From Digao to Antonio: Famous ‘brother deals’ in Milan amid ties to Zirkzee

In the negotiations between AC Milan and Kia Joorabchian over Joshua Zirkzee, the striker’s younger brother was mentioned and could potentially be the key to the operation. In fact, we have seen something like this before.

We were the first to reveal that Jordan Zirkzee, Joshua’s younger brother, has been a topic of discussion in the negotiations between Milan and Joorabchian. The newspapers reported on this this morning and it remains to be seen whether this will be the key to a positive conclusion.

“Brother deals” have been around before, with Milan agreeing to sign central defender Digao when Ricky Kaka joined Milan in 2003. The younger brother, however, did not have a very successful career, making only three appearances for the Rossoneri and spending most of his time in Serie B.

A similar situation occurred in 2017, when Milan reached an agreement to extend Gigio Donnarumma’s contract with Mino Raiola. The goalkeeper’s older brother Antonio, also a goalkeeper, arrived from Greek club Asteras Tripolis and signed a four-year contract with the club.

Like Digao, Antonio only made three appearances for the Rossoneri, but some fans will remember the Coppa Italia derby against Inter. The goalkeeper became the unexpected hero in that game, but then remained the stand-in for his younger brother, who always played.

Antonio’s contract expired in 2021 and he moved to Serie C team Padova, where he has been a regular since then.