The 1988/89 season was Arrigo Sacchi’s second on the Rossoneri bench. The first had ended with the conquest of the 1987/88 Scudetto, the first after nine years of drought. Now the goal was just one: the European Cup.

The Dutch trio complete

The most important news of the summer transfer market was the arrival of Frank Rijkaard, who joined his fellow countrymen Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, fresh winners of the 1988 European Championship with the Dutch national team. Almost forty years after the legendary Swedish Gre-No-Li, Milan formed a new foreign trio destined to make history. In December 1988, Van Basten won the Ballon d’Or, with Gullit and Rijkaard following him in the ranking: the top three places in the world were all Rossoneri.

The squad

In goal was Giovanni Galli. The defence was the wall built by Sacchi: Franco Baresi, captain and leader at the centre, Alessandro Costacurta alongside him, Paolo Maldini on the left and Mauro Tassotti on the right. In midfield Carlo Ancelotti, Angelo Colombo and Frank Rijkaard. Up front Roberto Donadoni, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten. The squad was completed by players such as Daniele Massaro, Pietro Paolo Virdis, Alberigo Evani, Filippo Galli and the young Demetrio Albertini. The technical sponsor was Kappa, the official sponsor Mediolanum. The home kit was the classic red and black vertical-striped shirt with white shorts and socks.

The league: third behind Inter

In Serie A, back to 18 teams after 21 years, Milan started well with 3 wins and 2 draws in the first 5 matchdays, but three defeats between the 6th and 9th matchday — against Atalanta, Napoli and in the derby with Inter — pushed them away from the top. The gap from Trapattoni’s Inter reached up to 7 points. Despite a streak of 22 unbeaten results in the second half of the season, Milan finished the league in third place, 12 points behind Italian champions Inter and one point behind Napoli.

The European Cup: the road to glory

In Europe, Milan experienced an extraordinary adventure. In the round of 32 they eliminated Vitosha Sofia (7-2 aggregate). In the round of 16 they faced Red Star Belgrade: the return leg was suspended due to fog after 57 minutes, with the Yugoslavs leading 1-0, and had to be replayed the following day. Milan went through on penalties. In the quarter-finals the Rossoneri eliminated Werder Bremen. In the semi-finals came Real Madrid: after the 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Bernabéu, Milan crushed the Blancos 5-0 at San Siro with goals from Ancelotti, Rijkaard, Gullit, Van Basten and Donadoni. One of the most beautiful matches in the club’s history.

The final: 24 May 1989, Camp Nou, Barcelona

The line-up that took to the field: Giovanni Galli; Tassotti, Baresi, Costacurta, Maldini; Colombo, Ancelotti, Rijkaard; Donadoni, Gullit, Van Basten. Opposite them, Steaua Bucharest, European champions in 1986. At the Camp Nou there were nearly one hundred thousand Rossoneri fans. Milan dominated: by the end of the first half it was already 3-0 with a brace from Gullit and a goal from Van Basten. In the second half Van Basten scored again, closing the match at 4-0. The Dutch centre-forward, with 10 goals, was the tournament’s top scorer. In the final, Milan did not wear the classic red and black shirt nor the second kit with the red stripe, but a completely white kit with red collar and cuffs. It was the third European Cup in Milan’s history, twenty years after the last one.

The Italian Super Cup

The season ended with victory in the first edition of the Italian Super Cup against Sampdoria. After the opening goal by Gianluca Vialli, Milan came back with Rijkaard, Mannari and Van Basten from the penalty spot: 3-1 final.

The season’s record

Trophies won: European Cup and Italian Super Cup. Third place in Serie A, elimination in the group stage of the Coppa Italia. A season that may have seemed transitional in the league, but which in Europe consecrated Sacchi’s Milan as one of the strongest teams of all time, recognised by UEFA among the best squads in football history.

AC Milan official retro collection

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