Kaka is dead wrong about Santiago Gimenez and the Allegri era at Milan

The San Siro Legend Trap

When Kaka speaks, the AC Milan faithful usually stop whatever they’re doing and start looking for a tissue to wipe away the tears of nostalgia. It is an involuntary reflex. The man gave us 2007, he gave us that glide across the Old Trafford grass, and he gave us a reason to believe that football was actually a form of religious experience. But his recent comments backing Santiago Gimenez are proof that being a club legend doesn’t mean you aren’t susceptible to a bit of corporate PR fluff.

Kaka is out here telling anyone with a microphone that we need to be patient with Gimenez because Max Allegri has faith in him. Faith. That is a heavy word to use in a city where the Duomo looms over everything. But in the context of Allegri-ball in 2026, faith is just another word for Stockholm Syndrome. We are watching one of the most clinical strikers in North American history turn into a glorified defensive midfielder who occasionally wanders into the opposition box by accident.

The Mexican international arrived from Feyenoord with the kind of hype that usually precedes a blockbuster move to Real Madrid. He was supposed to be the heir to the throne, the man to finally break the post-Giroud stagnation. Instead, he has become the latest victim of a tactical system that treats the forward line like an optional extra in a car that only wants to go in reverse.

The Feyenoord Ghost vs the Milan Reality

Let’s look at the numbers because they don’t have a marketing budget or a legacy to protect. At Feyenoord, Gimenez was a predatory animal. He lived on the shoulder of the last defender, making those sharp, near-post runs that make center-backs wake up in a cold sweat. He was a high-volume shooter who demanded the ball. If you didn’t feed him, he’d bark at you until you did.

In Milan this season, he is a ghost. Since January, Gimenez has managed exactly 2 goals in 14 appearances. That isn't just a dip in form; that is a total system failure. He is currently averaging fewer than two shots per game. For a guy who cost the club a significant chunk of change and carries the hopes of an entire nation heading into a home World Cup, those stats are a flat-out disaster.

Kaka says Allegri has faith in him, but what does that actually look like on the pitch? It looks like Gimenez dropping forty yards deep to help Theo Hernandez play out of a press. It looks like him chasing long balls into the channels against three defenders while Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao are stuck in their own half. Allegri’s faith seems to be the belief that Gimenez can survive on a diet of one half-chance every three weeks.

The Allegri Tactical Graveyard

We’ve seen this movie before. Ask Dusan Vlahovic about life under Allegri. Ask any striker who has had the misfortune of playing for a manager who values a clean sheet more than a three-goal lead. Allegri’s "Corto Muso" philosophy—the idea of winning by a nose—is great for winning 1-0 against Empoli on a rainy Tuesday. It is horrific for developing a 25-year-old striker who needs rhythm and service to survive.

The tactical setup right now is a mess. Milan are playing a weird, hybrid 5-3-2 that often collapses into a 6-3-1 the moment the opponent crosses the halfway line. Tijjani Reijnders is trying his best to link the play, but there is a massive chasm between the midfield and the attack. Gimenez is essentially stranded on a desert island, and Kaka is standing on the shore telling us the weather is actually quite nice.

The negative football being served up at the San Siro right now is exhausting. We are third in the table, sure, but we are the most boring third-place team in the history of the sport. We have the attacking talent of a Champions League contender and the shot creation of a side fighting for their lives in the relegation zone. If this is what "faith" looks like, I’d hate to see what happens when the manager loses his temper.

The Mexico Factor and the World Cup Pressure

We are exactly 51 days away from the 2026 World Cup kickoff in Mexico City. Santiago Gimenez isn’t just a player for El Tri; he is the face of the tournament. The pressure on this kid is already astronomical. He should be arriving at that tournament with his chest out, coming off a 20-goal season in one of Europe’s big leagues. Instead, he’s going to show up wondering if he’s even allowed to take more than one touch in the box.

If Milan doesn’t fix this—and fast—they aren’t just ruining their own season; they are actively sabotaging the career of a player who has every tool to be world-class. You can see the frustration in his body language. In the 0-0 draw against Atalanta last week, he was subbed off in the 70th minute without having touched the ball in the penalty area once. He didn’t even look angry when he came off. He just looked defeated.

That is the most dangerous part of this situation. When a striker loses that edge, that arrogance that says "the next ball is mine," it’s hard to get back. Kaka might be trying to protect the club’s investment by saying the right things, but anyone with eyes can see that the marriage between Gimenez and Allegri was a mistake from the first date. They are fundamentally incompatible.

Why Patience is a Luxury Milan Can't Afford

The Curva Sud is already starting to lose their collective mind. The whistles during the second half of the last home game weren’t just for the result; they were for the sheer lack of ambition. You cannot have a stadium that holds 75,000 people and ask them to watch 90 minutes of sideways passes while their star striker stands around like a lost tourist.

Milan paid a reported 45 million euros for Gimenez. That is a lot of money for a guy who is currently being used as a human shield for the midfield. If the plan is to keep Allegri for next season, then the club needs to sell Gimenez now while his stock is still somewhat high. There is no point in keeping a Ferrari in the garage if you’re only going to use it to drive to the grocery store two blocks away.

Historical comparisons are easy to find. Think back to Fernando Torres at Milan. Different stage of his career, sure, but the same sense of a player completely disconnected from the tactical reality around him. Or look at Andre Silva. Milan has a long, storied history of buying talented strikers and then forgetting how to actually pass them the ball. It’s a tradition that needs to end before it claims another victim.

The Verdict on Kaka's Diplomacy

I love Kaka. We all do. But his role as the unofficial ambassador for this board is starting to grate. By telling us that Allegri has faith, he is asking us to ignore the reality of what we see every weekend. He is asking us to believe that the stagnation of the last four months is just a "difficult" patch that will magically resolve itself once Gimenez adjusts to the league.

The league isn't the problem. Serie A has changed. Inter are playing expansive, attacking football. Napoli are a riot to watch. Even Juventus under their new direction have started to show some signs of life. The problem is a manager who is stuck in 2015 and a striker who is being punished for his own versatility. Gimenez is too nice. He does the dirty work Allegri asks for, and in return, he gets zero service.

If Milan wants to save Santiago Gimenez, they need to stop talking about faith and start talking about expected goals. They need to stop asking him to be a tactical pawn and start letting him be a poacher again. The UCL Semi-Finals are only seven days away, and if we go into that match with the same "don't lose" mentality, we are going to get slaughtered. Faith won't save us then, and it won't save Gimenez's career if he stays in this tactical prison for another year.

We need a striker who is allowed to miss five chances because he’s creating ten. We need a manager who doesn't treat the opposition penalty box like it’s a high-voltage area. Until that happens, Kaka’s words are just empty calories. Gimenez deserves better, the fans deserve better, and quite frankly, the shirt deserves better than a 1-0 loss to a team that hasn't won away from home since October.