A.C. Milan
Encyclopedia
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan (ˈmiːlan), is a professional Italian football
Football in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...

 club based in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

, Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

, that plays in the Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin
Herbert Kilpin
Herbert Kilpin was an English football pioneer, player and manager. He is best known as the founder of Italian club A.C. Milan.- Early years :...

 and businessman Alfred Edwards among others. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982-83 seasons, in the top-flight of Italian football
Football in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...

, known as Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 since 1929.

They are the current
2011–12 Serie A
The 2011–12 Serie A is the eightieth season since its establishment, and the second under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 9 September 2011 and will end on 13 May 2012. The league was originally scheduled to start on 27 August, but this was delayed due to a strike by the players...

 Italian football champions, and are the most successful club in world football in terms of international trophies along with Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

, with 18 officially recognized UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

 and FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 titles. Milan has won four world titles, more than any other club in the world, having won the Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...

 three times and the FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...

 once. Milan also won the European Cup/Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 on seven occasions, second only to Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

. They also won the UEFA Super Cup a record five times and the Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

 twice. Milan won every major competition in which it has competed, with the exception of the Europa League. Domestically, with 18 league titles Milan is the joint-second most successful club in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 behind Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...

 (27 titles), along with local rivals Inter
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

. They have also won the Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...

 five times, as well as a record six Supercoppa Italiana
Supercoppa Italiana
The Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...

 triumphs. Furthermore, Milan is the only team to have won the Serie A without losing a game, doing so in 1991-92 during a 58-match unbeaten run.

Milan's home games are played at San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...

, also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The stadium, which is shared with Inter, is the largest in Italian football, with a total capacity of 80,018. Inter are considered their biggest rivals, and matches between the two teams are called Derby della Madonnina
Derby della Madonnina
Derby della Madonnina, or the Milan Derby as it is sometimes known, is a football match between the Italian clubs Associazione Calcio Milan and Football Club Internazionale Milano. It is a hotly contested local derby and is one of the most followed derbies in football...

, which is one of the most followed derbies in football. As of 2010, Milan is the third most supported team in Italy, and the seventh most supported team in Europe, ahead of any other Italian team.

The owner of the club is former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

, and the vice-president is Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...

. The club is one of the wealthiest and most valuable in Italian and world football. It was a founding member of the now-defunct G-14
G-14
The G-14 was an organisation of European football clubs that existed between 2000 and 2008. It consisted of 14 teams initially, later expanded to 18...

 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association
European Club Association
The European Club Association is an organization representing football clubs in Europe- History :Formed on the dissolution of the G-14 group in January 2008, the European Club Association represents 201 clubs, made up of 103 ordinary members and 98 associated members, with at least one from each...

.

History

The club was founded as a football and cricket club on December 16, 1899 by British expatriates Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin
Herbert Kilpin
Herbert Kilpin was an English football pioneer, player and manager. He is best known as the founder of Italian club A.C. Milan.- Early years :...

, who came from the British city of Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

. In honor of its British origins, the club has retained the English spelling of the city's
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 name, as opposed to the Italian spelling Milano which it was forced to bear under the fascist regime
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...

. Milan won its first Italian championship in 1901 and a further two in succession in 1906 and 1907.

In 1908, Milan experienced a split caused by internal disagreements over the signing of foreign players, which led to the forming of another Milan-based team, Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

. Following these events, Milan did not manage to win a single domestic title until 1950–51. The 1950s saw the club return to the top of Italian football, headed by the famous Gre-No-Li
Gre-No-Li
Gre-No-Li is a contraction of the surnames of three Swedish footballers: Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm. The denomination was colloquially used after these players composed a formidable trio of strikers while playing for the Swedish national team and Italian club AC Milan in the...

 Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 trio Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren was a Swedish football player and coach. He is best known for playing for IFK Gothenburg and AC Milan. He was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio of forwards at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...

, Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...

 and Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm was a Swedish football midfielder and coach. Il Barone , as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of Sweden's "Gre-No-Li" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...

. In 1963, Milan won its first continental title by beating Benfica in the final of the European Cup. This success was repeated in 1969, and followed by an Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup (football)
The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...

 title the same year. After the retirement of Gianni Rivera
Gianni Rivera
Giovanni Rivera is an Italian former football midfielder, mostly as an offensive playmaker, who was awarded the Ballon d'Or, one of the most prestigious individual awards in football, in 1969. He played the majority of his career with Serie A side A.C. Milan...

 in 1979, Milan went into a period of decline, during which it was involved in the 1980 Totonero scandal
Totonero 1980
Totonero 1980 or Totonero was a scandal of match fixing in Italy in 1980 in Italian Serie A and Serie B. It was uncovered on 23 March 1980 by the Guardia di Finanza, after the spalling of two Roman shopkeepers, Alvaro Trinca and Massimo Cruciani, who declared that some Italian football players sold...

 and relegated to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 as punishment, for the first time in its history. The scandal was centered around a betting syndicate paying players and officials to fix the outcome of matches. Milan quickly returned to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

, but was again relegated to Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 one year later as the team ended its 1981–82 campaign in third last place.

On February 20, 1986 entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

 acquired the club and saved it from bankruptcy investing vast amounts of money, appointing rising manager Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach. He is best known for his success coaching Italian teams, particularly with Milan where he won back to back European Cups as coach in the late eighties where he was head coach of the Italy national football team . He was twice manager of A.C...

 at the helm of the Rossoneri and signing the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 trio of Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit
OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the...

, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard
Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard is a Dutch football manager of Dutch and Surinamese descent and former player. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan, and represented his national side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his coaching career, he has been at the helm of the Dutch national side,...

. This was the beginning of arguably the most successful era in Milan's history, as they won eight domestic titles, one Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia
The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...

, five Supercoppa Italiana
Supercoppa Italiana
The Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...

, five Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 trophies, five UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup
Intercontinental Cup may refer to:*Intercontinental Cup , a world football competition run by UEFA and CONMEBOL*ICC Intercontinental Cup, a first-class cricket competition run by the International Cricket Council for 12 of its associate members...

s and one FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...

. That successful team has been voted the best club side of all time, in a global poll of experts conducted by World Soccer magazine
World Soccer Magazine
World Soccer is an English language football magazine published by IPC Media. It specialises in the international football scene. Its regular contributing writers include Brian Glanville, Sid Lowe and Tim Vickery. World Soccer is a member of the European Sports Magazines , an umbrella group of...

. It had reached its peak in one Milan's most memorable matches of all time, the famous 4-0 win over F.C. Barcelona in the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final. In the 1998-99 season, after a two-year period of decline, Milan lifted its 16th championship in the club's centenary celebrations.

More recently, the club was involved in the 2006 Serie A scandal, nicknamed Calciopoli, where five teams were accused of fixing matches by selecting favorable referees. A police inquiry excluded any involvement of Milan managers, but FIGC unilaterally decided that it had sufficient evidence to charge Milan vice-president, Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...

. As a result, Milan was initially punished with a 15 point deduction and consequently did not qualify for the Champions League. An appeal saw that penalty reduced to eight points, which allowed the club to retain its 2006–07 Champions League participation. Milan subsequently won the competition, lifting the European Cup for the seventh
2007 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2007 UEFA Champions League Final was an association football match between A.C. Milan of Italy and Liverpool F.C. of England on 23 May 2007 at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece. The showpiece event was the final match of the 2006–07 season of Europe's premier cup competition, the UEFA...

 time.

Following the aftermath of Calciopoli, local rivals Internazionale dominated Serie A, winning four Scudetti. However, with the help a strong squad boasting players such as Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....

, Robinho
Robinho
Robson de Souza , more commonly known as Robinho, is a Brazilian professional footballer who currently plays as second striker and winger for Serie A club AC Milan...

 and Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Pato
Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva , commonly known as Alexandre Pato or simply Pato, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Italian Serie A club Milan and the Brazilian national team. His nickname, Pato, refers to his place of birth, Pato Branco...

 joining many of the old-guard, Milan recaptured the Scudetto in the 2010-11 Serie A season
2010–11 Serie A
The 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011...

, their first since the 2003-04 season, and 18th overall.

Colors and badge

Red and black are the colors which represented the club throughout its entire history. They were chosen to represent the players' fiery ardor (red) and the opponents' fear to challenge the team (black). Rossoneri, the team's widely-used nickname, literally means "the red & blacks" in Italian, in reference to the colors of the stripes on its jersey.

Another nickname derived from the club's colors is the Devil. An image of a red devil was used as Milan's logo at one point with a Golden Star for Sport Excellence
Star (football crest)
In association football, some national and club sides include one or more stars as part of the crest appearing on their shirt, to represent important trophies the team has previously won. Sometimes this is a unilateral decision by the team concerned rather than a privilege earned and sanctioned...

located next to it. As is customary in Italian football, the star above the logo was awarded to the club after winning 10 league titles, in 1979. For many years, Milan's badge was simply the Flag of Milan
Flag of Milan
The flag of Milan consists of a red cross in a white field or cloud, and inspired that of Genoa. This flag with red cross is in fact the flag of St. Ambrose , the city patron and also the saint whom the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio is dedicated to....

, which was originally the flag of Saint Ambrose. The modern badge used today represents the club colors and the flag of the Comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

 di Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

o
, with the acronym ACM at the top and the foundation year (1899) at the bottom.

White shorts and black socks are usually worn as part of the home strip. Milan's away strip has always been completely white. It is considered by both the fans and the club to be a lucky strip in Champions League finals, due to the fact that Milan has won six finals out of eight in an all white strip (losing only to Ajax in 1995 and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...

 in 2005), and only won one out of three in the home strip. The third strip, which is rarely used, changes yearly, being mostly black with red trimmings in recent seasons.

Stadium

The team's stadium is the 80,018 seat San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...

, officially known as Stadio Giuseppe Meazza after the former player who represented both Milan and Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

. The more commonly used name, San Siro
San Siro
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, originally and commonly referred to as the San Siro because of its location, officially given its current name on 3 March 1980, is a football stadium located in the San Siro district in Milan, Italy. It is the home of both A.C. Milan and F.C. Internazionale Milano...

, is the name of the district where it's located. San Siro has been the home of Milan since 1926, when it was privately built by funding from Milan's president at the time, Piero Pirelli. Construction was performed by 120 workers, and took 13 and a half months to complete. The stadium was owned by the club until it was sold to the city council in 1935, and since 1947 has been shared with Internazionale, when the other major Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

ese club was accepted as joint tenant.

The first game played at the stadium was on 19 September 1926, when Milan lost 6-3 in a friendly match against Internazionale. Milan played its first league game in San Siro on September 19 1926, losing 1-2 to Sampierdarenese. From an initial capacity of 35,000 spectators, the stadium has undergone several major renovations, most recently in preparation for the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...

 when its capacity was set to 85,700, all covered with a polycarbonate roof. In the summer of 2008 its capacity has been reduced to 80,018, in order to meet the new standards set by UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....

.

Based on the English model for stadiums, San Siro is specifically designed for football matches, as opposed to many multi-purpose stadiums used in Serie A. It is therefore renowned in Italy for its fantastic atmosphere during matches, thanks to the closeness of the stands to the pitch. The frequent use of flares
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...

 by supporters contributes to the atmosphere but the practice has occasionally caused problems.

On 19 December 2005, Milan vice-president and executive director Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...

 announced that the club is seriously working towards a relocation. He said that Milan's new stadium will be largely based on the Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena
Veltins-Arena is a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It opened in 2001, as the new home ground for German Bundesliga club Schalke 04....

 and will follow the standards of football stadiums in the United States, Germany and Spain. As opposed to many other stadiums in Italy, Milan's new stadium will likely be used for football only, having no athletics track. The new stadium's naming rights will be probably sold to a sponsor, similarly to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

's Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...

. It remains to be seen if this plan will proceed or if this is just a ploy to force the owners (Comune di Milano) to sell the stadium to Milan for a nominal fee so as to proceed with extensive renovations. The possibility of Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

 vacating San Siro may affect proceedings.

Supporters and rivalries

Milan is one of the best supported football clubs in Italy, according to research conducted by Italian newspaper La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...

. Historically, Milan was supported by the city's working-class and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

ists, a section of whom were migrants from Southern Italy. On the other hand, crosstown rivals Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...

 were mainly supported by the more prosperous and typically Milanese middle-class.
One of the oldest ultras
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...

 groups in all of Italian football, Fossa dei Leoni
Fossa dei Leoni
The Fossa dei Leoni, also referred to by the acronym FdL, was an association of ultras supporters of Italian professional football club Associazione Calcio Milan...

,
originated in Milan. Currently, the main ultras group within the support base is Brigate Rossonere. Politically, Milan ultras have never had any particular preference, but the media traditionally associated them with the left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...

, until recently, when Berlusconi's presidency somewhat altered that view.

According to a study from 2010, Milan is the most supported Italian team in Europe and seventh overall, with over 18.4 million fans.

Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...

 fans consider Milan a hated rival after Genoa fan, Vincenzo Spagnolo was stabbed to death by a Milan supporter in January 1995. However, Milan's main rivalry is with neighbor club, Internazionale; both clubs meet in the widely anticipated Derby della Madonnina
Derby della Madonnina
Derby della Madonnina, or the Milan Derby as it is sometimes known, is a football match between the Italian clubs Associazione Calcio Milan and Football Club Internazionale Milano. It is a hotly contested local derby and is one of the most followed derbies in football...

twice every Serie A season. The name of the derby refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose statue atop the Milan Cathedral is one of the city's main attractions. The match usually creates a lively atmosphere, with numerous (often humorous or offensive) banners unfolded before the start of the game. Flares
Flare (pyrotechnic)
A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signalling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications...

 are commonly present and contribute to the spectacle but they have occasionally led to problems, including the abandonment of the second leg of the 2004–05 Champions League quarterfinal match between Milan and Inter on 12 April 2005, after a flare thrown from the crowd by an Inter supporter struck Milan keeper Dida on the shoulder.

First team squad

.


Out on loan

Co-ownership

Notable players

Retired numbers

No. Player Nationality Position Milan debut Last match Ref
3* Centre back / Left back
6 Sweeper

* Might be restored for one of his two sons, should either of them play professionally for the club.

Current coaching staff

.
Position Name
Head coach Massimiliano Allegri
Assistant coach Mauro Tassotti
Mauro Tassotti
Mauro Tassotti is a retired Italian footballer. He played for seventeen years with A.C. Milan, mostly at right back but could also fill in at centre back if required, thanks to his versatility and commitment...

Goalkeeping coaches Marco Landucci
Marco Landucci
Marco Landucci is a retired Italian professional football player.He is currently a goalkeeper coach, along with Valerio Fiori for Serie A club A.C. Milan.-External links:*...

Valerio Fiori
Valerio Fiori
Valerio Fiori is an Italian former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper. He is currently a goalkeeping coach at Serie A club Milan.-Career:...

Technical assistant Andrea Maldera
Medical director Rodolfo Tavana
Club doctors Armando Gozzini
Stefano Mazzoni
Athletic Trainer Manager Daniele Tognaccini
Fitness coaches Simone Folletti
Fabio Allevi
Bruno Dominici
Sergio Mascheroni
Andrea Primitivi
Agostino Tibaudi
Chiropractor Kristian Baekkel
Physiotherapists Dario Lorenzo Fort
Stefano Grani
Roberto Morosi
Marco Paesanti
Masseurs Roberto Boerci
Endo Tomoroni

Presidential history

Milan has had numerous presidents over the course of its history, some of whom have been owners of the club while others have been honorary presidents. Here is a complete list of them.
G. Lorenzini
Rino Valdameri
|align=left|1935–1936
|}
|width="30"| 
|valign="top"|
Name Years
Emilio Colombo 1936–1939
Achille Invernizzi 1939–1940
Umberto Trabattoni 1940–1944
Antonio Busini
Antonio Busini
Antonio Busini was an Italian professional football player, coach and official.He played for 8 seasons in the Serie A for Bologna F.C...

1944–1945
Umberto Trabattoni 1945–1954
Andrea Rizzoli 1954–1963
Felice Riva 1963–1965
Federico Sordillo 1965–1966
Franco Carraro 1967–1971
Federico Sordillo 1971–1972

|width="30"| 
|valign="top"|
Name Years
Albino Buticchi 1972–1975
Bruno Pardi 1975–1976
Vittorio Duina 1976–1977
Felice Colombo 1977–1980
Gaetano Morazzoni 1980–1982
Giuseppe Farina 1982–1986
Rosario Lo Verde 1986
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

1986–2004
Presidential Commission 2004–2006
Silvio Berlusconi 2006–

|}

Managerial history

Below is a list of Milan coaches from 1900 until the present day.
József Bánás
| 
 
|align=left|1937–1938
|-
|align=left|József Viola
| 
|align=left|1938–1940
|-
|align=left|Guido Ara
Guido Ara
Guido Ara was an Italian association footballer and manager from Vercelli in the region of Piedmont. He is most noted for his playing career at Pro Vercelli where he was a one club man, winning six Serie A titles; during the club's entire history they only won seven...


Antonio Busini
Antonio Busini
Antonio Busini was an Italian professional football player, coach and official.He played for 8 seasons in the Serie A for Bologna F.C...


| 
 
|align=left|1940–1941
|-
|align=left|Mario Magnozzi
| 
|align=left|1941–1943
|-
|align=left|Giuseppe Santagostino
| 
|align=left|1943–1945
|-
|align=left|Adolfo Baloncieri
| 
|align=left|1945–1946
|-
|align=left|Giuseppe Bigogno
Giuseppe Bigogno
Giuseppe Bigogno was an Italian footballer and manager from Albizzate in the Province of Varese. He is most noted for his career at Fiorentina where he spent eight seasons in total. Bigogno went on to manage some of the top clubs in Italy, including Fiorentina, AC Milan, Internationale and...


| 
|align=left|1946–1949
|-
|align=left|Lajos Czeizler
Lajos Czeizler
Lajos Czeizler was a Hungarian football coach born in Heves.With altogether 11 major titles he remains one of the most successful football coaches of all time....


| 
|align=left|1949–1952
|-
|align=left|Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren
Gunnar Gren was a Swedish football player and coach. He is best known for playing for IFK Gothenburg and AC Milan. He was part of the famous "Gre-No-Li" trio of forwards at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...


| 
|align=left|1952
|-
|align=left|Mario Sperone
Mario Sperone
Mario Sperone was an Italian footballer and manager from Priocca in the region of Piedmont. He is most noted for his career at Torino where he spent nine seasons in total. Sperone went on to manage some of the top clubs in Italy, including AC Milan, Lazio and Torino.-Player:*1927–28 Italian...


| 
|align=left|1952–1953
|-
|align=left|Béla Guttmann
Béla Guttmann
Béla Guttmann was a Jewish Hungarian footballer and coach. He played as a midfielder for MTK Hungária FC, SC Hakoah Wien, Hungary and several clubs in the United States. However he is perhaps best remembered as a coach and manager of some the world’s leading football teams, including AC Milan, São...


| 
|align=left|1953–1954
|-
|align=left|Antonio Busini
Antonio Busini
Antonio Busini was an Italian professional football player, coach and official.He played for 8 seasons in the Serie A for Bologna F.C...


| 
|align=left|1954
|-
|align=left|Hector Puricelli
| 
|align=left|1954–1956
|-
|align=left|Giuseppe Viani
Giuseppe Viani
Giuseppe Viani was an Italian football player and manager from the Province of Treviso. Viani played his entire career in the Italian football system; he is most well known for his time with Internazionale and Lazio.After retiring from playing, Viani went on to manage many Italian football clubs,...


| 
|align=left|1957–1960
|-
|align=left|Paolo Todeschini
| 
|align=left|1960–1961
|-
|align=left|Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco was an Italian football player and manager. He is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, and the first proponent of catenaccio in the country.-Playing career:...


| 
|align=left|1961–1963
|-
|align=left|Luis Carniglia
Luis Carniglia
Luis Antonio Carniglia was a football striker and manager from Argentina. He played for Boca Juniors in the 1930s, but is probably best known for managing Real Madrid in the 1950s....


| 
|align=left|1963–1964
|-
|align=left|Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm was a Swedish football midfielder and coach. Il Barone , as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of Sweden's "Gre-No-Li" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...


| 
|align=left|1963–1966
|}
|width="30"| 
|valign="top"|
Name Nationality Years
Giovanni Cattozzo   1966
Arturo Silvestri   1966–1967
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco was an Italian football player and manager. He is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, and the first proponent of catenaccio in the country.-Playing career:...

  1966–1972
Cesare Maldini
Cesare Maldini
Cesare Maldini is an Italian football manager and former player. He played as a centre back and spent the majority of his career with AC Milan. Maldini also represented Italy at international level in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. His son Paolo, also a defender, previously held the record for the...

  1973–1974
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....

  1974
Gustavo Giagnoni
Gustavo Giagnoni
Gustavo Giagnoni is an Italian former footballer and manager from Olbia, Sardinia. He is most noted for his career as a footballing manager in Italy at clubs such as Roma, Bologna and AC Milan....

  1974–1975
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco was an Italian football player and manager. He is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, and the first proponent of catenaccio in the country.-Playing career:...

  1975
Paolo Barison
Paolo Barison
See Face FC| name = SEE FACE FC| image =| fullname =| birth_date = | birth_place = Technical University of Varna, Italy| league = Technical University Premier league-References:...

  1975–1976
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....

  1976
Giuseppe Marchioro   1976–1977
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco was an Italian football player and manager. He is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, and the first proponent of catenaccio in the country.-Playing career:...

  1977
Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm was a Swedish football midfielder and coach. Il Barone , as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of Sweden's "Gre-No-Li" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...

  1977–1979
Massimo Giacomini   1979–1981
Italo Galbiati
Italo Galbiati
Italo Galbiati is an Italian football coach and former player. He is a trusted assistant to Fabio Capello having worked with Capello at AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid...

  1981
Luigi Radice   1981–1982
Italo Galbiati
Italo Galbiati
Italo Galbiati is an Italian football coach and former player. He is a trusted assistant to Fabio Capello having worked with Capello at AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid...

  1982
Francesco Zagatti   1982
Ilario Castagner   1982–1984
Italo Galbiati
Italo Galbiati
Italo Galbiati is an Italian football coach and former player. He is a trusted assistant to Fabio Capello having worked with Capello at AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid...

  1984
Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm
Nils Liedholm was a Swedish football midfielder and coach. Il Barone , as he is affectionately known in Italy, was renowned for being part of Sweden's "Gre-No-Li" trio of strikers along with Gunnar Gren and Gunnar Nordahl at A.C. Milan and the Swedish national team...

  1984–1987
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...

  1987
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach. He is best known for his success coaching Italian teams, particularly with Milan where he won back to back European Cups as coach in the late eighties where he was head coach of the Italy national football team . He was twice manager of A.C...

  1987–1991
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...

  1991–1996
Oscar Tabárez
Oscar Tabárez
Óscar Wáshington Tabárez Silva, nicknamed El Maestro is a retired Uruguayan footballer who played as a defender, and the current manager of the Uruguayan national team....

  1996
Giorgio Morini
Giorgio Morini
Giorgio Morini is an Italian midfielder, who coached the Italian football team AC Milan for part of the 1996-97 season. As a player, Morini was part of the Serie A winning team of 1978/79.- Career :...

  1996–1997
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach. He is best known for his success coaching Italian teams, particularly with Milan where he won back to back European Cups as coach in the late eighties where he was head coach of the Italy national football team . He was twice manager of A.C...

  1997
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...

  1997–1998
Alberto Zaccheroni   1998–2001
Cesare Maldini
Cesare Maldini
Cesare Maldini is an Italian football manager and former player. He played as a centre back and spent the majority of his career with AC Milan. Maldini also represented Italy at international level in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. His son Paolo, also a defender, previously held the record for the...


Mauro Tassotti
Mauro Tassotti
Mauro Tassotti is a retired Italian footballer. He played for seventeen years with A.C. Milan, mostly at right back but could also fill in at centre back if required, thanks to his versatility and commitment...

  2001
Fatih Terim
Fatih Terim
Fatih Terim, Commendatore OSSI, is a Turkish football former player and manager. Terim was born in Adana, Turkey to Nuriye and Talat Terim. His father, Talat, is a Turkish Cypriot who emigrated to Turkey....

  2001
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...

  2001–2009
Leonardo
Leonardo Araújo
Leonardo Nascimento de Araújo, known as Leonardo , is a football manager and a former midfielder. He is currently active as director of football of French club Paris Saint-Germain....

  2009–2010
Massimiliano Allegri   2010–

|}

Honors

Milan is one of the most successful clubs in Italy, having won a total of 30 trophies. Together with Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

, Milan is the most successful club in the world in terms of international competitions won, with a record of 14 European trophies and four World titles. Milan has earned the right to place a star
Star (football crest)
In association football, some national and club sides include one or more stars as part of the crest appearing on their shirt, to represent important trophies the team has previously won. Sometimes this is a unilateral decision by the team concerned rather than a privilege earned and sanctioned...

 on its jersey in recognition of the fact that it has won at least ten scudetti. In addition, the club is permanently allowed to display a multiple-winner badge on its shirt as it has won more than five European Championship Cups.

League

  • Italian Football Championship
    Italian Football Championship
    The Italian Football Championship was the most senior football championship in Italy from the 1897/1898 season to the 1921/1922 season. In that last season, a concurrent championship, the Prima Divisione, was played by the richest clubs, which wanted to improve their income with a more elitarian...

     / Serie A
    Serie A
    Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

     (level 1)
    • Winners (18): 1901, 1906, 1907, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1961–62, 1967–68, 1978–79, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2010–11
      2010–11 Serie A
      The 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011...

    • Runners-up (16): 1902, 1910–11, 1911–12, 1947–48, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1989–90, 1990–91, 2004–05

  • Serie B
    Serie B
    Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

     (level 2)
    • Winners (2): 1980–81, 1982–83

Cups

  • Coppa Italia
    Coppa Italia
    The Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...

    • Winners (5): 1966–67, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1976–77, 2002–03
    • Runners-up (7): 1941–42, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1974–75, 1984–85
      1984–85 Coppa Italia
      -Second Leg:Sampdoria win 3–2 on aggregate.-References:...

      , 1989–90, 1997–98

  • Supercoppa Italiana
    Supercoppa Italiana
    The Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...

    • Winners (6): 1988
      1988 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 1988 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1987–88 Serie A winners Milan and 1987–88 Coppa Italia winners Sampdoria. It took place on 14 June 1989 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy, and was the first edition of the trophy...

      , 1992
      1992 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 1992 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1991–92 Serie A winners Milan and 1991–92 Coppa Italia winners Parma. It took place on 30 August 1992 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. A.C...

      , 1993
      1993 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 1993 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1992–93 Serie A winners Milan and 1992–93 Coppa Italia winners Torino. It took place on 21 August 1993 at the RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., USA...

      , 1994
      1994 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 1994 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1993–94 Serie A winners Milan and 1993–94 Coppa Italia winners Sampdoria. It took place on 28 August 1994 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. A.C...

      , 2004
      2004 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 2004 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2003-04 winners Milan and the 2003-04 Coppa Italia winners Lazio.The match result was a 3-0 victory for Milan after a hat-trick by Andriy Shevchenko.-Match details:-References:...

      , 2011
      2011 Supercoppa Italiana
      - References :...

    • Runners-up (3): 1996
      1996 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 1996 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1995–96 Serie A winners Milan and 1995–96 Coppa Italia winners Fiorentina. It took place on 25 August 1996 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy...

      , 1999
      1999 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 1999 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1998–99 Serie A winners Milan and 1998–99 Coppa Italia winners Parma. It took place on 21 August 1999 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy...

      , 2003
      2003 Supercoppa Italiana
      The 2003 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 2002-03 winner, and Milan, the Coppa Italia 2002-03 winner.It was the sixth appearance for Juventus and the seventh for Milan .The match was played in New York, U.S.A..-Match details:-References:...


European

  • UEFA Champions League
    UEFA Champions League
    The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

    • Winners (7): 1962–63, 1968–69, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94, 2002–03, 2006–07
    • Runners-up (4): 1957–58, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2004–05

  • UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
    UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
    The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

    • Winners (2): 1967–68, 1972–73
    • Runners-up (1): 1973–74

  • UEFA Super Cup
    • Winners (5): 1989
      1989 UEFA Super Cup
      The 1989 European Super Cup was the 14th UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's European Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup competitions. The 1989 Super Cup was played on a home-and-away basis, and was contested by Milan, winners of the 1988–89...

      , 1990
      1990 UEFA Super Cup
      The 1990 UEFA Super Cup was played between A.C. Milan and U.C. Sampdoria, with A.C. Milan winning 3–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:-External links:*...

      , 1994
      1994 UEFA Super Cup
      The 1994 UEFA Super Cup was contested between A.C. Milan of Italy and Arsenal of England . It was won by Milan, 2–0 on aggregate....

      , 2003
      2003 UEFA Super Cup
      The 2003 UEFA Super Cup was played on August 29, 2003 between A.C. Milan of Italy and F.C. Porto of Portugal. Milan qualified by beating Juventus in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Porto had made it to the Super Cup after beating Celtic in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Milan won the match 1–0...

      , 2007
      2007 UEFA Super Cup
      The 2007 UEFA Super Cup was the 32nd UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match between the winners of the previous season's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup competitions. The match was held at the Stade Louis II in Monaco on 31 August 2007 and contested by Milan and Sevilla...

    • Runners-up (2): 1973
      1973 UEFA Super Cup
      The 1973 UEFA Super Cup was played between Ajax and Milan, with Ajax winning 6–1 on aggregate. It is considered to be the first UEFA Super Cup, because Rangers took part in the 1972 competition despite being subject to a one-year ban by UEFA for a pitch invasion by their supporters following...

      , 1993
      1993 UEFA Super Cup
      The 1993 UEFA Super Cup was contested between Milan of Italy and Parma of Italy . It was won by Parma, 2–1 on aggregate. The final was contested over two legs with a leg at each of the sides' home grounds. The first leg took place at Ennio Tardini, Parma on 12 January 1994 and ended 0–1...


Worldwide

  • Intercontinental Cup
    Intercontinental Cup (football)
    The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...

    • Winners (3): 1969
      1969 Intercontinental Cup
      - Match details :-External links:* at RSSSF.com* at UEFA.com...

      , 1989
      1989 Intercontinental Cup
      The 1989 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 17 December 1989 between Milan of Italy, winners of the 1988–89 European Cup, and Atlético Nacional of Colombia, winners of the 1989 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of...

      , 1990
      1990 Intercontinental Cup
      The 1990 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 9 December 1990 between Milan of Italy, winners of the 1989–90 European Cup, and Olimpia of Paraguay, winners of the 1990 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of 60,228...

    • Runners-up (4): 1963
      1963 Intercontinental Cup
      - Match details :- Match details :- Match details :-External links:* at RSSSF.com* at UEFA.com* at FIFA.com...

      , 1993
      1993 Intercontinental Cup
      The 1993 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 12, 1993 between A.C. Milan, runners-up of the 1992-93 UEFA Champions League, and São Paulo, winners of the 1993 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo...

      , 1994
      1994 Intercontinental Cup
      The 1994 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on December 1, 1994 between A.C. Milan, winners of the 1993-94 European Cup, and Vélez Sársfield, winners of the 1994 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the National Stadium in Tokyo...

      , 2003
      2003 Intercontinental Cup
      -See also:*Intercontinental Cup*UEFA Champions League*Copa Libertadores*FIFA Club World Cup-External links:*...


  • FIFA Club World Cup
    FIFA Club World Cup
    The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...

    • Winners (1): 2007
      2007 FIFA Club World Cup
      The 2007 FIFA Club World Cup was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 December to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament organised by FIFA for the winners of each confederation's top continental club tournament....


Club statistics and records

Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club...

 holds the records for both total appearances and Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 appearances for Milan, with 902 official games played in total and 647 in Serie A (as of 31 May 2009, not including playoff matches), the latter being an all time Serie A record.

Swede
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 forward Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl
Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish football player, best known for his play in AC Milan 1949-1956.-Sweden:...

 scored 38 goals in the 1950–51 season, 35 of which were in Serie A, setting an Italian football
Football in Italy
Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...

 and club record. He went on to become Milan's all time top goalscorer, scoring 221 goals for the club in 268 games. He is followed in second place by Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a Ukrainian footballer who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team as a striker. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 2011-03-10, behind Filippo Inzaghi and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with A.C...

 with 175 goals in 322 games, and Gianni Rivera
Gianni Rivera
Giovanni Rivera is an Italian former football midfielder, mostly as an offensive playmaker, who was awarded the Ballon d'Or, one of the most prestigious individual awards in football, in 1969. He played the majority of his career with Serie A side A.C. Milan...

 in third place, who has scored 164 goals in 658 games. Rivera is also Milan's youngest ever goalscorer, scoring in a league match against Juventus at just 17 years.

Legendary tactician Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco was an Italian football player and manager. He is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, and the first proponent of catenaccio in the country.-Playing career:...

, the first proponent of catenaccio
Catenaccio
Catenaccio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", implying a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals.-History:...

 in the country, was Milan's longest serving head coach, sitting on the bench for over 9 years (in two spells) in the 1960s and early 1970s, winning the club's first European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

 triumphs. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

, who purchased the club in 1986, is Milan's longest serving president (23 years, due to a two-year vacancy between 2004-2006), as well as the most successful president of any football team in the world.

The first official match in which Milan participated was in the Third Federal Football Championship, the predecessor of Serie A, losing 3–0 to Torinese
F.B.C. Torinese
Foot-Ball Club Torinese was an Italian football club from Turin, originally founded in 1894. The club is most noted for competing in the first ever Italian Football Championship and staying in the competition until the club finally became defunct in 1906....

. Milan's biggest ever victory was 13–0 versus Audax Modena
Modena F.C.
Modena Football Club is an Italian football club based in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. The club was formed in 1912 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, after being relegated from a two year period in Serie A in the year 2004. The team's previous stay in Italy's top division ended in 1964. The team...

, in a league match at the 1914–15 season. Its heaviest defeat was recorded in the league at the 1922–23 season, beaten 0–8 by Bologna
Bologna F.C. 1909
Bologna Football Club 1909, known simply as Bologna, is an Italian Football League club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, formed in 1993. The club are nicknamed the rossoblù because of the red and blue striped shirts they wear. Red and Blue are the official colours of the town.During its history...

.

The club holds the unique record of having gone an entire season without losing a game, during 1991–92. In total, that unbeaten streak lasted 58 games, starting with a 0–0 draw with Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...

 on 26 May 1991 and coincidentally ending with a 1–0 loss at home to Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...

 on 21 March 1993. This unbeaten streak is a Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 record and is the third longest unbeaten run in top flight European football. It comes in behind Steaua Bucureşti's record of 104 unbeaten games and Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...

's 68 game unbeaten run.

Along with Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....

, Milan won more FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

 recognized international club titles than any other club in the world.

The sale of Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...

 to Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...

 in 2009, broke the 8-year-old world football transfer record
World football transfer record
This is a list of the progression of the world association football transfer record when measured in British pounds.-See also:*Highest transfer fees*Progression of British football transfer fee record-Notes:...

 held by Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...

, costing the Spanish club £56 million. However, that record lasted for less than a month, broken by Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...

's £80 million transfer. This record, however, is in terms of nominal British pound rates, not adjusted to inflation or the real value in Euro, the currency used in Italy and Spain.

A.C. Milan as a company

Milan is a subsidiary of Fininvest Group
Fininvest
Fininvest is a financial holding company controlled by Silvio Berlusconi's family and managed by Silvio Berlusconi's eldest daughter Marina Berlusconi.-Structure:...

 since 1986. The office of club president has been vacant since May 8, 2008, following a new Italian law that forbids the country's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...

, to have other managing roles in private companies or clubs. The vice president and CEO of the company is Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani
Adriano Galliani is an Italian entrepreneur who has been serving as vice-president and C.E.O. of Italian football club Associazione Calcio Milan since 1986. During his tenure as CEO, Milan have won five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles and eight Serie A titles among other achievements and...

.

According to The Football Money League
Deloitte Football Money League
The Deloitte Football Money League is a ranking of football clubs by revenue generated from football operations. It is produced annually by the accountancy firm Deloitte and released in early February of each year, describing the season most recently finished....

published by consultants Deloitte
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited , commonly referred to as Deloitte, is one of the Big Four accountancy firms along with PricewaterhouseCoopers , Ernst & Young, and KPMG....

, in the 2005–06 season, Milan was the fifth highest earning football club in the world with an estimated revenue of €233.7 million. The club is also ranked as the sixth wealthiest football club in the world by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...

magazine as of 2011, making it the wealthiest in Italian football.

Fly Emirates is the current main sponsor for Milan's shirt starting for the 2010–11 season and lasting 5 years, after 4 years with Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n online betting company bwin.com as the sponsor.

Previously, the German car manufacturer Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...

 had sponsored Milan for 12 seasons. For most of them, Opel was displayed on the front of the shirt, but in the 2003–04 and the 2005–06 seasons respectively, Meriva and Zafira (two cars from their range) were displayed.

The current shirts are supplied by German sportswear manufacturer Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

, whose deal runs to the end of the 2017–18 season. The deal makes Adidas the official manufacturer of all kits, training equipment and replica outfits. Prior to Adidas, the Italian sports company Lotto
Lotto Sport Italia
Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut...

 produced Milan's sportswear.

On 14 January 2008, Milan and Adidas renewed the sponsorship contract until 30 June 2018. According to the new contract, Adidas will be responsible for 3 separate areas of sponsorship; the sponsorship on the shirt, the merchandising and the distribution of all non-football related Milan products.

AC Milan Spa. made an aggregate net loss in recent year, was one of the largest among the Italian clubs, which: 2005, net loss of €4,582,000; 2006, a net income of €2,477,791 (contributed by the sales of Shevchenko
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko is a Ukrainian footballer who plays for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team as a striker. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 2011-03-10, behind Filippo Inzaghi and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with A.C...

); 2007, a net loss of €31,978,699; 2008, a net loss of €76,990,913; 2009, a net loss of €18,948,018 (contributed by the sales of Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...

) and most recently a net loss of €64,803,893.

AC Milan had re-capitalization of €25 million in 2007 financial year; €50 million in 2008; a loan of €2.34 million from Fininvest was converted to shares capital in 2009 and €45,068,018 in 2010 (€20.894 million of the capital increase was converted from shareholder loan). However, the group has had negative equity
Negative equity
Negative equity occurs when the value of an asset used to secure a loan is less than the outstanding balance on the loan. In the United States, assets with negative equity are often referred to as being "underwater", and loans and borrowers with negative equity are said to be "upside down".People...

 at the end of each fiscal year since 2006. The balance was €40.768 million in 2006, €47.483 million in 2007, €64.482 million in 2008, €71.978 million in 2009 and €96.693 million in 2010.

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1981–82 Linea Milan Pooh Jeans
1982–83 NR Hitachi
Hitachi
Hitachi is a multinational corporation specializing in high-technology.Hitachi may also refer to:*Hitachi, Ibaraki, Japan*Hitachi province, former province of Japan*Prince Hitachi and Princess Hitachi, members of the Japanese imperial family...

1983–84 Cuore
1984–85 Rolly Go Oscar Mondadori
1985–86 Gianni Rivera Fotorex U-Bix
1986–87 Kappa
Kappa (company)
Kappa is an Italian company specialized at the manufacture of sporting clothes and accessories, that started as a sock and underwear manufacturer in 1916 in Turin.-Logo:...

1987–90 Mediolanum
1990–92 Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

1992–93 Motta
1993–94 Lotto
Lotto Sport Italia
Lotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut...

1994–98 Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...

1998–06 Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...

2006–10 Bwin
Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment
bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Plc is an online gambling company, formed by the March 2011 merger of PartyGaming plc and bwin. The world's largest publicly traded online gambling firm, it is best known for its online poker room PartyPoker.com and its sports betting brand Bwin. It is...

2010–15 Fly Emirates

Superleague Formula

Milan has a team in the new Superleague Formula
Superleague Formula
Superleague Formula is an open wheel single seater motor racing formula, which started in 2008, at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. The league introduced team sponsorship by association football clubs. It goes by the saying 'The Beautiful Race: Football at 300 km/h'. By 2011 the link with...

 race car series where teams are sponsored by football clubs. Robert Doornbos
Robert Doornbos
Robert Michael Doornbos is a Dutch racing driver. He has been test and third driver for the Jordan and Red Bull Racing Formula One teams, as well as driving for Minardi and Red Bull Racing in 2005 and 2006. Doornbos then drove for Minardi Team USA in the 2007 and final season of the Champ Car...

, formerly driving for Minardi
Minardi
Minardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans...

 and Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing is a Formula One racing team based in Milton Keynes, England which currently holds an Austrian licence. It is, along with Scuderia Toro Rosso, one of two teams owned by beverage company Red Bull GmbH. The team have won two Constructors' Championship titles, in and , becoming the...

 in the Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...

 World Championship, drove for Milan in 2008. Doornbos won his first race for the team at Nürburgring
2008 Nürburgring Superleague Formula round
The 2008 Nürburgring Superleague Formula round was the second round of the inaugural Superleague Formula championship, with the races taking place on September 21, 2008. Eighteen football teams were represented on the grid, one more than at the opening round at Donington Park, with the introduction...

, Germany. Giorgio Pantano
Giorgio Pantano
Giorgio Pantano is an Italian racing driver who drove for the Jordan Formula One team for much of the 2004 season before being replaced by Timo Glock...

 is driving for Milan in the 2009 season
2009 Superleague Formula season
The 2009 Superleague Formula season was the second Superleague Formula championship. The series has been rebranded "Superleague Formula by Sonangol" for this season and also 2010 with the Angolan oil company becoming the title sponsor...

 and he has also won races for the team.

Historical information

  • Football in Italy
    Football in Italy
    Football is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italian national football team has won the FIFA World Cup 4 times , trailing only Brazil . Italy's club sides have won 27 major European trophies, making them the most successful European nation in the subject of football...

  • Timeline of football
  • Italian cultural icons

Lists

  • List of Italian football champions
    Italian football champions
    The Italian football champions are the annual winners of Serie A, Italy's premier annual football league competition. The title has been contested since 1898 in varying forms of competition. While Milan are the current champions, Juventus have won a record 27 championship titles...

  • List of world club champions
  • List of Italian club competition winners
  • UEFA Champions League finals
    European Cup and Champions League finals
    The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal association football competition established in 1955. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA member associations , as well as to the clubs finishing from second to fourth position in the strongest leagues...

  • List of UEFA club competition winners
  • List of confederation and inter-confederation club competition winners

Records and recognitions

  • Italian football competition records
    Football records in Italy
    -Consecutives:* 5, Juventus * 5, Torino * 5, Internazionale -Most points in a season:2 Teams in Final Round 1928–29...

  • European Cup and Champions League records and statistics
  • UEFA club competition records
  • IFFHS Best European Clubs of the 20th Century

Economic rankings

  • Deloitte's list of the highest earning football clubs in the world
    Deloitte Football Money League
    The Deloitte Football Money League is a ranking of football clubs by revenue generated from football operations. It is produced annually by the accountancy firm Deloitte and released in early February of each year, describing the season most recently finished....

  • Forbes' list of the most valuable football clubs in the world


External links

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