The Legends of Milan

This thread is for recognizing those players that stood out from the rest during Milan's history. Players that are considered to be the best to have ever worn a Milan shirt. I think it will be interesting to see who you consider were the best of the best and maybe give us some information, stories, interesting facts or others about your all-time favorite Milan players.

FORZA MILAN!!!

I will start by talking a little about one of my favorite players ever, arguably one of the greatest defenders in history (if not the best ever). Franco Baresi


Baresi joined AC Milan in 1974 at the early age of 14 years. He made his Serie A debut when he was 18 in a game against Verona when Liedholm was the coach. Baresi made very good and promising performances. He won his first Scudetto with Milan only one year after his debut, that was his first honour as a Milan player, the first of a very long list.....

But the hapiness brought by that Scudetto wouldn't last long. Milan were relegated to Serie B for taking part in a match-fixing scandal in 1980. Although Milan bounced back immediately, they were relegated the following season again. Those were Milan darkest moments. But fortunately Milan had a saviour, a great and unique player that immediatly gained all fans affection, a player that led the club from the depths of misery and anguish to the domination of Europe, that was Franco Baresi. He was made captain of Milan in 1982 (until 1996).

In 1986, Silvio Berlusconi became president of the club, and he made possible to build a squad capable of competing with the best in Europe. During the following years, the defense was composed by Baresi, Mauro Tassotti, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini, that was arguably the strongest back-line the world has ever known.
The Serie A titles arrived in 1987-1988, 1991-1992, 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 1995-1996.

It is important to point that between 1991 and 1993, the Rossoneri went an astonishing 58 games without being defeated. The entire 1991-92 season went without a lose for il Magico Milan. Also in 1993-94, Milan only conceded 15 goals. Both are Serie A records.

But that wasn't all. Baresi also won with Milan 3 European Cups (1988-89, 1989-90, 1993-94), 3 European Super Cups (1989, 1990, 1994) and also 2 Intercontinental Cups (1989, 1990). Probably the best moment came in 1994 when Milan "destroyed" Johan Cruyffs' Barcelona in the final of the Champions League (4-0). Baresi didn't play that game but his contribution to the team to reach the final were enormous.

Baresi also took part of the Italian NT in Italy 1990 and USA 1994. In 1990, Italy's defense, led by Baresi, didn't concede a single goal until they lost by penalties in the semifinals. In 1994, Baresi was injured in the opening game against Norway and only played the final. He did a great job holding Romario and Bebeto for the entire 120 minutes match, but when penalties came Baresi took the first one and missed....Brazil were crowned world champions.

Baresi retired three years later.... a golden ball was given to him by club president Silvio Berlusconi. "You will last forever", Berlusconi told him. A sad day for sure. Berlusconi himself wanted to retire when he heard Baresi was going to retire.

In total, Baresi played 505 Serie A matches for Milan and 50 more in the European Cup. He is currently working with Milan so he never broke his strong links with the club.

Franco Baresi embodied AC Milan for 20 years, the club acknowledged his unique contribution to the team by retiring his number 6 shirt, a shirt that probably nobody else could have filled.


Thanx for everything Franco!! As Berlu said.... you will last forever!

FORZA BARESI!!!!
FORZA MILAN!!!!

Very good post Goirre

If anyone needs to refresh themselves regarding Milan legends, they can follow this link: AC Milan Legends .

I'm just thinking which Legend I will speak about, since there are so many


Forza Milan

Roberto Donadoni is one of the best wingers who ever existed. He came in AC Milan from Atalanta Bergamo and he only left the red and black club for a two years journey in the United States of America, where he played for New York Metrostars, scoring 6 goals in 49 matches. Then he came back to AC Milan.

He was born in Cisano Bergamasco on the 8th of May 1960 and he debuted in proffesional footbal first in Serie B for Atalanta Bergamo on the 12th of September 1982 in a match between Atalanta and Pistoiese, finished 1-0. He came in Milan in 1986 and he helped the club to rise from the ashes of Serie B where it stayed for two seasons in the early 80's.

With the national side he played in the European Championship in Germany in 1988 and in England in 1996, the World Cup in 1990 and 1994.

He had no problems in winning trophies. He won with AC Milan everything he could possibly win.

He retired at AC Milan in the 1997/1998 season.


Trophies won:
5x Italian title
3x European Super Cup
3x European Cup
2x Intercontinental Cup

Ruud Gullit

He was born in Amsterdam (Hol, 1 September 1962.

Clubs: Meerboys, DWS, Haarlem, Feyenoord, PSV, AC Milan , Sampdoria, Chelsea.

Ruud Gullit is one of my favorite Milan players ever. It's hard to pick one or two Milan players that you adore, but he defenitely is one of my favorites.

'Il Tulipo Nero' (the black tulip), or 'The Dreadlocked Dynamo' played as a second striker, right wing, and even in defence. His athletical play was impressive, as was his technical skills.

He has won many, many trophies, I will sum the trophies up in his Milan period.
1987: World player of the year and European player of the year.
1988: Italian Champion
1988: European Champion with the Nederlands
1989: European cup 1, Worldplayer of the year, world cup for teams
1990: European Cup 1, European Supercup, World cup for teams
1991: European Supercup
1992: Italian Champion
1993: Italian Champion
1994: Italian cup ('Coppa Italia')

He has won other trophies with other teams as well. Quite impressive if you'll ask me.

When he went to England he became a coach for Chelsea, after he played there first. The first 2 years he was a player/coach, then he was only a coach. He has won the FA Cup with Chelsea, the most important trophie in England. He ended his playing career in 1998. After Chelsea he also has coached Newcastle.

He also played 66 matches with the Dutch NT. There he scored 17 times.

GIANNI RIVERA

One of our members wrote an amazing post in the "The greatest "10" of the AC Milan history" thread regarding Gianni Rivera. I will feel free to copy that post in here so the ones who didn't read that post in the other thread can have a chance to read it now.

FULL CREDITS TO OUR MEMBER GIANNIRIVERA FOR THIS AMAZING POST:

"Maybe I should explain my young friends who Gianni Rivera was as a player. For 20 years Rivera was not a Milan player: he was Milan ! He was born in 1943: he made his Serie A debut for Alessandria (his own town squad) at the age of 16 and soon became a target for big clubs. Milan won the race and the boy was called to Milan for a preview. he played a friendly game in a training camp along with Liedholm and Schiaffino and, at the end of the game, the two giants went to the manager and said "Get the boy!". So he made his debut for Milan in 1960 at the age of 17...He immediately became a pillar of the squad and, after winning the title in 1962, he went to Wembley for the Champions' Cup final in May 1963. The opponents were the glorious Benfica led by international superstar Eusebio. Milan won 2-1, with Altafini scoring two, inspired by Rivera. There was no satellite TV at the time, and people, the press, usually discovered players only when they could watch them playing live. The British press was struck by Rivera, who was then named "the golden boy". The Daily Mirror wrote that "Rivera has the world of football at his own feet".
In Italy, Rivera became the symbol of genius and football illumination. In 1968 he was the first italian to be named "Best European Player" by France Football. In those days there were people like Best, Charlton, Beckembauer, Muller, Riva, so I would not say the competition was weak...not to name a certain Pelè. A few critics pointed out that - in good and bad - Rivera epythomized a model of Italian player, very light weight, no athletism. Gianni Brera nicknamed him "abatino" (young priest) but the fans where in love with him. In one of his songs Enzo Jannacci sang that "When Rivera comes out of San Siro, the lights turn off". In 1969 Milan won their second Champions Cup in Madrid, destroying Crujiff's Ajax 4-1 with 3 goals scored by Prati, inspired by a marvellous Rivera. The fourth goal (Rivera dribbling the keeper, stopping, with his face up, lobbing from stand still to Prati who heads it into the goal) is a vivid image no football fan could ever delete from his mind.
Soon a great rivalry developed between Rivera and the icon of Inter, Sandro Mazzola (who was the son of the great Valentino Mazzola): Milan-Inter was to everybody Rivera-Mazzola.
Some critics, and the National team manager Valcareggi as well, believed the two could not play together, and Italy went to Mexico 1970 WC with the infamous and absurd "staffetta" (i.e. alternating the two for 45 minute each).
Rivera started from the bench the glorious semi-final against W Germany, and came as a substitute in extra-time. He scored the legendary 4-3 goal that gave Italy the victory, thus becoming a national hero. Incredibly, Valcareggi kept him on the bench in the final, and sent him in for the last 6 minutes, with Italy down 3-1. When the squad landed at Rome airport, they were greeted by protesters throwing vegetables...all exept Rivera, who in turn has always been very honest about that game. "I don't think I would have changed the game anyway....Brazil was too strong....but at least those 84 minutes on the bench saved my face from a few tomatoes..."
Rivera was the symbol of Milan in good and bad times, always with his number 10 striped red-black shirt. We went through the crisis of mid 70s with chairmen changing every 6 months. One of those (Buticchi) hinted that he could swap Rivera with Torino's Claudio Sala. Rivera was furious, and started organising a group of industrialists to takeover the club "If the chairman of Milan wants to sell me, I could actually buy AC Milan..." he said. In 1977 Milan went close to relegation, and the legendary Nereo Rocco (Rivera's biggest fan) was called for the last 3 crucial games. Rivera scored 2 goals at Cesena, thus saving the club from shame. The following year Liedholm came and, in 1978-79, Rivera was still the captain in the year of the 10th scudetto. In the last game, San Siro was overwhelmed with supporters, who were also sitting (thousands of them) in an area that was restricted because of refurbishing. Milan only needed a draw to be Champion of Italy after 10 years, but the referee could not give the kick off if those thousands of fan kept occupying the restricted areas. Rivera came in midfield with a microphone in his hands and asked the people to leave: in a matter of minutes, thousands of people quietly started flooding out of San Siro. Milan conquered their 10th scudetto....the star on their jersey. That was his last game: at the age of 36 Rivera retired with the scudetto on his heart.
514 games in Serie A, 127 goals. 3 scudetti, 2 Champions' Cups, 1 Intercontinental Cup, 2 Cups' Cups, 4 Italian Cups. To me he was a legend...I became a Milan fan because of him...I always wore my Milan n.10 jersey...I started watching football at the age of 3 and Milan to me was Gianni Rivera. Rivera was a symbol for a whole generation, not just a football player. His struggles against the power of football, referees, the federation, where epic, and always in the name of Milan: in many cases he was hated because he was too smart, and far more intelligent than the average, usually ignorant, football player. His arguments with the famous ref Concetto Lo Bello are a piece of Italian football history. But he is a very sensible man as well, besides a player: in mid 70s, at the top of his fame, he spent many nights a week in a community founded by a local priest, talking to people with drugs problems, animating a telephone help-line.
I was- years later - a great fan of Ruud Gullit, I watched all Milan home games in San Siro (both Serie A and Champions' Cup) and felt overjoyed for a number of years with all those victories Milan could get, but Rivera is to me on a different planet"

Again, the author of this post is giannirivera.


THANX FOR EVERYTHING GIANNI!!
FORZA MILAN!!!

Originally posted by Demi
Roberto Donadoni ........

Trophies won:
5x Italian title
3x European Super Cup
3x European Cup
2x Intercontinental Cup

He actually won 6 Serie A titles (1987-1988, 1991-1992, 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 1995-1996, 1998-1999) He also won 4 Italian Cups.
An amazing record!

GEORGE Manneh Oppong Ousman WEAH


* Born in Monrovia, Liberia on October 1, 1966. As a child he had big dreams of being a telephone operator in his hometown of Monrovia. It was truly blessing for the world that particular dream did not come true. George Weah became the best soccer player in the world and one of the most inspirational human beings as well.

Nicknamed the "Lion King" and "King George" by people of Liberia, George Weah has managed to collect almost every athletic accolade that can be awarded to an international soccer player. In 1995 be became the only player in history to have ever been named the European, African and FIFA Player of the Year in the same year. He has won numerous soccer awards in his home continent but none as great as being named the African Player of the Century in 1998. This award allows him to share company with other soccer greats such as Pele who earned this honor for South America and Franz Beckenbauer, Europe's Player of the Century. He was also inducted into the FIFA Hall of Fame in 1999. He has constantly been an offensive threat on every team he has played and has brought league championships to Monaco, Paris St.-Germain, AC Milan and Chelsea.

When Marco Van Basten abandoned his professional sports capacity, AC Milan and football lost not only an invaluable good, but also a forward with extraordinary skills. Many thought several years would have passed before finding another forward able to arouse enthusiasm in the fans at the San Siro stadium. When AC Milan faced Paris-St.Germain in the 1994-95 season in the Champion Clubs' Cup, George Weah, had already shown his skills with the team of the French capital, with his acrobatic actions and sudden attacks. Against AC Milan his performances were not extraordinary, but the management of the red-and-black was sure about his value, as a matter of fact, when Geroge joined the Italian Championship, he proved to be one best purchases on the 1995 market, allowing the AC Milan forward line to make the necessary jump to win the title. He scores unforgettable goals which will stay in the fan's minds as the goals at the Weah style, meaning bursting power, super speed and fatal kicks. After winning a championship and two French Cups with Monaco and Paris-St.Germain (a total of 199 matches and 79 goals in the French Championship) and having been voted twice African Golden Ball, he wins the Golden Ball, the first African player who succeeds in winning such a title. He suffers, at a psychological level, fo the drama of his land upset by the civil war, but offers, anyhow, his commitment and contribution, even at an economic and organization level, for the participation of the Liberian National Tema in the African Cup.

Children across the world emulate his grace on the field but it is his presence and charity off the field that has caught the attention of the world. George Weah was allowed to dream as a child. He dreamt about playing in the World Cup. Now, he is allowing an entire nation to dream of peace and prosperity, through the adventures of a little soccer team from Liberia. In a world where money talks and where top players in the world put pressure on national clubs demanding huge paychecks before they put on national colors, George Weah would rather give millions of his own money to help fund the Lone Stars, the Liberian National Team, on their quest for a World Cup berth. Liberia, a country that has been dealing with a violent civil war for the past decade, was threatened to be taken off the world soccer map. The reason it hasn't is George Weah.

George Weah is more than just an athlete. To his fans he is a truly legendary soccer player. To his Lone Star teammates and coaches he is a brother and a friend. To his nation he is an inspiration and a savior. George Weah is the embodiment of unity, promise and hope in sport.

Weah can look back on a glittering career of over 350 games in Europe's top divisions, scoring over 130 league goals.


* Club History

Young Survivor - 1981-84

Bongrange - 1984-85

Might Barole - 1985-86

Invincible Eleven - 1986-87

Tonerre Yaounde - 1987-88

AS Monaco - 1988-92, 2001-02

Paris St. Germain - 1992-95

AC Milan - 1995-99

Chelsea - 2000

Manchester City - 2000

Olympique Marseille - 2001

Al Jazira - 2002 till date


* HONOURS

Liberian 3rd Div League (82)

Cameroonian League (88)

French Cup (91, 93, 95)

French League (94)

French League Cup(95)

Italian League (96, 99)

English FA Cup (00)

African Footballer of the Year (89, 94, 95)

FIFA World Player of the Year (95)

European Footballer of the Year (95)

African Footballer of the Century (00)


* NICKS

Lion King / King George / Re Leone / Big George / Giorgino



Thank you for being in this club, you are the reflection of the Fossa Dei Leoni. you are the ultimate diavolo.


Forza MILAN

Grande Capitan!! (where is that damn proud smile? )

A great player......a great coach!

Great moments.......pure class........

never forgotten.....

maestro....unique.....Gianni