Milan Cardinale: the indispensable entertainment in Europe

Gerry Cardinale, owner of Milan and RedBird, was a guest on Bloomberg Screentime 2026, where he outlined his vision for European football. Cardinale emphasized that, in Europe, it is essential to introduce entertainment to finance the sport and attract new viewers.

During the meeting, Cardinale recalled being the only Italian owner of a Serie A club linked to an American fund, RedBird, and highlighted the growing role of foreign capital in football.

The executive pointed out that the coexistence of sport and entertainment is still little accepted in Europe and Italy, unlike the American culture where the two worlds are tightly intertwined.

Investment strategy

«My investment strategy is to go where there is something to ‘fix’ and do it, accelerating the process to bring them back to where they were before», Cardinale said, referring to clubs that need renewal.

He added that European football represents a huge opportunity, while in America everything is “terribly overpriced”. According to him, the European challenge is resistance to entertainment, as fans do not accept compromises.

When asked which team he would buy today, Cardinale answered without hesitation: «Milan». He compared the club to “the New York Yankees of Italian football” and noted that Italian football once was the equivalent of today’s Premier League.