Former AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani has revealed what he believes was the secret behind the success of the club in the 1990s and more specifically that 1993-94 season.
Galliani is best known for being former vice-chairman and CEO of Milan from 1986 to 2017, a period in the club’s history known as the ‘Silvio Berlusconi era’. During his time at the club, Milan won five UEFA Champions League and eight Serie A titles as part of a haul of 31 trophies.
The 199394 campaign specifically was a memorable one within those three decades because Milan won Serie A, the Supercoppa Italiana and the UEFA Champions League. The final was a 4-0 hammering of Barcelona in Athens as the underdogs, and it is still regarded as one of the best nights in the club’s history.
Sky have published a documentary on the 1993-94 Milan side called ‘More than a team’ and Galliani speaks in each of the two one-hour episodes, with his comments relayed by Radio Rossonera.
“The secret was a very simple command line. For many years there was that president, that CEO, that sporting director, always them,” he said.
“Milan had unrepeatable uniqueness, many players born nearby and raised in our youth sector, who were with us for 20/25 years. The sense of belonging, the shirt that is a second skin, it’s all very true. The 1993-94 season was the best of our lives.”
“The secret was a very simple command line” haha lol burn 😅
Yep!
It always start from the top
That’d why likes Real and milan were legends
The management ate and breath football
That’s why to Milan Golden years and it will never happen again unfortunately
will get close only
These new owners want to make money and please the investors
So true.
And this is where we see a clash of expectations between those who expect more from the owners and directors, and those who place all their expectations on the coach and players.
Every time I will demand more from the owners and directors as they are the ones who will ultimately to determine the team’s success.
Actually this season could have been a disaster. Gullit had left, Rijkaard too, Van Basten was injured and the ‘star signings’ or Laudrup and Papin hadn’t really worked. It was the Italian core of the defence, Albertini, Donadoni and Massaro that got us there and the genius of Savicevic and Boban. Desailly was a real revelation as well, a monster of a player moving into midfield.
We also never scored more than 2 league goals in a game in the season except for the CL semi against Monaco (3-0) and of course the destruction of Farcelona in the final.
The defence won us the titles this season. You never realise what you have until it is gone and the fact that we had Billy and Baresi suspended for the final and Panucci played LB, and Galli and Maldini totally pocketed Romario and Stoichkov (who both went on to have stellar world cups in 94) is testament to just how good these players were
And yet Maldini heir would tell. You the different golden eras of Milan never had gods among them.
That they were all average players who were only good because they played a lot of games together under the same manager.
Well I think Drew told you that given how he explained that the ‘star signings’ weren’t the key to that success.
And Galliani also told you:
“Milan had unrepeatable uniqueness, many players born nearby and raised in our youth sector, who were with us for 20/25 years. The sense of belonging, the shirt that is a second skin, it’s all very true. The 1993-94 season was the best of our lives.”
Now unless you believe there was something in the water back then, the only other explanation is we took a core of players and made them reach their potential.
Yea, it was the perfect balance the core of young Italians (of which the standard back then was about the best in the worlds) with the sprinkling of stardust in the form of Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard. Once those three left we never really replaced the ‘god like’ players until the likes of Sheva, Rui, and Kaka came through. Papin was decent at times, Laudrup failed, Baggio wasn’t a success, if anything the likes of Massaro and Simone actually stepped up from being squad players from 1990-93 into contributing starters, hence Galliani’s ‘second skin’ comment. Savicevic was the only exception and Boban also started to come into his own.
It’s not rocket science, all the greatest teams in history have a core of their own from the youth team to first team, we did, Liverpool did, United did with Fergie and Busby’s kids, Madrid did, Barca did under Pep. These are the club sides that don’t just win trophies, they re-write the game and how it’s played, they transcend a great side and become the immortals
Yes there were, and even they became great. But the point I make is that you seem to make it that every Era if milan, from Cesare’s time to Rivera’s time to the trinity and then the 2000s Milan never had unbelievable players.
That they were all average, and they did not work out. You make it seem like every star signing was a bust.
I am not sure where you get that from.
One of the many reasons why it’s important to build around a strong core is you can focus on key transfers that can lift the side.
There are differences in quality but they’re not as great as people imagine and there are only a handful of truly world class players who are above everyone else.
So true.
We conceded 15 goals all season the league!
Rossi 929 minutes without conceding….
I will never forget that game. I was a kid and I remember my friends telling me that Barcelona was going to destroy milan. Milan without Marco Van Basten and Baresi and they still won as they did. Forza Milan
I was the only Milan fan in my town, all my mates were slaughtering me saying without Costacurta, Baresi and MVB we would get smashed by Barca. Watching Cruyff’s face slowly convulse from surprise to embarrassment was a joy. We utterly dominated them…..humiliation
I walked into school so smug the next day
Same!
What an experience. I watched that game back on VHS so many times I could quote the commentary!
The BBC spent a huge amount of time talking about the ref, Phil Don, because he was English.
It got to the point that Barry Davies said “Well played Mr Don” for allowing the advantage after Donadoni had done this amazing dribble and had kept going after he was fouled!
Remember it well, I did the same lol, also they say the fact that Philip Don allowed Savicevic’s ‘high boot’ prior to his lob over Zubizaretta because he was an English ref…
Also Panucci’s disallowed header….should’ve been 5 😂
“Milan had unrepeatable uniqueness, many players born nearby and raised in our youth sector, who were with us for 20/25 years. The sense of belonging, the shirt that is a second skin, it’s all very true.”
Thanks for reminder… I am going to see that Savicevic goal again, right now!
That Savicevic goal still gives me goosebumps every time I see it 🙂
Start getting the youth involved in the first team asap.
We won because of the core, so to say, these were the days of the 3 foreign player rule. Our Italian core was very strong. In every position. Even without the like of Rijkaard,, Gullit and Van Basten we were still a team of World Class Italian players. At the end of the decade, we still beat national teams like England with guys like Francesco Coco, Angelo Di Livio, Stefano Fiore, Marco Delvecchio, Damiano and Christian Zenoni, Daniele Adani and Valerio Bertotto in the squad, Italy C-team was basically good enough to beat the rest of Europe, even though France won the world cup in 1998 we had the stronger squad and a deeper talent pool by far.
“Milan had unrepeatable uniqueness, many players born nearby and raised in our youth sector, who were with us for 20/25 years. The sense of belonging, the shirt that is a second skin, it’s all very true. The 1993-94 season was the best of our lives.”
These players get sold today by people who refuse to learn the lessons of the Berlusconi era Milan, Pep’s Barcelona and Ferguson’s Man Utd.
That cultural foundation as important than having a superstar player.
Totally agree bro.. actually milan today have a ton good players from their youth squad. but…. Pioli have some pressure from the management about result and maybe he dont believe from the youth…
This is the thing so many of us keep going back to.
How can it not be our point of reference when we saw the success it brought us.
The point is, they believe from his youth sector that Pioli cannot be.. its simple. hehe
Young players now have their fragile egos attacked on social media, and pout.
Would Calabria and Gabbia have made this team?
I think yes.
And I think they would’ve played at an even higher level.