'A hurricane is unleashed every time Wanda Nara opens her mouth' – Galliani slams football's 'machismo' in Icardi saga

Former AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has claimed Mauro Icardi’s agent, Wanda Nara, is the victim of 'machismo' in football, pointing to the male-dominated nature of the sport.

Nara, who is also Icardi’s wife, is often very outspoken in her options on the Inter forward’s career and on occassion faces criticism from the media.

However, Galliani claims male agents do not face the same level of scrutiny. 

“The Icardi saga has been amplified by the machismo that governs the world of football. Whenever Wanda Nara opens her mouth, a hurricane is unleashed,” the 75-year-old told Italian outlet Corriere della Sera.

“Yet if great agents like Mino Raiola or Jorge Mendes behaved in the same way, no one would complain.

“Icardi, however, is a very good striker. If I could, I’d take him right away.”

Galliani was CEO of Milan between 1986-2017 and oversaw the Rossoneri’s best period in their history, when they won five European Cups/Champions Leagues and eight Serie A titles.

However, Milan and city rivals Inter have fallen far short of Juventus in recent times, something Galliani hopes will change soon.

“Inter won the Treble in 2010, and the following year Milan won the Scudetto. Since then, there have been eight years of Juventus domination,” he said.

“I hope the city of Milan can return to its golden era of the 1960s, when both teams won two European Cups.

“I hope that it also becomes the locomotive of Italy in football terms, as it has in terms of the economy.”

Now the entrepreneur and member of the Italian Senate is the chairman of third-tier side Monza, who take on Fiorentina, and former Milan boss Vincenzo Montella, on Sunday night in the Coppa Italia.

“I’m emotionally attached to Vincenzo, who is the last coach to lift a trophy with Milan,” said Galliani. “I still have the picture on my phone of when we lifted the Supercoppa in Doha in 2016. We’ll go out at the Franchi taking everything in our stride.”

Galliani is a member of Italian Football Hall of Fame and still retains links with former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is the owner of Monza.