Reports from Italy suggest that Silvio Berlusconi is on the verge of selling his controlling stake in AC Milan to a group of Chinese investors in a €1billion deal.
Should the deal go through, it would bring an end to Silvio’s 29-year reign as Milan president, in which he won eight titles and five European Cups.
Here are seven of his more eventful moments in Calcio:
Arriving by helicopter
Berlusconi bought Milan in February 1986, saving the club from possible bankruptcy. The Rossoneri (red-and-blacks) finished the season a disappointing seventh, but Silvio had bigger plans for his new club.
In the summer, 10,000 fans packed the city’s arena to welcome the new squad. The team arrived via helicopter, with Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries blasting out of the loudspeakers. “I knew people would laugh, but we needed to show Milan had a new way of thinking” stated the new president.
Appointing a shoe salesman
Though Arrigo Sacchi wasn’t quite an ‘unknown’, he was dubbed Signor Nessuno (Mr.Nobody) by a sceptical press. Criticised for never playing the game at a high level, he famously retorted “I never realised you had to have been a horse to become a jockey”.
The former shoe salesman impressed Berlusconi when Sacchi’s Parma knocked Milan out of the Coppa Italia, and was promptly hired for the 1987-88 season, subsequently winning Silvio’s first Scudetto and two European Cups.
Banishing a club legend
Gianni Rivera is to Milan what George Best is to Manchester United, or Eusebio to Benfica. He played 501 games and scored 122 goals, before retiring to work as a coach for the club. When Berlusconi took over, Rivera was one of the few to stand up to the media mogul, paying for it with his job.
Silvio then insisted fan clubs remove Rivera’s name, and stopped the former international gaining free tickets to San Siro, a decision that divided the Milan fanbase.
Politics and Milan
Berlusconi made his millions through his media company Mediaset. After buying Milan, he used his channels to shamelessly promote his club, with the channels hardly ever criticising the team.
When he moved into politics, he often appeared on sports shows but chose to talk about political subjects rather than football. His party name, Forza Italia, is a famous terrace chant, and Berlusconi was elected prime minister in 1994.
Zoff rant
Italy were seconds away from winning Euro 2000 before conceding a Sylvain Wiltord goal in injury time, then losing to a David Trezeguet golden goal. Berlusconi took it upon himself to launch an incredible attack on the Italy coach and goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff on live TV.
Listing past mistakes during Zoff’s reign, the Milan owner said he "could not believe" Zoff didn’t man-mark Zidane (despite Zizou having a poor game), calling it an "amateur" mistake. Offended, Zoff resigned immediately.
Calciopoli
Despite Silvio’s protestations to the contrary, the Calciopoli scandal of 2006 did not just involve Juventus, with Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina, amongst others, implicated. After an investigation, it turned out Berlusconi had appointed a referee attaché; former Serie C ref Leonardo Meani.
It was claimed that Meani would call officials to influence the appointment of linesmen for games involving Milan. A 2006 match involving the Rossoneri and Udinese – and the subsequent transfer of an Udinese player to San Siro shortly after – also raised suspicions.
Dismantling of squad
When Milan won their last European Cup in 2007, their team featured Maldini, Pirlo and Kaka. This season they line up with Mexes, Muntari and Zapata. It’s rumoured Silvio has lost interest in Milan, and though he admits he understands they can’t win like they used to, the breaking up of the team and lack of reinvestment has been key to the Rossoneri’s current struggles.
