Farewell to the tycoon who changed the world of football

Less than 12 hours after news broke of Silvio Berlusconi's death, Tuttosport began pulling new editions from the press. Based in Turin, Tuttosport has been known for its anti-Milan headlines in the past. But this time the front page of the white-covered paper featured a smiling Berlusconi holding up five Champions League trophies, with the headline: "Ho visto un re" (I have seen the king).

Being respected by allies when he dies is understandable, but being recognized as a "king" by his rivals is enough proof to understand how excellent Berlusconi was.

After June 12, 2023, the world will no longer have Berlusconi.

Italian football fans pay tribute to Silvio Berlusconi.

Change the world

The most famous anecdote about Berlusconi comes from his debut at AC Milan in 1986. Milan at that time was a collection of faded stars (Paolo Rossi), along with average foreign players (Mark Hateley, Ray Wilkins). Only a few factors had potential (Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti, Paolo Maldini, Virdis). The Rossoneri had just been relegated twice in just 5 years. The first time was the result of the Totonero match-fixing scandal, the second time simply because Milan were not good enough to stay up.

However, Berlusconi knew how to make a splash in this seemingly superficial and weak team. He debuted in Milan by helicopter to the tune of "Ride of the Valkyries". Wearing a fur collar, shiny leather shoes and a tycoon smile, Berlusconi was the complete opposite of any president in European football at the time. It was more like a show than a football club debut.

Berlusconi did "act" once. He was a singer on a cruise ship during the 1950s. Fluent in both French and Spanish, Berlusconi wrote 150 songs and dreamed of touring Europe. But it all ended when Berlusconi's father asked his son one day: "So you're going to be a cabaret singer for the rest of your life?"

"At that moment, I knew I had to give up," Berlusconi said. He returned to the mainland, investing in real estate before making a fortune. Like most tycoons in the late 1980s, Berlusconi saw the influence of football and knew he had to join the game to move beyond the status of a mere businessman.

Silvio Berlusconi is the tycoon who changed the world of football.

But, football or anything else for Berlusconi must be beautiful and soaring like the way he conquered audiences on the cruise ships years ago. On his first day in office in Milan, Berlusconi told coach Nils Liedholm: " Milan's mission is to win Italy, Europe and conquer the world. Most importantly, we must play beautiful football."

Those three words "beautiful football" from Berlusconi eventually changed the entire football world. In June 1987, Berlusconi appointed Arrigo Sacchi, who was virtually unknown at the time, as Milan's head coach. In Berlusconi's first year in charge, Milan lost to Sacchi's Parma in the Coppa Italia. That was enough reason for the Italian tycoon to bring the coach who had never been a player to San Siro.

"Either he is a genius or a madman," Sacchi said immediately after learning that Berlusconi wanted him. Time has proven that Berlusconi is both. Milan under Sacchi completely changed Italian football as well as the world by playing attacking football, winning and winning consecutive titles.

When the rest of Italy was still immersed in passive defensive football with only a few chances per game, Sacchi's Milan destroyed everything with attacking football, high pressing and zonal defense. When the world had not been able to find a dream team since Real Madrid in the 1950s, Milan gathered the best players at San Siro with Berlusconi's bottomless pockets. In two consecutive years 1988 and 1989, all the players who won the Golden, Silver and Bronze Balls were from Milan.

Berlusconi and the AC Milan squad won the 1989 European Cup

Before the 1989 European Cup final against Steaua Bucharest, Sacchi stood in the dressing room and said to his players: " Hey guys, Italy's number one journalist says the Romanians are masters of football, and we have to defend before finding the opponent's weakness to win. What do you think?" .

Ruud Gullit immediately stood up and shouted: "We will attack from the first minute!". That match, Milan won 4-0. Gullit and Marco van Basten each scored a double. Those were the first two European Golden Balls created by Berlusconi with Milan.

During his 30 years in power in Milan, Berlusconi has "created" 5 Ballon d'Or winners (Gullit, Van Basten, George Weah, Andryi Shevchenko, Kaka), and bought 5 other Ballon d'Or winners (Jean-Pierre Papin, Roberto Baggio, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho). All of this comes from the ambition to "play beautiful football" that this tycoon said on his first day working at San Siro.

In 2017, the Independent asked which league had the greatest period of dominance in world football history. Serie A in the late 80s and 90s came out on top, explaining: “ An era that inspires so much. But it is by no means a mere nostalgia. It is a period of great achievement, and perhaps the highest level of football ever played.”

That period began from the moment Berlusconi landed at Milan's training ground from a helicopter.

Kaka is one of five players to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for AC Milan under president Berlusconi.

Cannot be copied

During the 30 years of Berlusconi's reign, Milan won 29 titles, including 5 European championships, 8 Scudetto, 3 Intercontinental Cups... There is reason to say that no president in football history has had such a great influence on current events as the former Italian Prime Minister.

Florentino Perez has been brilliant, but Real Madrid have never sunk as low as Milan. When Perez knocked Lorenzo Sanz out of the presidential race in 2000, Real Madrid were the reigning Champions League champions. When Perez returned to the Bernabeu in 2009, Real Madrid were only behind the incredible Barcelona of Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi, and had never dropped into the bottom half of La Liga.

Roman Abramovich turned Chelsea into a force in England, but only won the Champions League twice in 18 years. Glazer, Joan Laporta or Agnelli... are just grains of sand next to Berlusconi's castle.

Berlusconi is a hero in the eyes of Monza fans.

Even after leaving Milan due to bankruptcy, Berlusconi did not stop his ambition. He bought Monza, which was playing in Serie C, and gave it to his partner Adriano Galliani to manage, investing dozens of times more money than his "rivals" in this lower league to bring this tiny Lombardia team to play in Italy's highest league.

Monza even beat Juventus and Inter Milan last season. “ We want to win Serie A next season,” Berlusconi joked in February. For the former Italian football tycoon, the dream has to be big. As his father told him: “You must always keep the sun on your side.”

However, Berlusconi is as “crazy” as any famous tycoon in history. Milan coaches have faced a lot of pressure from Berlusconi, who always believed he understood and was capable of being a coach. In the 90s, Berlusconi pressured Fabio Capello to use Dejan Savicevic even though the Italian coach did not want him to.

Carlo Ancelotti, during his time at Milan, was also forced by Berlusconi to use a two-striker formation to “attack and play beautiful football”. The Rossoneri’s most bitter defeat, the loss to Liverpool in Istanbul in 2005, came partly from this pressure: Milan could have played defensively to preserve their three-goal lead at half-time, instead of attacking as Berlusconi wanted.

AC Milan's golden age is associated with Silvio Berlusconi.

In 2007, Capello also recounted the story of Berlusconi suddenly asking him about “fat” Ronaldo, who was then playing for Real Madrid. “ He asked and I replied: ‘Ronaldo is broken, he hardly trains and spends all day playing. Berlusconi said: “Ok”. The next day, Milan bought Ronaldo.”

All these conflicts make up the man Berlusconi: a businessman, a tycoon, a politician and above all a man who loves AC Milan and football with all his heart.

With his death at the age of 86, Berlusconi has brought to an end the romantic yet dark era of football in the 80s and 90s. Before Berlusconi, football was memorable. After Berlusconi, football became immortal.

Goodbye, Silvio.

Source: https://vtc.vn/berlusconi-qua-doi-vinh-biet-ong-trum-thay-doi-the-gioi-bong-da-ar799443.html