The all-time greatest AC Milan XI
Picking diamonds from diamonds!
AC Milan is one of the great clubs in football and lays strong claim to being the greatest club side ever assembled. A long list of distinguished players have graced the Rossoneri ranks.
This raises the question: What could an All-Time XI look like?
AC Milan has a distinguished history in Italy and Europe. There is a long list of players including all-time greats and under-rated luminaries.
After some tough choices, I’ve compiled a list. It’s presented in 4–4–2 formation, in a nod to the 1989/90 vintage. The Manager of course is the magician, the Prophet of Fusigano — Arrigo Sacchi.
Goalkeeper
The obvious choice is Sebastiano Rossi. The default keeper for AC Milan’s golden decade from 1990–2002, Rossi (still) holds the record for the fewest goals conceded in a single season (11). Playing behind Milan’s fabled defence, his record of most minutes without conceding stood for 12 years before being surpassed by Buffon. Talking about Buffon, his grand uncle Lorenzo Buffon had a distinguished career for AC Milan in the early 50s and alongside Abbiati and Rossi, is the most capped Italian keeper for Milan.
Defence
It’s well known that AC Milan sides of the late 80s and early 90s fielded the best club defence ever seen.
Billy Costacurta and his compatriot Franco Baresi, marshal the central defence — as a matter of course. Part of AC Milan’s all-star back line and long serving players, these two defined defending, and AC Milan.
Paolo Maldini, Il Capitano, the greatest ever full back and arguably the greatest ever defender, is a natural pick. Joining AC Milan’s great captain, on the opposite flank, is his compatriot for club and country, Alessandro Nesta. Maldini and Nesta have played in central roles but I’ve retained them in their original roles on left and right flanks. There is a tough choice to leave out Tassotti, who was part of AC Milan’s fabled defensive quartet but Nesta gets the nod, narrowly. In reality, these two would be interchangeable.
Midfield
If solidity defined AC Milan’s defence, elegance and versatility defined the great midfielders who have worn Rossoneri colours.
Frank Rijkaard — needs no introduction. Elegant, intelligent and strong, Rijkaard was a pivotal defensive midfielder, crucial to AC Milan’s great fortunes in Italy and Europe. Tremendously versatile, the European Championship winning Dutchman was the exemplar of Sacchi’s TotalFootball and Renaissance ideals, being able to play anywhere on the pitch — from defence, midfield, playmaking and indeed even advanced attacking roles!
Demetrio Albertini was fundamental to the fortunes of AC Milan and Italy in the 90s. A composed midfielder, known for his incredible range and accuracy in passing and set pieces, he was the successor to Ancelotti and the predecessor of Pirlo, at AC Milan — two all-time Italian greats in their own right. This central midfielder and deep lying playmaker could also be fielded on the wing, as required.
Gianni Rivera, the Golden Boy, widely regarded as one of Italy’s greatest ever footballers, won 3 Serie A and 2 European Cup titles with AC Milan, in addition to being their captain for 12 years. Technically gifted, elegant, and a sublime passer, the Ballon d’Or winner was a versatile attacking midfielder being able to be deployed in a variety of midfield and front-line positions.
Clarence Seedorf, who made a whopping 300 appearances for AC Milan, makes the cut here against stiff competition from the industrious long serving Roberto Donadoni and Seedorf’s Dutch compatriot, the incomparable and World Record transfer for AC Milan — Ruud Gullit. The only player to win Champions League with 3 different clubs, Seedorf was athletic, tactically astute and incredibly versatile — being able to play anywhere in midfield.
Attack
Up front, AC Milan saw spearheads of their Swedish and Dutch trios wreak havoc on opposition defences. Among many strikers and goal poachers, AC Milan count in their ranks two all-time greats.
Marco van Basten, the Swan of Utrecht, was the F-35 equivalent for AC Milan. The three-time Ballon d’Or winner is one of the greatest strikers of all time -known for being elegant, precise and lethal in front of goal. The World Player of the Year was the face of AC Milan’s strike force in their golden era.
Nils Gunnar Nordahl, part of immortal Gre-No-Li trio, is AC Milan’s top scorer of all time. He won an unprecedented 5 Copacannonieri (Serie A top scorer) awards and is third in all-time Serie A goal-scoring charts. Nordahl played between 1948–1956 and his credible records are still standing today!
Subs from…
A number of other players could also make the All-Time XI. Such has been the talent in Milan’s ranks, these players are a veritable Who’s Who of football:
- Ruud Gullit — all-time great who requires no further introduction. Part of AC Milan’s fabled Dutch trio who ushered in AC Milan’s golden era.
- Jose Altafini — prolific goalscorer for AC Milan who scored twice in their inaugural European Cup triumph in 1963, and his record of 14 goals in that tournament was broken only by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013/14.
- Cesare Maldini — father of the Paolo and like him a versatile defender, Cesare captained AC Milan to their first ever European Cup in 1963. In a beautiful coincidence, Paolo would emulate his father in leading Milan to their Champions League title in 2003, 40 years later, and at Wembley!
- Nils Liedholm — part of the Gre-No-Li trio of Swedish players, the attacking midfielder Liedholm is considered one of Milan’s best players and was voted as the best Swedish player of the millennium.
- Marcel Desailly — was a tough and skilful player in the mould of Rijkaard. Back-to-back European Cup wins (Marseille and Milan) and a World Cup with France mark him as one of the best defenders of his generation.
- Carlo Ancelotti — a combative and versatile midfielder, Ancelotti was a playmaker in Sacchi’s legendary Milan sides of the late 80s. He won back-to-back European Cups with AC Milan and later won two Champions League titles as coach for Milan. A bonafide club legend.
- Roberto Donadoni —a winger who could play in the centre, Donadoni was instrumental to AC Milan and Italian sides of the late 80s and early 90s. With 6 Serie A titles and 3 European Cup victories, little wonder that he is in the AC Milan Hall of Fame.
- Mauro Tassotti — versatile and technically adept full-back, Tassotti was an integral part of AC Milan’s fabled defence winning 17 titles with Milan!
Honorable mentions
A number of other players made an important mark on Milan:
- Lorenzo Buffon, Christian Abiatti, Andrij Shevchenko, Ricardo Kaka, Roberto Baggio, Filippo Inzaghi, Angelo Colombo, and Filippo Galli.
All of them have won at least one Scudetto with AC Milan and except Buffon and Baggio, all others have won at least one European Cup with AC Milan.
Paradoxically, selecting an All-Time XI reveals AC Milan’s real contribution to football. Instead of being a collection of stars, it was a system based on an innovative philosophy. A number of players (just) missing out on our All-Time XI would probably start if our All-Star team ever took to the pitch. Players like Donadoni, Colombo, Tassotti etc. may have been superseded by players who are considered, pound-for-pound, better than them. Football though is a team game. What these players brought to the team and how they slotted into the underpinning system, is what makes them stand out.
The All-Time XI retains 6 first-choice players from Sacchi’s AC Milan, with another 3 players making strong arguments for inclusion. That’s potentially 9 players from one era! While other teams build around stars, AC Milan ushered in their golden age by studding stars into a team. Strategy, execution, talent — AC Milan masterfully interweaved these threads of excellence.
In AC Milan’s case, all that glittered was gold, in every sense, at every level.
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