1985 - 2006

Nils Liedholm came back on the bench, but this change didn’t improve Milan’s results and a top management turning point was clearly necessary. Finally, on March 24th 1986 Silvio Berlusconi was nominated the 21st President of Milan. He brought a great enthusiasm with an innovative market-oriented management. Despite underperforming in the Championship, Milan reached the goal of taking part in the European competitions winning the play-off against Sampdoria thanks to a goal scored by Daniele Massaro. 1987/88 was the season of the revival with the coach Arrigo Sacchi, master of the “zone play”, the total play, of pressing and speed. The team was also strengthened by the arrival of Van Basten and Gullit, together with Ancelotti and Colombo as well as Alessandro Costacurta, who came directly from Milan’s youth team. The beginning of the season was great: the extraordinary affection of the supporters was rewarded with an unforgettable season. Despite some adverse decisions from the sports judge (for example the 2-0 defeat against Roma was decided by arbitration), the team reacted with a masterpiece at San Paolo Stadium against Maradona’s Napoli: on May 18th 1988 Milan won its 11th Scudetto, the first of the Berlusconi era, defeating Napoli 3-2. In the following season the third Dutch player, Frank Rijkaard, joined the team: this was the second trio made up by players from the same country after the previous Gre-No-li trio. This led to successes and victories, indeed Milan established itself in Italy, in Europe and in the world. In 1988/89 Milan ruled over Europe winning the European Cup competition against Vitocha, Red Star, Werder Brema and Real Madrid reaching the final against Steaua Bucarest. More than one-hundred thousand Rossoneri supporters arrived in Barcellona, the most impressive exodus in football history. The coach Arrigo Sacchi contributed to win one Scudetto, two European Cups, two European-South American Cups, two European Supercups and one League Supercup. In 1992/93 Fabio Capello, who was previously a rossonero football player, substituted Arrigo Sacchi and Milan ruled especially in Italy winning four Scudetti (three consecutively), three League Supercups, one European Cup (won in the unforgettable final against the favourite Crujiff’s Barcellona) and one European Supercup. 1986-1996 was the most prolific period as regards the Rossoneri’s trophies and the so called “Immortal” and “Invincible” teams showed excellent performances and played exciting matches. But the late ‘90s weren’t as positive as the early ‘90s: Milan wasn’t as prestigious as it had been in the past both in Italy and in Europe. Some coaches alternated on the bench (Tabarez, then Sacchi and Capello again): with the arrival of Zaccheroni in 1999 Milan won its sixteenth Scudetto in the same season as the Club’s Centenary celebrations. In 2001 Ancelotti came back to A.C. Milan as a coach and a new period of successes started. The first was on May 28th, 2003 when the Rossoneri won the UEFA Champions League in an unforgettable Italian Final against Juventus. AC Milan also won the European Supercup and a national trophy, too: the Italian Cup. In the 2003/2004 season the Rossoneri won the 17th Scudetto and the League Supercup. In the last seasons A.C. Milan has been one of the protagonists both in Italy and abroad, supported by a great number of fans and a centenarian tradition rich in emotions and successes.