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England v Italy: Milan v Manchester United – An Historical Look
The Rossoneri are set to take on the Red Devils in Europe once again, and Goal.com looks back at the two teams through the years…
Feb 15, 2010 11:00:00 AM
By Anthony Wright
There is a long history in European competition between AC Milan and Manchester United, dating back to their first meeting 52 years ago. Between them they have won 10 European Cups, four of which have been won in the last 10 editions of the tournament.
Interestingly, the Rossoneri have never failed to progress when they have faced the English giants in a two-legged tie. Milan became the first team to overturn a first leg deficit in the European Cup when they faced Manchester United in the semi-finals of the 1957/58 edition. Juan Alberto Schiaffino scored a brace in a 4-0 win in the second leg, while Nils Liedholm and Giancarlo Danova also found the net.
It was the same outcome when the two sides met just over a decade later, as the Rossoneri won 2-1 on aggregate, again in the semi-finals. Pierino Prati would go on to score a hat-trick in the final as Milan won their second European Cup title.
More recently, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils were unable even to score against Carlo Ancelotti’s side in 2004/05 when they met in the last 16. Hernan Crespo scored a goal in each leg to eliminate the 1999 winners. Ferguson may have thought that he had broken the hoodoo when he oversaw a 3-2 victory against the Rossoneri in the first leg of their 2006/07 semi final, only to see Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino find the net in a 3-0 rout in the second leg. Just as in 1969, Milan went on to win the title as they enacted revenge on Liverpool in the 2007 final.
Much of the discourse surrounding this tie has centred around the return of David Beckham to Old Trafford. The 34-year-old made 394 appearances for Manchester United between 1991 and 2003, and is currently in his second loan spell with the Rossoneri after spells with Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy.
Beckham is not the first Englishman to have played for both clubs, as Ray Wilkins spent three years with the Rossoneri in the mid-1980s following his £1.5m transfer from Manchester United. Milan had previously raided the English side for Scottish striker Joe Jordan, who plied his trade at San Siro from 1981 to 1983, whereupon he left for Hellas Verona.
More recently, Jesper Blomqvist made a handful of appearances for Milan in 1996/97, and joined the Red Devils in 1998 from Parma. The Swede had little impact with Manchester United, however, and moved on to Everton after three years. Journeyman goalkeeper Massimo Taibi also had a short spell between the posts for the Rossoneri in 1997/98, and his form for Venezia prompted Ferguson to spend £4.4m on him in 1999. However after four error-ridden performances, he was promptly sold on.
Jaap Stam moved between the two European giants via Lazio. The Dutch centre back was a member of the Manchester United side that won the 1999 Champions League, and was a runner up with Milan in 2005.
No one has ever managed both clubs, although left back Herbert Burgess played for Manchester United from 1906-1910 before enjoying a brief spell on the Rossoneri bench from 1926-1928. Current Milan coach Leonardo has come up against both Gary Neville and Paul Scholes on the playing field before though, taking part in Brazil’s match against England in Le Tournoi in 1997.
Leonardo is not the only man to have crossed paths with his opponents before. Ronaldinho and Anderson both began their careers with Brazilian side Gremio, while Filippo Inzaghi was team-mates with Edwin van der Sar at Juventus between 1999 and 2001. In fact, Inzaghi scored twice for the Bianconeri in the second leg of the semi-final in 1999, but the Red Devils progressed courtesy of an incredible comeback.
Of course, none of this will matter when the famous Champions League anthem rings out and the teams battle it out for the right to play in the last eight of the competition. While the Rossoneri have an impressive record against Manchester United, Leonardo and his side will have their work cut out against the reigning English champions.
Interestingly, the Rossoneri have never failed to progress when they have faced the English giants in a two-legged tie. Milan became the first team to overturn a first leg deficit in the European Cup when they faced Manchester United in the semi-finals of the 1957/58 edition. Juan Alberto Schiaffino scored a brace in a 4-0 win in the second leg, while Nils Liedholm and Giancarlo Danova also found the net.
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It was the same outcome when the two sides met just over a decade later, as the Rossoneri won 2-1 on aggregate, again in the semi-finals. Pierino Prati would go on to score a hat-trick in the final as Milan won their second European Cup title.
More recently, Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils were unable even to score against Carlo Ancelotti’s side in 2004/05 when they met in the last 16. Hernan Crespo scored a goal in each leg to eliminate the 1999 winners. Ferguson may have thought that he had broken the hoodoo when he oversaw a 3-2 victory against the Rossoneri in the first leg of their 2006/07 semi final, only to see Kaka, Clarence Seedorf and Alberto Gilardino find the net in a 3-0 rout in the second leg. Just as in 1969, Milan went on to win the title as they enacted revenge on Liverpool in the 2007 final.
Much of the discourse surrounding this tie has centred around the return of David Beckham to Old Trafford. The 34-year-old made 394 appearances for Manchester United between 1991 and 2003, and is currently in his second loan spell with the Rossoneri after spells with Real Madrid and Los Angeles Galaxy.
Beckham is not the first Englishman to have played for both clubs, as Ray Wilkins spent three years with the Rossoneri in the mid-1980s following his £1.5m transfer from Manchester United. Milan had previously raided the English side for Scottish striker Joe Jordan, who plied his trade at San Siro from 1981 to 1983, whereupon he left for Hellas Verona.
More recently, Jesper Blomqvist made a handful of appearances for Milan in 1996/97, and joined the Red Devils in 1998 from Parma. The Swede had little impact with Manchester United, however, and moved on to Everton after three years. Journeyman goalkeeper Massimo Taibi also had a short spell between the posts for the Rossoneri in 1997/98, and his form for Venezia prompted Ferguson to spend £4.4m on him in 1999. However after four error-ridden performances, he was promptly sold on.
Jaap Stam moved between the two European giants via Lazio. The Dutch centre back was a member of the Manchester United side that won the 1999 Champions League, and was a runner up with Milan in 2005.
No one has ever managed both clubs, although left back Herbert Burgess played for Manchester United from 1906-1910 before enjoying a brief spell on the Rossoneri bench from 1926-1928. Current Milan coach Leonardo has come up against both Gary Neville and Paul Scholes on the playing field before though, taking part in Brazil’s match against England in Le Tournoi in 1997.
Leonardo is not the only man to have crossed paths with his opponents before. Ronaldinho and Anderson both began their careers with Brazilian side Gremio, while Filippo Inzaghi was team-mates with Edwin van der Sar at Juventus between 1999 and 2001. In fact, Inzaghi scored twice for the Bianconeri in the second leg of the semi-final in 1999, but the Red Devils progressed courtesy of an incredible comeback.
Of course, none of this will matter when the famous Champions League anthem rings out and the teams battle it out for the right to play in the last eight of the competition. While the Rossoneri have an impressive record against Manchester United, Leonardo and his side will have their work cut out against the reigning English champions.
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
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