Foundation and early years
Associazione Calcio Milan was founded December 16, 1899 by Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin (from Nottingham, England) as the Milan Cricket and Football Club.[1] Edwards, a former British vice-consul in Milan and well-known personality of the Milanese high society, was the club's first elected president. Initially the team included a cricket section, managed by Edward Berra, and a football section managed by David Allison.The official colours chosen were red and black. Immediately the team gained relevant notability under Herbert Kilpin's guide. The first trophy to be won was the Medaglia del Re (King's Medal) on January 1900, and the team later won three national leagues, in 1901, 1906 and 1907. The triumph of 1901 was particularly relevant because it ended the consecutive series of wins of Genoa, which had been the only team to have won prior to 1901.
In 1908, issues over the signing of foreign players led to a split and the formation of F.C. Internazionale Milano.
In 1916, Milan won the Federal Cup, a national trophy which had replaced the Italian league, suspended because of World War I. This cup was never recognized as an Italian title.
In 1919, the team changed its name to Milan Football Club. After their first triumphs, Milan was unable to continue with their former high-level success, obtaining only a number of half-table placements, even if always playing in the top Italian division.
In 1939 the fascist regime imposed a new italianized name, Associazione Calcio Milano, for the team. However, that name was abandoned immediately after the World War II, but maintaining the initial part: the team was called Associazione Calcio Milan, which is the current official name.
1950s
In the post-war period, Milan was among the three top Italian teams, and won the Scudetto in 1951 - the first time since 1907. Il Grande Milan included the famous Gre-No-Li, a trio of Swedish players composed by Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm who were Olympic winners. That team also fielded quality players such as Lorenzo Buffon, Cesare Maldini and Carlo Annovazzi.Perhaps the most resounding victory of this period was the 7-1 defeat of Juventus in Turin on February 5, 1950, with Gunnar Nordahl bagging a hat-trick.
After the 1951 Scudetto, Milan won another three Serie A seasons, in 1955, 1957 and 1959, and two Latin Cups, in 1951 and 1956. In the end, Milan always placed among the top three teams from 1947/1948 to 1956/1957.
1960s: Nereo Rocco
1963 European Cup Final starting lineup. |
1969 European Cup Final starting lineup. |
Despite that, during the 1960s Milan won less trophies, mainly because of the heavy concurrence of Helenio Herrera's Inter. Its next Scudetto arrived only in 1967/1968, thanks to the goals of Pierino Prati, the Serie A topscorer in that season, as well as the Cup Winners' Cup, won against Hamburger SV thanks to the two goals of Kurt Hamrin. The next season Milan won its second European Cup (4-1 to AFC Ajax), and in 1969 won its first Intercontinental Cup, after having defeated Estudiantes de La Plata of Argentina in two dramatic legs (3-0, 1-2).
The 10th scudetto and the first Serie B
In the 1970s, Milan won three Italian Cups and its second Cup Winners' Cup during the 72-73 season. Greek referee Christos Michas, who officiated the final, was later sentenced of match fixing in his home country, though no involment by Milan was ever proved. The real goal of the Rossoneri was the tenth Scudetto, which would have awarded the first stella ("star") to the team. In 1972 they reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup losing to eventual cup winners Tottenham Hotspur. A strong 1972/1973 season provided their first opportunity for the tenth Scudetto, but ultimately proved a failure after a humiliating defeat against Hellas Verona on the last day of the season.Milan had to wait until 1978/1979 to win their tenth Scudetto, primarily being led by Gianni Rivera who retired from football after this final triumph.
However, the worst was yet to come for the Rossoneri: after the 1979/1980 season, Milan was relegated to Serie B by the Football Federation, together with S.S. Lazio, because of a betting scandal.[2] In 1980-81, Milan easily won the Serie B, and returned to Serie A, where it would suffer its worst season ever, in 1981/1982, being relegated once again.
Berlusconi presidency
The Immortals and the Invicibles
1989 European Cup Final starting lineup. |
Sacchi won the 1987-88 scudetto after a great recovery over Diego Maradona's S.S.C. Napoli. In 1988-1989, Milan won its third European Cup, defeating Steaua Bucuresti 4-0 in the final, and its second Intercontinental cup against National de Medellin (1-0, goal in the last minute of extra time). The team repeated their triumph the following season, against Benfica (1-0), and earned its second Intercontinental Cup in a row and third overall beating Olimpia Asunción in 1990. Their European winning line-up was: Giovanni Galli; Mauro Tassotti, Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini; Angelo Colombo, Frank Rijkaard, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Donadoni; Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten. During this period the team was nicknamed Gli Immortali ("The Immortals").
With Sacchi leaving Milan to coach the Italy national football team, Fabio Capello was hired and under him, the Rossoneri kept being successful and came to be known as Gli Invicibili ("The Invincibles"). With an unprecedented 58-match run with no defeats the Invincibili team had the likes of Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini commanding one of the best defences in history, with Marcel Desailly and Roberto Donadoni in midfield and Dejan Savićević, Zvonimir Boban, and Daniele Massaro playing in attack.
In addition to three consecutive scudetti (from 1992 to 1994, including the feat of not losing a single match in the 1991/1992 season), Milan reached the Champions League final for three consecutive years: in 1993 they were defeated by Olympique de Marseille; this match was disputed by a match-fixing scandal in the French league involving Marseille's then club president. In 1994 it was F.C. Barcelona who experienced the taste of defeat, after a famous 4-0 win at the hands of the Rossoneri; and in the 1995 finals, Milan were again defeated, this time by Ajax. Then, in 1995-96, led by famous world-class players such as Roberto Baggio, Marco Simone and George Weah, Milan gained their fifteenth Italian Championship. Milan's primary line-up under Capello (1996): Sebastiano Rossi; Christian Panucci, Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini; Roberto Donadoni, Demetrio Albertini, Marcel Desailly; Zvonimir Boban; George Weah, Roberto Baggio.
Tabarez to Terim
- 1996–1997
- 1997–1998
- 1998–1999
- 1999–2000
- 2000–2001
- 2001–2002
The Agony and the Ecstasy: Ancelotti years and Kaka's Reign
- 2002-2003 (3rd in Serie A, Champions of Europe)
- 2003-2004 (Champions in Serie-A, Quarter Finals in European Cup)
- 2004-2005 (2nd in Serie A, 2nd in European Cup)
- 2005-2006 (3rd in Serie A, Semi Finals in European Cup)
Milan's efforts in the Champions League that year also proved close, but ultimately unsuccessful. After coming out on top of their group, Milan advanced to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League 2005–06, first defeating Bayern München of Germany on aggregate and then France's Olympique Lyonnais 3-1 on aggregate. Advancing to the semi-finals of the competition, they were defeated by eventual champion Barcelona 0-1 on aggregate, thus ending their Champions League run for that season
- 2006-2007 (4th in Serie A, Won UEFA Champions League)
While their Serie A campaign proved moderately successful, the 2006-2007 season is best remembered for the team's performance in the Champion's League. The penalties imposed after the Calciopoli scandal resulted in Milan being seeded third in the final 2005-06 Serie A table. Thus the team was forced to play in the Champion's League Qualifers against former European champion Red Star Belgrade. Milan were victorius in the qualifier and advanced to the group phase which they would eventually win.
Milan survived a first round fight, defeating Celtic F.C. (eventual champions of the Scottish League) 1-0 on aggregate after an extra time goal by Kaká. Milan would go on to defeat Bayern München 4-2 on aggregate (2-2 at San Siro and 2-0 at Allianz Arena).
With the win over Bayern, Milan was propelled to the Champions League semi-finals. This marked the third consecutive and fourth time in five years that AC Milan has reached the final four of the competition. The first leg of the semi-final was played against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Manchester scored early on a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, but Milan answered back thanks to a brace from Kaká, taking a 1-2 lead at half time. Manchester United would ultimately prove victorious thanks to two 2nd half goals from striker Wayne Rooney. This match was regarded by the media and UEFA President Michel Platini as the greatest match in recent memories.[citation needed] The second leg of the Semi Final was played at San Siro on 2 May. Milan played a near perfect first half taking a 2-0 lead into halftime with goals from Kaká and Clarence Seedorf. A 78-minute goal by Alberto Gilardino sealed the victory for the home side.
Milan advanced to the UEFA Champions League final, pitting them in a rematch against their 2005 finals opponent Liverpool. The match was played at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece, on 23 May 2007, with Milan prevailing 2-1 with both goals coming from Filippo Inzaghi. With the victory, the club affirmed its status as one of the powerhouses of European football, with three European Cup final appearances in five years, including two victories.
- 2007-2008 (5th in Serie A, Eliminated First Knockout Round in Europe, Won FIFA Club World Cup)
However, these two trophies only served as consolation for a very disappointing season for Milan. The club had a slow start in Serie A, often finding it difficult to score after a pre-season injury to Ronaldo. This coupled with their aging backline and some deteriorating performances by Dida, found the club in mid table for much of the season. New signing Alexandre Pato was a bright light for an otherwise dark season for Milan. By the end of the Serie A campaign, Fiorentina edged Milan out for fourth place in the standings and thus Milan failed to qualify for the 2008-09 Champions League - their first failure since the 2001-02 season.
Milan's involvement in the 2007-08 edition of the UEFA Champions League was also forgettable. While the club won its group, they were quickly eliminated by a much younger opponent, Arsenal F.C. in the first knockout round. Prior to this season, Milan had made it to at least the quarterfinals of every Champions League going back to the 2002-03 edition.
- 2008-2009 (3rd in Serie A, Eliminated First Knockout Round in UEFA CUP)
The team also fared poorly in the 2008-09 UEFA Cup competition. After winning their group and advancing to the knockout stage, the team was eliminated by eventual UEFA Cup finalist Werder Bremen.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the 2008-09 season was the retirement of footballing legend Paolo Maldini who played each of his club games for Milan, in a career that spanned a remarkable 25 years.
Leonardo to Allegri
- 2009-2010 (3rd in Serie A, Eliminated First Knockout Round in Europe)
The start of the season was not so good, they weren't able to win several matches, and the fans were really uncomfortable with the results. But the results started to change in the victory against A.S. Roma, and the crucial victory over Real Madrid, in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The season included the resurgence of Ronaldinho, Marco Borriello, and the new players as Luca Antonini or Ignazio Abate. Although the Rossoneri achieved some important results, they were eliminated from the Uefa Champions League, by English club Manchester United F.C.; and lost the Serie A race to F.C. Internazionale Milano, and A.S. Roma and subsequently finished 3rd.. At the end of the season, the coach Leonardo resigned, despite A.C. Milan's wishes to keep the manager.
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