devoted_dm
09-03-2005, 05:53
I have been a Milan fan since 1994, when I was 11. I remember the superb Champions League final against Barca, and being fascinated by how well these Italians played. It did, however, take a few years before I reached the level of fandom which I am on today. Not before the 96-97 season was I mad about Milan, which happened to coincide with the club's temporary fall from the top of European football. So I suffered through a few years of crap results, mostly in Italy since we weren't even good enough to qualify for the European Cups.
Then, in 1999, the team surprisingly won the Scudetto, much to the annoyance of several of my friends, mostly because I, at the start of the season, had claimed that this would happen. Winning this Scudetto was my first great moment as a Milan fan (not counting the 1994 final, since I wasn't really a fan yet then).
A few seasons passed. We had purchased a young and extremely talented Ukrainian striker, but this was not enough to give the team the boost it needed, and so we got a few decent positions in the Serie A and played a few good games in the CL, but nothing more. This period ended with the humiliating defeat against Dortmund in the UEFA Cup.
The next season ended up being very different. The Milan management had brought a lot of quality into the squad, including world-class players like Rui Costa, Clarence Seedorf and Alessandro Nesta. The first sign that this was going to be a great season was when we thrashed Deportivo in Spain, and we never really looked back after that. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Inter, and finally Juventus all saw themselves beat by a Milan that had return to where they belonged - at the top of European football. Some moments from this season are imprinted in my mind forever. The awesome performance in our match against Real Madrid at the San Siro; knocking out Inter in the semi-finals (I particularly remember Gattuso getting back up on his feet after a hard tackle on an Inter player and raising both fists against the cheering Milan crowd - symbolic of the strength, determination and grit of the team). Then Sheva's penalty against Juve, and the massive celebrations that followed. A season to remember.
The next season I was living in the United States, and was not able to follow the team as much as I had in the past, but I still managed to catch a few games of a season that ended with us winning the Serie A by an 11 point margin.
This season has been a lot of fun so far. The team hasn't played at it's best, but we are still top of the table in the Serie A, and last night we knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League. This victory meant a great deal to me, perhaps more than any other Milan win before it. The reason is that I have grown up in a country where Man Utd has always been the most popular team. When I went to school, I saw kids wearing Man Utd shirts everywhere. Almost every day I had to tolerate verbal abuse from Man Utd fans for supporting Milan. I had to listen to them talk about winning title after title, and the unsurpassed arrogance that followed this. After a while, I started disliking Man Utd, a LOT, and luckily my best friends at that time supported Leeds, sharing my hatred with a great deal of passion.
When I heard that we had drawn Man Utd in the Champions League, I was both excited and nervous. Even though I don't really know any Man Utd fans today, I knew that being knocked out of the CL by this particular team would be a terrible experience, perhaps the worst in all of my days as a Milan supporter. On the other side, I was also very excited, because I knew that we had a team more than good enough to beat them, but you never know in football.
And now, after winning 1-0 at the Old Trafford and beating them again by the same score at the San Siro - without the aid of our beloved superstar Shevchenko - there are no words that can describe how happy and PROUD I am of the lads and the spirit they have shown in these two games. Not only did we knock Man Utd out of the tournament, but we did it in a way that left no doubts as to which of the two sides were the best. We were in complete control for 180 minutes, playing with focus and determination.
I went to see the game at a local English pub, with well over 50 mad United fans present. As Crespo rose above Ferdinand and scored the winner, the whole place fell deathly silent. And then one person was heard screaming from the top of his lunges, with his arms raised well above his head - me. We had scored against Man Utd - again, and now I knew that we were going to go through to the next round. As the final whistle was blown, I started applauding our players, and surprisingly a few Man Utd fans joined in, conceding that we had been the best team in both of these games.
Thank you Milan! This is something I will never forget! These two wins mattered more to me than beating Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Inter or any other top side that we have played over the last couple of seasons.
In the quarter-finals, I have no preference as for what team we are going to play. If we are going to win this tournament, we will have to beat the best of the rest anyway, and I would say that after our performances in these matches against Man Utd, we are in fact the favorites to win the tournament - despite Chelsea's impressive performance last night.
This might be the last chance to win this trophy for players like Maldini, Cafu, Costacurta and Inzaghi, and they are good enough to do it. If there is one player I would like to single out for praise, it is in fact Cafu, who never fails to impress me not only with his great performances in match after match, but also the attitude he shows on the pitch. When C. Ronaldo got upset and pushed him last night, Cafu just laughed it off, as he always does. And his cross that found Crespo in the box was just magnifiecent.
Anyhow, I am so happy and grateful to be a Milan supporter. I know now that this is going to be for life, because I already have all these great memories that will never leave my mind. Thank you for last night, Milan!
Forza Rossoneri!!
:1ole:
Then, in 1999, the team surprisingly won the Scudetto, much to the annoyance of several of my friends, mostly because I, at the start of the season, had claimed that this would happen. Winning this Scudetto was my first great moment as a Milan fan (not counting the 1994 final, since I wasn't really a fan yet then).
A few seasons passed. We had purchased a young and extremely talented Ukrainian striker, but this was not enough to give the team the boost it needed, and so we got a few decent positions in the Serie A and played a few good games in the CL, but nothing more. This period ended with the humiliating defeat against Dortmund in the UEFA Cup.
The next season ended up being very different. The Milan management had brought a lot of quality into the squad, including world-class players like Rui Costa, Clarence Seedorf and Alessandro Nesta. The first sign that this was going to be a great season was when we thrashed Deportivo in Spain, and we never really looked back after that. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Inter, and finally Juventus all saw themselves beat by a Milan that had return to where they belonged - at the top of European football. Some moments from this season are imprinted in my mind forever. The awesome performance in our match against Real Madrid at the San Siro; knocking out Inter in the semi-finals (I particularly remember Gattuso getting back up on his feet after a hard tackle on an Inter player and raising both fists against the cheering Milan crowd - symbolic of the strength, determination and grit of the team). Then Sheva's penalty against Juve, and the massive celebrations that followed. A season to remember.
The next season I was living in the United States, and was not able to follow the team as much as I had in the past, but I still managed to catch a few games of a season that ended with us winning the Serie A by an 11 point margin.
This season has been a lot of fun so far. The team hasn't played at it's best, but we are still top of the table in the Serie A, and last night we knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League. This victory meant a great deal to me, perhaps more than any other Milan win before it. The reason is that I have grown up in a country where Man Utd has always been the most popular team. When I went to school, I saw kids wearing Man Utd shirts everywhere. Almost every day I had to tolerate verbal abuse from Man Utd fans for supporting Milan. I had to listen to them talk about winning title after title, and the unsurpassed arrogance that followed this. After a while, I started disliking Man Utd, a LOT, and luckily my best friends at that time supported Leeds, sharing my hatred with a great deal of passion.
When I heard that we had drawn Man Utd in the Champions League, I was both excited and nervous. Even though I don't really know any Man Utd fans today, I knew that being knocked out of the CL by this particular team would be a terrible experience, perhaps the worst in all of my days as a Milan supporter. On the other side, I was also very excited, because I knew that we had a team more than good enough to beat them, but you never know in football.
And now, after winning 1-0 at the Old Trafford and beating them again by the same score at the San Siro - without the aid of our beloved superstar Shevchenko - there are no words that can describe how happy and PROUD I am of the lads and the spirit they have shown in these two games. Not only did we knock Man Utd out of the tournament, but we did it in a way that left no doubts as to which of the two sides were the best. We were in complete control for 180 minutes, playing with focus and determination.
I went to see the game at a local English pub, with well over 50 mad United fans present. As Crespo rose above Ferdinand and scored the winner, the whole place fell deathly silent. And then one person was heard screaming from the top of his lunges, with his arms raised well above his head - me. We had scored against Man Utd - again, and now I knew that we were going to go through to the next round. As the final whistle was blown, I started applauding our players, and surprisingly a few Man Utd fans joined in, conceding that we had been the best team in both of these games.
Thank you Milan! This is something I will never forget! These two wins mattered more to me than beating Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Inter or any other top side that we have played over the last couple of seasons.
In the quarter-finals, I have no preference as for what team we are going to play. If we are going to win this tournament, we will have to beat the best of the rest anyway, and I would say that after our performances in these matches against Man Utd, we are in fact the favorites to win the tournament - despite Chelsea's impressive performance last night.
This might be the last chance to win this trophy for players like Maldini, Cafu, Costacurta and Inzaghi, and they are good enough to do it. If there is one player I would like to single out for praise, it is in fact Cafu, who never fails to impress me not only with his great performances in match after match, but also the attitude he shows on the pitch. When C. Ronaldo got upset and pushed him last night, Cafu just laughed it off, as he always does. And his cross that found Crespo in the box was just magnifiecent.
Anyhow, I am so happy and grateful to be a Milan supporter. I know now that this is going to be for life, because I already have all these great memories that will never leave my mind. Thank you for last night, Milan!
Forza Rossoneri!!
:1ole: