It’s often said that some players age like fine wine. Yes, they lose a bit of pace and get injured more often, but their class, experience, and influence on the rest of the squad is priceless. That especially goes for the players who have won everything in their careers – and took good care of their bodies in the process – case in hand: Olivier Giroud and Angel Di Maria.Although the news is not official just yet – it’s as good as done. Giroud’s representatives, Vincenzo Morabito and Michael Manuello, visited AC Milan’s training centre on Wednesday to meet with the Rossoneri management and complete the agreement on the terms of a new contract.🚨 Giroud is expected to sign his one-year contract extension with Milan within the next 10 days. He will earn €3.5M[@MatteMoretto] pic.twitter.com/0O8eLVsg1U— Milan Eye (@MilanEye) March 30, 2023 Things went well, and Giroud agreed to a new one-year deal with Milan, continuing his adventure in northern Italy. As detailed by Gianluca Di Marzio, Giroud will sign a new one-year contract with Milan worth around $3.5 million net per season plus $300,000 in add-ons, which are difficult to reach and linked to his performance.The 2018 World Cup winner has proven himself an essential part of Stefano Pioli’s squad in the Lombardy capital, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists across 34 games this season.##NAJAVA_MECA_7135130##Meanwhile, World Champion Di Maria has agreed to extend his stay with Juventus. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Bianconeri recently held a positive meeting with Di Maria’s representatives and have planned for the next round of talks by the end of April. The feeling around Bianconeri’s camp is they can extend Di Maria’s stay until June 2024.Italian clubs seem to be the most reluctant to give up on their ageing players. Just about every team has a few players aged 35+ and they hold important roles. For example, the 36-year-old Giroud has been leading the line for the Rossoneri all season amid injuries to Rafael Leao and the even older Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Meanwhile, 35-year-old Di Maria has been one of the few Juventus players who have come out with any credit so far. He showed his class regularly when the others were nowhere to be seen. So how can you blame the bosses for wanting to stick with proven players?(🌕) The talks between Juventus and Ángel Di María are advancing to renew the contract until June 2024. @CLMerlo 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/frg7KCP1Oo— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) March 28, 2023 The big question is: where are the young players going to come from and what will their careers be like if they’re growing up playing supporting roles to veterans? The answer can be seen already: the Italian national team is scanning the planet for players of Italian origin, like Mateo Retegui wanting to play for the country of their ancestors. They are on thin ice.Italian goalscoring sensation wasn’t born in Italy, never played in Italy and doesn’t speak ItalianIn the meantime, the 2018 World Cup winner Giroud and the 2022 champion Di Maria have got themselves new multi-million contracts with Serie A Royalty.SERIE A – ROUND 28Saturday16:00: (5.70) Cremonese (3.80) Atalanta (1.70)19:00: (1.75) Inter (3.80) Fiorentina (5.20)21:45: (1.47) Juventus (4.10) Verona (7.75)Sunday13:30: (2.25) Bologna (3.30) Udinese (3.30)16:00: (3.80) Monza (3.30) Lazio (2.05)16:00: (2.35) Spezia (3.20) Salernitana (3.20)19:00: (1.48) Roma (4.40) Sampdoria (8.00)21:45: (1.80) Napoli (3.50) Milan (4.70)Monday19:30: (2.45) Empoli (3.15) Lecce (3.35)21:45: (2.45) Sassuolo (3.20) Torino (3.00)***odds are subject to change***
