Milan: As a pair of Franck Kessie spot-kicks were converted in a Serie-A match against Atalanta, AC Milan ended a seven year drought qualifying for UEFA Champions League next season. The Rossoneri finished second in the league just behind their cross-town rivals Inter. The 2013-2014 season was the last the time that they played the continental tournament last time although it was not the most successful.
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There was a time when AC Milan used to dominate the UEFA Champions League with several superstars like Paolo Maldini, Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Clarence Seedorf, Kaka donning the famous Red and Black shirt especially in the 1990’s and in the early 2000’s. They are also the second most successful team in the history of this tournament with seven titles. The last time they won the title was in 2007 beating Liverpool 2-1 in the final. However, things started to fall apart as the last generation of the Milan superstars took retirement in 2012 with Alessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Fillipo Inzaghi all bidding farewell alongside Clarance Seedorf who left the club for new journey in Brazil. On the other hand, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva both being a vital cog of the went to Paris-Saint Germain creating such a big space to fill with. Also they failed to attract big names to their club as they used to before.
However, positive signs emerged as signings like Hakan Calhanoglu, Frenck Kessie, Ismael Bennacer and Theo Hernandez started to showcase their talent in the last season but they needed a leader of the pack to take their game to the next level.
That came in the form of a surprise return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic back in January this year. The big Swede had the character and the experience which was needed in the dressing room. Despite his age, he returned the favor to the club with 15 goals alongside Calhanoglu who registered 9 assists helping Stefano Pioli’s men got back to the groove. Such was their resurgence that they took 16 victories away from home in the season, an all-time record in Serie A which proved to be crucial in their run. The emotions among the players was there to seen as they posted the celebrations on social media platforms.
Ibrahimovic really is a game-changer for Milan. Would be a treat to watch this club give their best out on the field.