MILAN, Italy — Santiago Gimenez is living his childhood dream of being a striker at AC Milan, following in the footsteps of some of his biggest heroes, as he prepares to take on former team Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Mexico striker Gimenez returns to the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam on Wednesday night, barely a week after moving to Italian giant Milan, with his sights set on dumping Feyenoord out of the Champions League playoffs.

The 23-year-old signed for Milan as a replacement for Alvaro Morata on deadline day of the winter transfer window, and has already made an impression on supporters.

Having already teed up a goal for fellow new arrival Joao Felix on their debuts in last week's Italian Cup triumph over Roma, Gimenez then showed what he can do in front of goal with a classy curling finish which sealed a 2-0 win in his Serie A bow at Empoli on Saturday.

After those two impressive substitute appearances, Gimenez is set to line-up against a Feyenoord team in turmoil following the sacking of Arne Slot's replacement Brian Priske in what is set to be a red-hot atmosphere.

"There are a lot of conflicting emotions. Honestly, I wanted it to be Milan against Feyenoord, because had I stayed at Feyenoord I would have played against the team I always dreamed of playing for," said Gimenez in a recent interview with Milan's in-house TV station.

"But, now I'm at Milan, it will be great, because I'll be able to see my Rotterdam family and a club I'm really connected to. It's a chance to say goodbye to a team with which I had some wonderful times."

Gimenez has been a fan of Italian soccer and a Milan supporter since childhood, and was a target for the seven-time European champion in the summer, before it signed Morata instead.

Milan 'dream'

Spain captain Morata has since been shipped off on loan to Galatasaray, while Milan have put 32 million euros ($33 million) worth of faith in Gimenez after he netted 65 times in 105 appearances for Feyenoord, where he won the Dutch title in 2023 and the Dutch Cup last season.

"It's all gone exactly how I wanted," said Gimenez.

"I followed Milan as a boy, they were the team that I loved, as I watched the likes of Kaka, Beckham, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Pirlo, Gattuso. That whole generation of players made the world fall in love with them.

"It was always my dream as a boy, and when they contacted me, it was like: 'I can't miss this opportunity'."

Gimenez has photos of himself as a child wearing a Milan jersey, as well as with his favorite player Kaka, who he describes as his "model".

He is a devout Catholic, and says that Kaka inspired him when he spoke to him about his faith.

"I knew from that moment that Milan was the right destination for me," he said.

Gimenez was born in Buenos Aires but moved to Mexico as a young boy with his father Christian, who was also a professional footballer and represented the Mexican national team, despite being born in Argentina.

Gimenez will have the chance to represent his country on home soil at next year's World Cup, which will be held in across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"There's no bigger honor than playing for your national team at home, so playing a World Cup in your own country is a privilege," he said.

"There's no doubt that Argentina is a country where I feel at home, all my family are there... But, if I had to choose, I feel more Mexican, simply because I spent nearly my whole life there, right from childhood."

AFP