AC Milan - The most successful sugar daddy club of all time?

[Skills]

So successful that people eventually forgot the injection of Berlusconi's cash that made them a European super power? Will City eventually be recognised the same way? Obviously Milan were a big club before Berlusconi, the club that shared the historic San Siro but were still behind Juventus and even Inter in the "big club" stakes. By the end of the 00s they were the biggest/most famous Italian club on a global scale.

How do you view them?

 

[Harry190]

Yeah, no. Historical club before that. Actually had great players and European cups.

 

[GifLord]

So successful that people eventually forgot the injection of Berlusconi's cash that made them a European super power? Will City eventually be recognised the same way? Obviously Milan were a big club before Berlusconi, the club that shared the historic San Siro but were still behind Juventus and even Inter in the "big club" stakes. By the end of the 00s they were the biggest/most famous Italian club on a global scale.

How do you view them?

They were in major decline - were basically a mid table club + the Totonero scandal. They were relegated twice in the early 80s

 

[harms]

Nope. They've had won many trophies before that with multiple great generations. They've consistently attracted top-tier talents from all over the world like Schiaffino, Gre-No-Li (Gren, Nordahl & Liedholm, the original foreign trio), Hamrin & Schnellinger. They've had immensely talented Italian players like Gianni Rivera (one of the greatest Italian players of all-time and a Ballon d'Or winner), Prati, Rosato, Altafini (of Italian heritage, at least).

Berlusconi had triggered the best period in their history with his money and political influence, but they were a great club before that.

It's like saying that Fergie was the one who put Manchester United on the map.

 

[RoyH1]

Yeah, no. Historical club before that. Actually had great players and European cups.

This. They were a huge club before Berlusconi too. They cannot be compared to Manchester City who had won a league title in the late sixties (maybe one in the 30's if I remember correctly?) and the odd FA cup.

 

[Invictus]

While Milan definitely benefited from Berlusconi's significant riches as he resurrected and improved the club at just the right time (football turned into a truly global phenomenon towards the late '80s and early '90s which made their popularity soar in newer markets), they could be categorized as European super powers since the '50 and '60s as they had won 2 Latin Cups (precursor to the European Cup format), were the first Italian club to reach the European Cup final and the first Italian club to win the competition under Nereo Rocco ⁠— and had won a total of 2 European Cups and 10 Serie A titles before the takeover. Even without Silvio, Van Basten, Gullit, Sacchi, Rijkaard, Shevchenko, Nesta they would have the tradition of Altafini, Rivera, Viani, Gre-No-Li, Baresi, Kiplin, Schiaffino, Rocco, Maldini and the likes...which is nothing to scoff at. By the broader sugar daddy definition, Juventus have benefited from the wealth and influence of the Agnellis / Gruppo Fiat...like signing Sivori and Charles in the '50s for massive amounts of money, Internazionale from Angelo Moratti's since the '50s...like signing Luis Suárez Miramontes or Harald Nielsen for world record figures around the “Grand Inter” era under Herrera, and so forth. Very few giants became giants purely on their own merit, and the Italian giants in particular were always given a competitive edge by their benefactors.

 

[JPRouve]

While Milan definitely benefited from Berlusconi's significant riches as he resurrected and improved the club at just the right time (football turned into a truly global phenomenon towards the late '80s and early '90s which made their popularity soar in newer markets), they could be categorized as European super powers since the '50 and '60s as they had won 2 Latin Cups (precursor to the European Cup format), were the first Italian club to reach the European Cup final and the first Italian club to win the competition under Nereo Rocco ⁠— and had won a total of 2 European Cups and 10 Serie A titles before the takeover. Even without Silvio, Van Basten, Gullit, Sacchi, Rijkaard, Shevchenko, Nesta they would have the tradition of Altafini, Rivera, Viani, Gre-No-Li, Baresi, Kiplin, Schiaffino, Rocco, Maldini and the likes...which is nothing to scoff at. By the broader sugar daddy definition, Juventus have benefited from the wealth and influence of the Agnellis / Gruppo Fiat...like signing Sivori and Charles in the '50s for massive amounts of money, Internazionale from Angelo Moratti's since the '50s...like signing Luis Suárez Miramontes or Harald Nielsen for world record figures around the “Grand Inter” era under Herrera, and so forth. Very few giants became giants purely on their own merit, and the Italian giants in particular were always given a competitive edge by their benefactors.

But where the money came from?

 

[RoyH1]

While Milan definitely benefited from Berlusconi's significant riches as he resurrected and improved the club at just the right time (football turned into a truly global phenomenon towards the late '80s and early '90s which made their popularity soar in newer markets), they could be categorized as European super powers since the '50 and '60s as they had won 2 Latin Cups (precursor to the European Cup format), were the first Italian club to reach the European Cup final and the first Italian club to win the competition under Nereo Rocco ⁠— and had won a total of 2 European Cups and 10 Serie A titles before the takeover. Even without Silvio, Van Basten, Gullit, Sacchi, Rijkaard, Shevchenko, Nesta they would have the tradition of Altafini, Rivera, Viani, Gre-No-Li, Baresi, Kiplin, Schiaffino, Rocco, Maldini and the likes...which is nothing to scoff at. By the broader sugar daddy definition, Juventus have benefited from the wealth and influence of the Agnellis / Gruppo Fiat...like signing Sivori and Charles in the '50s for massive amounts of money, Internazionale from Angelo Moratti's since the '50s...like signing Luis Suárez Miramontes or Harald Nielsen for world record figures around the “Grand Inter” era under Herrera, and so forth. Very few giants became giants purely on their own merit, and the Italian giants in particular were always given a competitive edge by their benefactors.

Top post.

 

[giorno]

But where the money came from?

Sugar daddy owners! The *only* italian club that won stuff without being technically a sugar daddy club is juventus of the past 8 years, and even that is arguable

 

[JPRouve]

Sugar daddy owners! The *only* italian club that won stuff without being technically a sugar daddy club is juventus of the past 8 years, and even that is arguable

That's my understanding of Italian football, it's very much like french sports, they all started with sugar daddies/patrons.

 

[Invictus]

But where the money came from?

Umberto Trabattoni and then the Rizzoli media family (who signed pivotal figures like Schiaffino, Altafini and Maldini Sr. and also bankrolled the Milanello training complex)...

 

[Snow]

Surely Real Madrid is a sugar daddy club?

 

[GifLord]

Surely Real Madrid is a sugar daddy club?

Funded by the country?
Anyways both Real and Barca were getting over 50% of the La Liga Tv rights for over 15 years - since the early 2000s. They each pocketed close to 150mil every season.

They changed the structure in 2016-17

 

[11101]

Yeah, no. Historical club before that. Actually had great players and European cups.

Yeah, they were a huge club. City were an irrelevance. Is this a City fans attempt to make themselves feel better?

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

It's always been my instinct that of the most successful European countries at club level, the Italians and Spanish are the ones that owe the largest pecentage of that success to financial advantage over other leagues and padding out squads with elite foreigners to really make the difference.

Not sure how fair that is if you really looked into it though.

 

[duffer]

Having a sugar daddy is great. Everyone should try it.

 

[giorno]

It's always been my instinct that of the most successful European countries at club level, the Italians and Spanish are the ones that owe the largest pecentage of that success to financial advantage over other leagues and padding out squads with elite foreigners to really make the difference.

Not sure how fair that is if you really looked into it though.

You are correct. In the case of the spanish sides it gets murkier as you get the dictatorship, regional and city councils, banks offering loans at suspicious conditions, big tax breaks, etc...

Italian clubs more straight-forward, rich owners pumping their own fortunes into the clubs. Some murky stuff involving juventus shifting money from one property to another, closing down manufacturies and sacking employees, and the Agnelli family throwing their considerable socio-economic weight around to get concessions and advantageous conditions, but this stuff is rarer in italian football

 

[GifLord]

Before/After Berlusconi

 

[George Owen]

Zlatan finally with the 4-2. Nice goal.

 

[Karel Podolsky]

Having a sugar daddy is great. Everyone should try it.

No, only clubs who won something in 50s or 60s deserve sugar daddy. That's what I read here.

 

[adexkola]

No, only clubs who won something in 50s or 60s deserve sugar daddy. That's what I read here.

Pretty much.

 

[wrepdrep]

They were in major decline - were basically a mid table club + the Totonero scandal. They were relegated twice in the early 80s

We were in the same situation as Juventus post-Calciopoli 2006-2011. Everyone knew we would climb out of the mess. It was just a matter of time.
We finished 5th in the last season before Berlusconi's takeover, so much of the recovery had already been done by the time he arrived.
The Dutch trio and other expensive purchases played a great role in the success, but our legendary back-line, our true pillars, was from our own academy. Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta, even Tassotti to an extent, were Milan products and already a part of the club by the time Berlusconi's Fininvest bought the club. So was Albertini & Evani. The coaches also played an enormous part, none of them were expensive purchases from other clubs. Capello was promoted from our youth team. Sacchi was a "nobody" that Milan snapped up.

The Totonero scandal was the entire reason for the "decline". The team was doing more than fine before that.
1979 Scudetto winners, which was just a year before Totonero.
As for the scandal itself, the club wasn't even accused of cheating for the club's benefit. The President was charged based on what was hardly even circumstantial evidence, for some bets that if anything had a negative effect on our results. If the accusations were true, then the club was being screwed by the owner, some players and also the federation since the club ended up being relegated as a result of crimes commited by individuals serving their own interests.

50s: Only 2nd best to Real Madrid.
60s: Two European Cups and Scudetti.
70s: Scudetto, Cup Winners Cup. Always contending for titles.
80s: First half ruined by Totonero/our owners. Berlusconi arrived and balanced the decade.