And according to Sanna, the talent was obvious.
“He was technical, had vision, a fantastic shot. Very strong,” Sanna told Football Presse.
But there was a twist.
“He had a particular character. If he’d had a different temperament, maybe he would have played for an even bigger club.”
Fast forward to today, and Allegri is back at AC Milan, rebuilding a side Sanna believes can fight for the Scudetto.
“People call him defensive — but that’s not true. He knows how to attack. He’s intelligent and he rarely makes mistakes.”
Sanna has also worked under another giant, Óscar Tabárez, who brought zonal marking to Cagliari.
“He called every player ‘Lei’ — very polite, very respectful. And he changed everything tactically.”
From Mazzone’s fire to Tabárez’s refinement, Sanna saw it all.