How I Dug Up Taarabt’s Milan Story
Honestly, I started this digging around Taarabt ’cause my buddy kept ranting about that insane skill clip from his Milan days. Said “Yo, you gotta see this guy dribble!” So naturally, I went deep down the YouTube rabbit hole – tons of compilations, mostly from his QPR peak honestly. Realised I knew next to nothing about his actual Milan chapter. Time for some proper digging.
First thing I did? Hit up old AC Milan fan forums. Man, sifting through decade-old forum posts feels like archaeology. Found these raw, unfiltered opinions. Fans were split: half calling him a magic trick with feet, the other half ready to throw boots at him for being frustratingly uneven. Kept notes – pure gold for understanding the vibe.
Next step was hunting down actual match footage. Not just highlights, the full games. Watched three full matches from his 2013-2014 loan spell. My takeaways? Physically, dude looked like he hated running. Legit. Glided across the pitch like a cruise ship instead of a speedboat. But oh man, when he did bother? The skill flashes were blinding. Saw defenders fall for nutmegs they absolutely saw coming. That left foot? Filthy. Could ping a 40-yard pass onto a teammate’s shoelaces effortlessly. Vision was legit world-class for moments.
His standout skills became obvious rewatching:
- Dribbling in Phone Booths: Seriously, space didn’t matter. Ball glued to his foot, could dance out of triple teams.
- Left-Foot Sorcery: Passing range was stupid good. Could split defenses open with a lazy flick.
- Unpredictability: You never knew if he’d try a rabona pass or just… stop moving. Kept everyone guessing.
Career highlights? Had to cross-check. Football sites love fluff. Verified through old match reports:
- That 2012-2013 loan to Milan from QPR actually happened right after Milan sold Ibra and Thiago Silva. Fanbase was grumpy, needed magic. Taarabt? Rolled in with flair.
- Only scored one Serie A goal? Yup. Saw the goal – typical Taarabt. Messi-esque dribble past three defenders then… a scuffed finish that trickled in. Somehow perfectly him.
- Big game moments? Found the 2014 Coppa Italia quarter-final against Juve. Came off the bench, did nothing for 15 minutes, then suddenly carved out two absolute golden chances that Balotelli fluffed. Peak frustration for Milan fans.
Why’d it fizzle? Footage didn’t lie. The effort levels were shockingly bad defensively. Managers like Seedorf and Inzaghi looked ready to murder him on the sideline when he casually jogged back after losing the ball. Milan needed warriors; Taarabt felt like a tourist popping by to do card tricks.
My honest takeaway? The talent was disgustingly real. Saw passes only Pirlo made at Milan. Saw feet smoother than Ronaldinho sometimes. But that engine? Garbage. Watching him felt like watching a Formula 1 car stuck in first gear. The hype died ’cause the effort never matched the skills. Tragic, man. Seriously tragic.
