Remembering Silvio Berlusconi’s Legacy: Milan’s Unrepeatable Years and Monza’s Astonishing Ascent in Football

Silvio’s sense for Milan lies in the famous photo that shows him posing in front of the trophies won in 31 unrepeatable years, as proud as Cornelia when she showed off her jewels. They aren’t all there, in that photo, letting them in would have been impossible: accounts in hand, they make 2 Intercontinental Cups, 1 Club World Cup, 5 Champions League, 5 European Super Cups, 8 Scudetti, 1 Italian Cup and 7 Italian Super Cups. Twenty-nine trophies in 31 years is quite a journey. And the last one, raised on 23 December 2016 in Doha, the most melancholy: because that Super Cup should/could have been the first triumph of the Chinese management and instead, due to (or merit) of a fluctuating closing, it has become the final catwalk of Italian Milan, indeed Milanese. Better: by Berlusconi.

From B to the roof of Europe, which rises with Milan

Who would have thought it, when on 18 July 1986 the team, accompanied by Richard Wagner’s Cavalcade of the Valkyries, landed among the chorus of fans on the lawn of the Arena Civica in Milan? “Apocalypse Now” sounded a lot, but it was immediately clear that Milan would overturn the clichés of Italian football. The helicopter team didn’t actually do great things, they only conquered a place in the UEFA Cup through an epic play-off against Sampdoria on a hot May afternoon (Massaro’s goal in extra time) but the Milan of the Invincibles was already being born, because the the following year the Scudetto arrived, and the one after that the Champions Cup. A couple of years to transform Milan with the help of Adriano Galliani from a team that was in Serie B in 1983 into a joyful war machine, with Ruud Gullit’s pigtails and Marco Van Basten’s sweetness making the difference .

Love for Van Basten, the billion spent on AC Milan

Silvio Berlusconi, former coach of Edilnord, has always had a passion for the beautiful game, and falling in love with footballers: sometimes making mistakes (see Borghi), often taking it da Van Basten a Savicevic e Shevchenko. He gave advice that could not be refused to the coaches who took turns on the Rossoneri bench, from Sacchi to Montella, but having thrown something like a billion euros into his toy, he even had some rights. Arrigo Sacchi who can’t hold back his tears at the news of his death: «I’m sick, despite everything I didn’t expect it. A brilliant friend to whom I owe everything. Berlusconi also built his political successes on the victories of Milan, but the fans didn’t care much, the important thing was to support “the most successful team in the world”. And after all, he too has always thought so: «All the things I deal with are profane, but Milan is sacred». He was convinced of this on February 20, 1986, when he took over the AC Milan club on the verge of bankruptcy. He too must have remembered it on the day the club was sold to the Chinese.

The second life in football: from C to A with Monza

In September 2018, during a lunch in Arcore, Galliani approaches him: «The Colombos are selling the Monza». It is the CEO’s favorite team, as well as the club where he began his career. Berlusconi looks at him and smiles: “Adriano, go and do”. 2.9 million euros are enough for the closing and the two bring the team from C to A within four years, when in the 106 before no one had ever succeeded. A journey that passes through unforeseen events and unexpected falls. A tortuous ascent transformed into a descent thanks to solid large investments (over 70 million between capital increases, payments and faranoic markets) but which does not erase the past: «Milan are the team of my heart, when they lose I am destroyed – he reveals in February , a few days before the match between Monza and Pioli’s boys, the first as an opponent of the Rossoneri: «I hope it ends in a draw». He will continue to cheer on them from up there.