AC Milan is one of Italy's most prestigious football clubs. It was founded in 1899 by two English sportspersons, Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin, as a Foot-ball and Cricket Club. It was Kilpin's idea to choose the red and black stripes to symbolize the fierce passion of the club, which still remain the primary colours of the club even after a century. Milan had a humble beginning but gradually grew into not only one of Italy's but also the World's greatest clubs, with 19 Serie A titles and 7 European trophies. San Siro has served as the AC Milan home ground since its inception and has been a witness to some of the iconic matches in the history of football. AC Milan currently sits 5th in the Italian league table and is ranked 13th in the list of highest revenue-generating clubs in Europe.
Let's take a look at AC Milan history. The club started its journey on 16th December, 1899, after it was founded by two English sportsmen, Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin. To honour its English origins, the club chose to stick to the English spelling of the city, Milan, instead of the Italian name, Milano, which it was forced to assume under the fascist regime. AC Milan won its first Italian championship in 1901 and two more in 1906 and 1907, respectively, which kick-started their journey as one of the most successful clubs in Italy. In 1908, over a disagreement regarding the signing of foreign players, the club experienced a split, which gave birth to a new Milan club named F.C. Internazionale, or Inter Milan. The Rossoneri slumped a bit but resurrected again in the 1950s, as they won the Scudetto in 1951, 1955, 1957, and 1959, respectively, and continued their success into the 1960s. They won their first European trophy in 1963, as they defeated Benfica in the final to lift the European Cup, now known as the UEFA Champions League.
Milan won their 10th Scudetto in 1979 and saw the introduction of a certain Franco Baresi, who went on to become one of the greatest defenders of his generation. However, they faced a match-fixing scandal in 1980, which saw them relegated to the Italian second division. They secured promotion immediately in the next season but were again relegated in 1982. They again won the Serie B title in 1983 to come back into the Italian top flight. In 1986, the club was saved from bankruptcy by Silvio Berlusconi, an entrepreneur, and Arrigo Sacchi, who went on to achieve massive success with stars like Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, and Paolo Maldini. In 1989, they retained their European title and were the only team in history to win back-to-back European titles until Real Madrid in 2017. The 90s and 2000s saw a ruthless AC Milan dominating both Italy and Europe, with some of the biggest stars in world football. However, they found themselves in another scandal named the Calciopoli scandal, where five teams were accused of fixing referees for favourable outcomes. Milan's then vice-president, Adriano Galliani, was found guilty, and the club was charged with a 15-point deduction and was banned from the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League. An appeal from the club saw the 15-point deduction reduced to 8 and also allowed them to participate in the Champions League.
