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After the passing of former AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, a number of former players and coaches of the club, as well as other football dignitaries have paid their last respects to the departed politician
Tributes continue to pour in for late ex-AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, with many of the stars that the Italian politician nurtured to greatness at the club coming forward to pay their respects.
Tributes pour in for Berlusconi as Milan legends say goodbye
Former club captains Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi were among the first to react to the news with posts on social media with the 2007 UEFA Champions League winning captain noting Berlusconi’s vision and stating that the club would never have a president like him again.
In an Instagram post shared minutes after the announcement, Maldini said, “A genius, visionary and dreamer leaves us, but above all a friend who changed the history of our Italy.
“Thank you for everything, President, you allowed us Milanisti to live a dream that lasted over 30 years. Nobody will ever be like you again.”
Baresi, who was captain for 11 of the 20 years that Berlusconi was president, also heartbroken at the announcement, and said a hearty goodbye to the octagenarian on Instagram saying,
"Hearing the news, I feel more lonely, for me he was like a father, a president unique and affectionate to everyone, he made my dreams come true. Thank you. RIP."
Other players who played for Milan under Berlusconi’s reign also posted goodbye messages on various social media platforms, including strikers Filippo Inzaghi and Alexandre Pato, as well as legendary midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Ruud Gullit.
In addition to players, coaches who had worked under Berlusconi also attested to how great a president he was.
Sacchi, Capello, Ancelotti, Infantino say goodbye to ‘visionary’ Berlusconi
Iconic AC Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi who won the first two European Cups of the Berlusconi era said, "I feel bad, despite everything I did not expect, he was a brilliant friend to whom I owe everything.
"Silvio Berlusconi was a generous man and tried to change this difficult country, formed by individualists. Was he one too? No, he thought with togetherness and he could look far away. When he hired me, I told him: 'You are either crazy or a genius.' Given the results, give me the answer."
Italian manager Fabio Capello, who was given his managerial debut by Berlusconi, also weighed in, describing the former president to Sky Italia saying, “A unique person, with a strength and charisma that I’ve rarely seen in anyone else.”
“Many tried to be like him and couldn’t do it. He had managerial instinct and also the ability to find the right people to achieve his objectives.
“He knew how to choose. I remember the first time we met at Milanello, he said he wanted to make Milan the strongest team in the world, and he achieved it.”
“Berlusconi created Milan. He could understand straight away who was important and who had the right ideas, but also the moments he needed to intervene. Of all the signings he made, between players and coaches, he rarely got it badly wrong.”
Berlusconi also received praise from current Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti who won two UEFA Champions League titles with him as president, as well as Massimiliano Allegri, Allberto Zacheroni, and current AC Monza manager Rafealle Palladino, who said the former president made him “feel like part of the family.”
Others not directly associated with Berlusconi or AC Milan also left tributes for the former Rossoneri chief including Juventus legends Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon, as well as Lega Serie A, Napoli and its current owner Aurelio De Laurentis, AS Roma, Inter and its past owner Massimo Moratti, Paris Saint-Germain, and also current FIFA president Gianni Infantino who posted on his Instagram story to commemorate Berlusconi’s passing.
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In the post, Infantino said, “In terms of football, he had foreseen everything long before the others, and in fact, he became the most successful president in the history of [AC Milan].”.
“Recently, as owner of Monza, he fulfilled another dream, because in dreams size doesn’t matter. They can even be contained within a small town.
“I want to remember him just like that, like the person who – in our beloved sport – dreamed and then transformed those thoughts into reality.”
Berlusconi passed away after a two year bout with leukemia, a form of cancer and leaves his new club Monza in the hands of long time friend and partner Adriano Galliani.
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