Ex-Chelsea star Loftus-Cheek suggests Italian fans have more ‘passion’

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has suggested that AC Milan fans have more ‘passion’ than those of his former club, Chelsea.

Loftus-Cheek is a boyhood Chelsea fan and a product of the club’s youth system, going on to make 155 senior appearances for the club — scoring 13 goals and winning Premier League and Europa League titles.

However, after failing to fully establish himself as a regular starter — even spending the 2017/18 and 2020/21 campaigns away from Stamford Bridge on loan at Crystal Palace and Fulham, respectively — Lotfus-Cheek completed a permanent transfer to AC Milan last summer.

The 28-year-old has been something of a revelation at the San Siro, scoring 10 goals and providing another two assists in 40 appearances across all competitions, helping the Rossoneri finish second in Serie A, while reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League and Coppa Italia.

Speaking in an in-depth interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia), Loftus-Cheek has admitted the passion for football in Milan is ‘a bit different’ to London.

“I like to go with the flow in life,” the 10-time England international said. “I like to live in the moment.

“I was just focused on football at the start, now I understand there’s more to it. In Milan, you realise how much passion there is for football, while it’s a bit different in London. There’s more freedom to go out without being recognised.”