Formed: 1899
Nickname: Rossoneri (Red and Blacks), il Diavolo (the Devil)
UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• European Champion Clubs’ Cup: 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007; (1958), (1993), (1995), (2005)
• UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup: 1968, 1973; (1974)
• UEFA Super Cup: 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007; (1973), (1993)
Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
• League title: 18 (2011)
• Italian Cup: 5 (2003)
History
• The Milan Football and Cricket Club was founded on 16 December 1899 by a group of English businessmen led by Alfred Edwards. Tyre magnate and club president Piero Pirelli oversaw the construction of San Siro in 1926, but it was not until the 1950s that the Rossoneri began producing results to match that famous stage.
• In 1945 the club changed its name to Associazione Calcio Milan and it brought good luck, the Rossoneri celebrating their first Scudetto in 44 years in 1950/51 with a team led by the ‘Grenoli’ forward line comprising Swedes Gunnar Gren, Gunnar Nordahl and Nils Liedholm.
• Five years after a 3-2 extra-time defeat by Real Madrid CF in their first European Champion Clubs’ Cup final, the Rossoneri lifted the continental title after a 2-1 victory against SL Benfica at Wembley in 1963. With Gianni Rivera at the fulcrum Milan continued to pick up silverware, including a second European Cup in 1969, and he was still there when they claimed a tenth Italian title a decade later.
• In the mid-1980s Milan were transformed by Silvio Berlusconi. After appointing the little-known Arrigo Sacchi as coach, Dutch trio Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard helped the Rossoneri win back-to-back European Cups then the 1991/92 Serie A title without losing a game in Fabio Capello’s first season in charge. After losing the 1993 UEFA Champions League final to Olympique de Marseille, Milan demolished FC Barcelona in the showpiece the following year.
• Sacchi protégé Carlo Ancelotti became coach in November 2001 and took Milan to another Scudetto and two UEFA Champions League titles. In 2003 captain Paolo Maldini lifted the European Cup in England 40 years after his father had done the same. Four years later the Rossoneri atoned for their defeat on penalties by Liverpool FC in the 2005 final by beating them in Athens to clinch the trophy for a seventh time. Milan appointed Massimiliano Allegri as coach in 2010 and he enjoyed success in his debut season, securing the Diavolo’s first Scudetto since 2004.
Club records
Most appearances: Paolo Maldini (902)
Most goals: Gunnar Nordahl (221)
Record victory: Milan 13-0 Modena FC (First Division, 4 October 1914)
Record defeat: Milan 0-8 Bologna FC (First Division, 5 November 1922)
From: http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2012/clubs/club=50058/profile/index.html
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