Diego Moreira Embraces Kaká's Legacy with No 22 at Milan Derby
Diego Moreira didn’t just pick a number. He picked a legacy.
On derby night at San Siro, the 22-year-old Belgian winger will walk out wearing the No 22 shirt that once belonged to Kaká, a symbol stitched deep into AC Milan’s modern history. For a newcomer, it is a bold embrace of expectation rather than a quiet introduction.
Moreira admitted he initially had his eye on the No 7 when he arrived, but when the chance came to switch, he stayed put.
“I wanted the No 7 when I arrived. When I found out it was available I could have changed, but I'm happy with 22,” he told DAZN in the “Remember the Name” series. “It's an honour, and now it's up to me to show I can follow in his footsteps, because he left a legacy here.”
That legacy is written into this very fixture. Kaká’s first goal for Milan came in a 3-1 Derby della Madonnina win over Inter in October 2003, the night a slender Brazilian playmaker truly announced himself to the red-and-black half of the city. For Moreira, that history is not just a nice story. It is a target.
A €50m bet for the biggest stage
Milan did not bring him in to make up the numbers. Moreira joined from Strasbourg in August for a reported €50m plus add-ons, signing a five-year deal that underlines how heavily the club is betting on his future.
His start has been stuttered rather than explosive. Hamstring fatigue sidelined him for the last two league games, the 2-0 win at Udinese and the chaotic 4-2 home defeat to Bologna. Any doubt over his involvement tonight, though, has been removed. Rúben Amorim has confirmed he is fit for the derby.
That changes the mood around Milan’s attack. With pace, direct running and a willingness to take on defenders, Moreira offers something raw and unpredictable, the kind of edge that can tilt a derby in a single moment.
He knows exactly what kind of stage he is stepping onto.
“I know he scored his first goal against Inter,” he said, thinking back to Kaká. “It's one of the biggest games in Europe, so we're fired up. If I get to play in this game, I'll die for my team. I can't wait.”
No hedging, no diplomacy. Just the blunt promise of total commitment.
Derby pressure, table reality
The romance of the shirt and the lure of the derby sit on top of a hard truth: Milan need this.
They go into the Derby della Madonnina in fifth place on 18 points, already seven adrift of Inter and Lazio at the top. That gap is uncomfortable this early in the season, and nights like this are where title challenges either ignite or start to fade into talk of “rebuilding” and “transition.”
San Siro will not care for such caveats. Under the lights, with blue-and-black banners staring back at them, Milan’s players will be judged on intensity, courage, and the ability to seize the moment.
For Moreira, that moment might come with the ball at his feet, the No 22 on his back, and the echoes of Kaká’s first derby goal hanging over the Curva Sud.
If he can turn that weight into fuel, Milan’s expensive new winger has the perfect stage to prove that this famous number still belongs in the heart of the derby story, not just in its history.
