2006-2007 (Scandal Deductions, European Cup winners)

Milan's Serie A campaign began with the aforementioned Caliopoli Scandal. Their penalty for their involvement saw them start the season with -8 points in the table. After a lackluster first half of the season which saw Milan hover at the center of the standings, several January transfers (including World Cup member Massimo Oddo, and Brazilian legend Ronaldo) reinvigorated the club. By the end of the campaign, Milan surged up the table to finish in the top four, thus assuring their participation for the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League.

However, the 2006-2007 season is best remembered for their performance in the Champion's League. The penalties imposed after the Calciopoli scandal resulted in Milan being seeded third in the final 2005-06 Serie A table. Thus the team was forced to play in the Champion's League Qualifers against a notable European rival in Red Star Belgrade, instead of advancing directly into the group phase. Regardless, Milan were victorius in the qualifier and advanced to the group phase. Milan were then seated in (Group H, with Lille, Anderlecht, and AEK Athens,) in the tournament which they finished in top position to qualify for the final phase of the UEFA Champion's League.

Milan's first opponent in the Champion's League knockout phase was Celtic (eventual champions of the Scottish League. After a scoreless 1st leg, Milan returned to the San Siro. After again going scoreless in regular time, the game went to extra time and saw a brilliant goal by Kaká. This goal proved to be the decisive score and Milan advanced to the quarter-finals for an unprecedented fifth consecutive time.

In the quarter-finals, Milan drew with another European giant, FC Bayern Munchen. The scoreline after the first leg was 2-2, Milan receiving goals from Kaká and Andrea Pirlo while Daniel Van Buyten scored a brace including the tieing goal during injury time. With determination Milan went into the second leg and won it 0-2 winning the tie 4-2 on aggregate. The second leg was lit up by amazing play between Clarence Seedorf and Kaká, with Kaká assisting Seedorf with his first goal and then Seedorf opening up the Bayern defence with a back heel flick-on towards the goal for Filipo Inzaghi to lift the ball up and over Oliver Kahn for the winner. The second half of the second leg also saw Ancelotti use defensive tactics that bore similarities to the traditional Italian strategy called the Catenaccio. Ancelotti applied a 4-4-1-1, plotting Seedorf on the left and Gattuso on the right wing. Milan's defensive composure meant Bayern had no choice but to throw in the towel. And thus Milan became the first European side to beat Bayern Munich at home, in any European competition.

With the win over Bayern, Milan was propelled to the Champions League semi-finals. This marked the third consecutive and fourth time in five years that AC Milan has reached the final four of the competition. The first leg of the semi-final was played against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Manchester scored early on a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, but Milan fittingly answered back thanks to a brace from Kaká, taking a 1-2 lead at half time. Manchester United would ultimately prove victorious thanks to two 2nd half goals from striker Wayne Rooney. This match was regarded by the media and UEFA President Michel Platini as the greatest match in recent history.^{[citation needed]} The second leg of the Semi Final was played at San Siro on 2 May. Milan played a near perfect first half taking a 2-0 lead into halftime with goals from Kaká and Seedorf, yet again. Manchester United were overwhelmed by the San Siro grandeur and the English side were locked out most of the second half with a few sints and a couple of good moves and moments from Manchester United. A 78-minute goal by Alberto Gilardino sealed the victory for the home side and it was on to the finals for the third time in 5 years.

Milan advanced to the UEFA Champions League final pitting them in a rematch of the 2005 finals against Liverpool FC. The match was played at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece, on 23 May 2007, with Milan prevailing 2-1 with two goals from Filippo Inzaghi. With the victory, the club affirmed its status as one of the powerhouses of European football, with three European Cup final appearances in five years, including two victories.

Dream team

After several different financial troubles had caused bad times and a lack of success, AC Milan was bought on February 20, 1986 by Silvio Berlusconi, a Milanese enterpreneur. Berlusconi brought in a rising coach, Arrigo Sacchi, and three Dutch players, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit, to return the team to glory. He also signed some Italian stars: Roberto Donadoni, Carlo Ancelotti and Giovanni Galli.

Sacchi won the 1987-88 scudetto after a great recovery over Diego Maradona's S.S.C. Napoli. In 1988-1989, AC Milan won its third European Cup, defeating Steaua Bucuresti 4-0 in the final, and its second Intercontinental cup against National de Medellin (1-0, goal in the last minute of extra time). The team repeated their triumph the following season, against Benfica (1-0), and earned its third Intercontinental Cup in a row beating Olimpia Asunción in 1991. Their European winning line-up was: Giovanni Galli; Mauro Tassotti, Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini; Angelo Colombo, Frank Rijkaard, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Donadoni; Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten.

With Sacchi leaving Milan to coach the Italy national football team, Fabio Capello was hired and under him, the Rossoneri came to be known as Gli Invicibili ("The Invincibles") or the Dream Team. With an unprecedented 58-match run with no defeats the Invincibili team had the likes of Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini commanding one of the best defences in history, with Marcel Desailly and Roberto Donadoni in midfield and Dejan Savićević, Zvonimir Boban, and Daniele Massaro playing in attack.

In addition to three consecutive scudetti (from 1992 to 1994, including the feat of not losing a single match in the 1991/1992 season), AC Milan reached the Champions League final for three consecutive years: in 1993 they were defeated by Olympique de Marseille; this match was disputed by a match-fixing scandal in the French league involving Marseille's then club president. In 1994 it was FC Barcelona who experienced the taste of defeat, after a famous 4-0 win at the hands of the Rossoneri; and in the 1995 finals, Milan were again defeated, this time by Ajax Amsterdam. Then, in 1995-96, led by famous world-class players such as Roberto Baggio, Marco Simone and George Weah, AC Milan gained their fifteenth Italian Championship. Milan's primary line-up under Capello (1996): Sebastiano Rossi; Christian Panucci, Alessandro Costacurta, Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini; Roberto Donadoni, Demetrio Albertini, Marcel Desailly; Zvonimir Boban; George Weah, Roberto Baggio.

Foundation and early years

The team was founded December 16, 1899 by Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin (from Nottingham, England) as the Milan Cricket and Football Club. Edwards, a former British vice-consul in Milan and well-known personality of the Milanese high society, was the club's first elected president. Initially the team included a cricket section, managed by Edward Berra, and a football section managed by David Allison.

The official colours chosen were red and black. Immediately the team gained relevant notability under Herbert Kilpin's guide. The first trophy to be won was the Medaglia del Re (King's Medal) on January 1900, and the team later won three national leagues, in 1901, 1906 and 1907. The triumph of 1901 was particularly relevant because it ended the consecutive series of wins of Genoa, which had been the only team to have won prior to 1901.

In 1908, issues over the signing of foreign players led to a split of the team's "progressive" faction, who formed F.C. Internazionale Milano.

In 1916, AC Milan won the Federal Cup, a national trophy which had replaced the Italian league, suspended because of World War I. This cup was never recognized as an Italian title.

In 1919, the team changed its name to Milan Football Club. After their first triumphs, Milan was unable to continue with their former high-level success, obtaining only a number of half-table placements, even if always playing in the top Italian division.

In 1938 the fascist regime imposed a new italianized name, Associazione Calcio Milano, for the team. However, that name was abandoned immediately after the World War II, but maintaining the initial part: the team was called Associazione Calcio Milan, which is the current official name.