Farewell to the tycoon who changed the world of football

Less than 12 hours after the news of Silvio Berlusconi's death broke, 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 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 proof enough of 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), and 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 in the league.

However, Berlusconi knew how to make a splash in this seemingly superficial and weak team. He debuted in Milan by helicopter to the music 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 all more like a show than a debut for a football club.

Berlusconi did "act" in the past. He was a singer on a cruise ship during the 1950s. Fluent in both French and Spanish, Berlusconi composed 150 songs and dreamed of touring Europe. But everything ended when one day Berlusconi's father asked his son: "So you intend 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, doing real estate before making his 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 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 almost unknown at the time, as head coach of Milan. Milan, in Berlusconi's first year in charge, 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 you are 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 whole world by playing offensively, 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 broke 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 50s, Milan gathered the best players to 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 Milan players.

Berlusconi and the AC Milan team that 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 our opponents' weaknesses 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 more 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 inspired so much. But it’s definitely not just nostalgia. It was a period of great achievement, and possibly the highest level of football ever played.”

That period began from the moment Berlusconi landed on the Milan 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 the history of football has had as great an impact 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 reigning Champions League champions. When Perez returned to the Bernabeu in 2009, Real Madrid were only behind Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi’s superb Barcelona, ​​and had never fallen 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 club fans.

Even after leaving Milan due to bankruptcy, Berlusconi did not stop his ambition. He bought Monza, which was playing in Serie C, gave it to his partner Adriano Galliani to manage, and invested 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 other 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 as Milan manager, was also pressured by Berlusconi to use a two-striker system 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 playing for Real Madrid at the time. “ He asked and I replied: ‘Ronaldo is broken, he hardly trains and spends all day playing around.’ Berlusconi said: “Okay”. 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.

Berlusconi's death at the age of 86 has brought an end to the romantic yet dark football era of 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