor explained to him that going so fast wasn't good at all for a dog.
"I could say many other things. Once, before a game against Chievo, he told [Giampaolo] Pazzini to start because he wasn't in the mood to play.
"Of course, Balo scored after just a few minutes. He was good but totally crazy."
Taarabt also revealed that he was involved in a spat that turned physical with Kaka.
"It happened during a training session. I passed the ball to Balotelli and not to him [Kaka], and he got mad," the Moroccan continued.
"I thought, 'Hell, he's Kaka'. I was surprised because he could not stop [shouting], so I put my hands around his neck at some point. Even if you are Kaka, I’ll get mad if you shout at me.
"The following day, he apologised and took me out for lunch. At that moment, there were different groups in the team. Some didn't want to help Seedorf, other wanted it. I was in the middle."
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The midfielder, who now plays for Al-Nasr in the UAE, then revealed that not joining the Rossoneri on a full-time basis remains one of the biggest regrets of his career.
"I have two: not joining Milan permanently or signing with PSG. My career would have changed in France," he concluded.
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