| 1987–88 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Silvio Berlusconi | ||
| President | Silvio Berlusconi | ||
| Manager | Arrigo Sacchi | ||
| Stadium | San Siro | ||
| Serie A | Winners (in 1988-89 European Cup and 1988 Supercoppa Italiana) | ||
| Coppa Italia | Round of 16 | ||
| UEFA Cup | Round of 32 | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Paolo Virdis (11) All: Paolo Virdis (15) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 72,177 | ||
|  | |||
| All statistics correct as of 15 May 1988. | |||
During the 1987–1988 season, Milan Associazione Calcio competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.
Summary
Silvio Berlusconi appointed Arrigo Sacchi as the new head coach, who in the previous season with Parma had faced Milan in the Coppa Italia three times and subsequently eliminated the Rossoneri, in the process impressing Berlusconi with the team's style of play.[1][2] The transfer market brought two Dutch players to Milan: Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit, taken respectively from Ajax and PSV, in place of the English Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley.[3] Angelo Colombo and Carlo Ancelotti joined in midfield. The coach from Fusignano could thus count on a young squad, which could allow him to fight in the league against reigning champions Napoli. The squad was already made up of a strong defense led by captain Franco Baresi and which included Paolo Maldini, Filippo Galli, Mauro Tassotti as well as the substitutes Alessandro Costacurta (who will make his debut in the first team during the season) and the new signing Roberto Mussi. Thanks to the play-off won at the end of the 1986–87 season against Sampdoria, the Rossoneri regained access to Europe by participating in the UEFA Cup. Due to the disqualification of the Meazza (because of incidents during the match against Waregem on 11 December 1985), the club decided to play its home games at the Via del mare stadium in Lecce.[4][5] In the Coppa Italia, Milan got through the first round, finishing their group in second place: they won four matches and lost only one, on penalties, against Parma.
The league began with the victory at Pisa, in which Van Basten (on his debut in Italy) scored the final 3–1 from a penalty kick. Milan then eliminated Sporting de Gijón in the UEFA Cup after losing the first leg 1–0 and winning the second leg 3–0 at the Via del Mare. On the league's fifth day, in the match against Sampdoria, Van Basten suffered an injury that would put him out of action until April. The journey in Europe ended in the next round, against another Spanish team: Espanyol, victorious away, in Lecce (2–0), and capable of imposing a goalless draw at home.[6] Two months after the Dutchman's injury, Milan beat Roma at the San Siro, but the match was later abandoned by the referee due to a firecracker from the Milan stand that had hit the Giallorossi goalkeeper Tancredi. The calendar year ended with a victory in the derby, achieved by beating Inter 1–0: Milan thus had 16 points in the standings, 5 less than leaders Napoli. The first match of 1988 had the challenge against the Neapolitans on the calendar, which the Rossoneri won with an imposing 4–1; the 3–1 goal was scored by Gullit, who had just been awarded the 1987 Ballon d'Or. Three days later, the team defeated Ascoli in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia: in the second leg, the score of 1–0 was overturned by Ascoli who would then win on penalties.
In the second half of the season, in the league, Sacchi's team didn't suffer any setbacks and recovered ground against Napoli.[7][8][9] In the 25th round, Van Basten returned to the pitch after six months of absence, and scored the winning goal against Empoli. This success was followed by victories against Roma and Inter, which made it possible to reduce the gap from Napoli to just one point, on the eve of the crucial match. At the San Paolo, Milan defeated the hosts again, this time 3–2 with a double by Virdis and Van Basten, who responded to Maradona and Careca. The result promoted the Rossoneri to first place in the standings, with an advantage of one point.[10] The position was defended in the two remaining games, thanks to draws with Juventus and Como, giving Milan the Scudetto, their eleventh overall, as well as the first after nine years.[11]
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| 
 | 
 | 
Transfers
| In | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | from | Type | 
| FW | Marco van Basten | Ajax Amsterdam | – | 
| FW | Ruud Gullit | PSV Eindhoven | – | 
| MF | Carlo Ancelotti | A.S. Roma | |
| DF | Walter Bianchi | Parma F.C. | |
| MF | Mario Bortolazzi | Parma F.C. | |
| DF | Roberto Mussi | Parma F.C. | |
| DF | Alessandro Costacurta | Monza | loan ended | 
| MF | Angelo Colombo | Udinese Calcio | |
| MF | Claudio Borghi | Argentinos Juniors | |
| Out | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | To | Type | 
| DF | Dario Bonetti | Hellas Verona | loan | 
| DF | Catello Cimmino | Como 1907 | – | 
| DF | Roberto Lorenzini | Como 1907 | loan | 
| DF | Marco Pullo | Parma F.C. | – | 
| MF | Claudio Borghi | Como 1907 | loan | 
| MF | Agostino Di Bartolomei | Cesena | – | 
| MF | Andrea Manzo | Udinese Calcio | – | 
| MF | Giovanni Stroppa | Monza | loan | 
| MF | Ray Wilkins | Paris Saint-Germain | – | 
| FW | Mark Hateley | AS Monaco | – | 
| MF | Francesco Zanoncelli | Empoli F.C. | – | 
| FW | Giuseppe Galderisi | S.S. Lazio | loan | 
Competitions
Serie A
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milan (C) | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 14 | +29 | 45 | Qualification to European Cup | 
| 2 | Napoli | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 55 | 27 | +28 | 42 | Qualification to UEFA Cup | 
| 3 | Roma | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 38 | |
| 4 | Sampdoria | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 41 | 30 | +11 | 37 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup | 
| 5 | Internazionale | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 42 | 35 | +7 | 32 | Qualification to UEFA Cup | 
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Draw.[12]
(C) Champions
Results by round
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; = 1988–89 European Cup; = 1988–89 UEFA Cup
Matches
| 13 September 1987 1 | Pisa | 1–3 | Milan | Pisa | 
| Cecconi  53' | Report | Donadoni  16' Gullit  73' van Basten  80' (pen.) | Stadium: Arena Garibaldi Attendance: 26,728 Referee: Luigi Agnolin | 
| 20 September 1987 2 | Milan | 0–2 | Fiorentina | Milan | 
| Report | Díaz  76' R. Baggio  78' | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 74,880 Referee: Pietro D'elia | 
| 27 September 1987 3 | Cesena | 0–0 | Milan | Cesena | 
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Dino Manuzzi Attendance: 29,681 Referee: Paolo Bergamo | 
| 4 October 1987 4 | Milan | 2–0 | Ascoli | Milan | 
| Virdis  35' Evani  82' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 74,928 Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto | 
| 11 October 1987 5 | Sampdoria | 1–1 | Milan | Genoa | 
| Vialli  53' | Report | Gullit  51' | Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris Attendance: 16,905 Referee: Tullio Lanese | 
| 25 October 1987 6 | Verona | 0–1 | Milan | Verona | 
| Report | Virdis  41' | Stadium: Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi Attendance: 44,419 Referee: Rosario Lo Bello | 
| 1 November 1987 7 | Milan | 0–0 | Torino | Milan | 
| Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 72,815 Referee: Luigi Agnolin | 
| 8 November 1987 8 | Pescara | 0–2 | Milan | Pescara | 
| Report | Virdis  28' Bortolazzi  86' | Stadium: Stadio Adriatico Attendance: 29,486 Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto | 
| 22 November 1987 9 | Milan | 3–0 | Avellino | Milan | 
| Colombo  6' Donadoni  67' Maldini  74' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 68,536 Referee: Werther Cornieti | 
| 29 November 1987 10 | Empoli | 0–0 | Milan | Empoli | 
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Carlo Castellani Attendance: 13,955 Referee: Salvatore Lombardo | 
| 13 December 1987 11 | Milan | 0–2 (abd) | Roma | Milan | 
| Virdis  83' (pen.) | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 70,887 Referee: Pietro D'Elia | ||
| Note: The win was awarded to Roma due to a firecracker that hit the Giallorossi's goalkeeper Franco Tancredi at the start of the second half. He was hit on the head by a firework thrown by a A.C. Milan supporter. Tancredi stopped breathing for a short time but was eventually resuscitated by paramedics. | ||||
| 20 December 1987 12 | Internazionale | 0–1 | Milan | Milan | 
| Report | Ferri  4' (o.g.) | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 67,545 Referee: Tullio Lanese | 
| 3 January 1988 13 | Milan | 4–1 | Napoli | Milan | 
| Colombo  19' Virdis  24' Gullit  73' Donadoni  78' | Report | Careca  10' | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 75,519 Referee: Luigi Agnolin | 
| 10 January 1988 14 | Juventus | 0–1 | Milan | Turin | 
| Report | Gullit  62' | Stadium: Stadio Comunale di Torino Attendance: 59,376 Referee: Carlo Longhi | 
| 17 January 1988 15 | Milan | 5–0 | Como | Milan | 
| Donadoni  30' Virdis  49' Gullit  61', 88' Ancelotti  73' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 68,947 Referee: Werther Cornieti | 
| 24 January 1988 16 | Milan | 1–0 | Pisa | Milan | 
| Colombo  27' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 70,523 Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto | 
| 31 January 1988 17 | Fiorentina | 1–1 | Milan | Florence | 
| Di Chiara  49' | Report | Baresi  74' (pen.) | Stadium: Stadio Comunale (Florence) Attendance: 52,068 Referee: Gianluca Paparesta | 
| 7 February 1988 18 | Milan | 3–0 | Cesena | Milan | 
| Gullit  13' Evani  72' Massaro  83' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 68,512 Referee: Luciano Luci | 
| 14 February 1988 19 | Ascoli | 1–1 | Milan | Ascoli Piceno | 
| Destro  47' | Report | Massaro  66' | Stadium: Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca Attendance: 22,678 Referee: Werther Cornieti | 
| 28 February 1988 20 | Milan | 2–1 | Sampdoria | Milan | 
| Virdis  7' Maldini  70' | Report | Bonomi  16' (pen.) | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 72,568 Referee: Luigi Agnolin | 
| 6 March 1988 21 | Milan | 0–0 | Verona | Milan | 
| Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 71,208 Referee: Salvatore Lombardo | 
| 13 March 1988 22 | Torino | 1–1 | Milan | Turin | 
| Bresciani  77' | Report | Ancelotti  78' | Stadium: Stadio Comunale di Torino Attendance: 38,857 Referee: Rosario Lo Bello | 
| 20 March 1988 23 | Milan | 2–0 | Pescara | Milan | 
| Massaro  2' Gullit  47' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 71,336 Referee: Fabio Baldas | 
| 27 March 1988 24 | Avellino | 0–0 | Milan | Avellino | 
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Partenio Attendance: 39,898 Referee: Carlo Longhi | 
| 10 April 1988 25 | Milan | 1–0 | Empoli | Milan | 
| van Basten  61' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 72,763 Referee: Rosario Lo Bello | 
| 17 April 1988 26 | Roma | 0–2 | Milan | Rome | 
| Report | Virdis  25' Massaro  85' | Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Attendance: 59,455 Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto | 
| 24 April 1988 27 | Milan | 2–0 | Internazionale | Milan | 
| Gullit  43' Virdis  53' | Report | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 75,503 Referee: Carlo Longhi | 
| 1 May 1988 28 | Napoli | 2–3 | Milan | Naples | 
| Maradona  45' Careca  78' | Report | Virdis  36', 68' van Basten  76' | Stadium: Stadio San Paolo Attendance: 82,824 Referee: Rosario Lo Bello | 
Coppa Italia
First round
| 23 August 1987 1 | Milan | 5–0 | Bari | Milan | 
| Donadoni  3' Virdis  21' van Basten  55' Gullit  57' Massaro  70' | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 27 962 Referee: Pairetto | 
| 26 August 1987 2 | Como | 1–2 | Milan | Como | 
| Borgonovo  67' |  8' Gullit  36' van Basten | Stadium: Giuseppe Sinigaglia Attendance: 17 000 Referee: Bergamo | 
| 30 August 1987 3 | Monza | 0–2 | Milan | Milan | 
|  12', 83' van Basten | Stadium: San Siro[13] Attendance: 44 568 Referee: Luci | 
| 2 September 1987 4 | Milan | 2–2 (3–4 p) | Parma | Milan | 
| van Basten  15' Gullit  80' |  42' Zannoni  58' (aut.) F. Galli | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 44 179 Referee: Coppetelli | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| van Basten  Bortolazzi  Donadoni  Baresi  Ancelotti  |  Zannoni  Carboni  Pasa  Di Fabio  Fiorin | |||
| 6 September 1987 5 | Barletta | 1–1 (3–5 p) | Milan | Bari | 
| Bonaldi  87' |  59' Donadoni | Stadium: Stadio della Vittoria[14] Attendance: 10 000 Referee: Baldas | ||
| Penalties | ||||
| Di Sarno  Cossato  Mazzaferro  Rovani  |  van Basten  Baresi  Ancelotti  Colombo  Donadoni | |||
Eightfinals
| 6 January 1988 | Milan | 0–1 | Ascoli | Milan | 
|  59' Destro | Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 13 808 Referee: Paparesta | 
| 20 January 1988 | Ascoli | 0–1 (4–2 p) | Milan | Ascoli Piceno | 
|  9' Virdis | Stadium: Cino e Lillo Del Duca Attendance: 14 910 Referee: D'Elia | |||
| Penalties | ||||
| Giovannelli  Casagrande  Greco  Benetti  Destro  |  Virdis  Bortolazzi  Donadoni  Baresi | |||
UEFA Cup
First round
| 16 September 1987 |  Sporting Gijon | 1–0 | Milan | Gijón | 
| Jaime  69' | Report | Stadium: El Molinon Attendance: 26 000 Referee:  Bridges | 
| 30 September 1987 | Milan | 3–0 |  Sporting Gijon | Lecce | 
| Virdis  21' (rig.), 45' (rig.) Gullit  43' | Report | Stadium: Stadio Via del Mare[15] Attendance: 35,488 Referee: .svg.png.webp) Petrović | 
Second round
| 21 October 1987 | Milan | 0–2 |  Espanyol | Lecce | 
| Report |  40' Zubillaga  49' Pichi Alonso | Stadium: Stadio Via del Mare[15] Attendance: 29 102 Referee:  Syme | 
Statistics
Squad statistics
| Competition[16] | Points | Home | Away | Total | GD | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Gs | Ga | G | W | D | L | Gs | Ga | G | W | D | L | Gs | Ga | |||
| 1987-88 Serie A | 45 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 18 | 8 | 30 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 43 | 14 | +29 | 
|  1987-88 Coppa Italia | – | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | +8 | 
| 1987-88 UEFA Cup | – | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 
| Total | – | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 11 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 24 | 11 | 41 | 22 | 14 | 5 | 59 | 22 | +37 | 
Players statistics
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia | UEFA Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK |  ITA | G. Galli | 40 | -12 | 30 | -12 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| DF |  ITA | Tassotti | 39 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| DF |  ITA | Galli | 40 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| DF |  ITA | Baresi | 36 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| DF |  ITA | Maldini | 29 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF |  ITA | Donadoni | 39 | 6 | 28+1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| MF |  ITA | Ancelotti | 38 | 2 | 27 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| MF |  ITA | Colombo | 35 | 3 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| MF |  ITA | Evani | 30 | 2 | 22+5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW |  NED | Gullit | 39 | 13 | 29 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 | |
| FW |  ITA | Virdis | 33 | 15 | 23+2 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| GK |  ITA | Nuciari | 2 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 0 | -0 | |
| DF | .svg.png.webp) SUI | Bianchi | 10 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| DF |  ITA | Costacurta | 8 | 0 | 2+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF |  ITA | Mussi | 18 | 0 | 6+5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| DF |  ITA | Verga | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF |  ITA | Bortolazzi | 22 | 1 | 6+7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW |  ITA | Massaro | 35 | 5 | 15+11 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| FW |  NED | van Basten | 19 | 8 | 4+7 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | |
| FW |  ITA | Cappellini | 2 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW |  ITA | Mannari | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
- Source: [17]
References
- ↑ Gianni Mura (July 3, 1987). "E un giorno Sacchi giocò in difesa". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 45.
- ↑ Gianni Mura (July 28, 1987). "Straordinari per il Milan". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 20.
- ↑ Fabrizio Bocca (July 1, 1987). "Milan, Juve e Roma sconvolte Hanno già prenotato i migliori". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 23.
- ↑ Licia Granello (September 17, 1987). "Il Milan è un gigante smarrito". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 18.
- ↑ Licia Granello (October 1, 1987). "È un Milan preciso". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 20.
- ↑ "Il Milan è già disperato". repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ↑ Gianni Brera (November 24, 1987). "Caro Napoli, vai troppo forte". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 33.
- ↑ Licia Granello (January 20, 1988). "Il mio calcio è come un look". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 30.
- ↑ Gianni Brera (January 26, 1988). "Ma anche le grandi sentono la fatica". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 24.
- ↑ Licia Granello (May 3, 1988). "Ma non è ancora scudetto". la Repubblica (in Italian). p. 34.
- ↑ "Cari campioni, vi vedo così..." repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ↑ "Norme organizzative interne della F.I.G.C. - Art. 51.6" (PDF) (in Italian). Italian Football Federation. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ↑ Stadium chosen due to is more attendance-capacity than Stadio Brianteo: Nino Sormani (31 August 1987), "Primi fischi per il Milan olandese", La Stampa, p. 20
- ↑ Due to no authorized Barletta: Panini 1989, p. 482.
- 1 2 Due to San Siro was suspended, Milan has played the match in Lecce; cfr. Luca Argentieri (10 July 1987), "Real – Napoli è già finale", la Repubblica, p. 31
- ↑ "Milan Associazione Calcio 1987–88". magliarossonera.it. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ↑ "Milan Associazione Calcio 1987–88" (in Italian). magliarossonera.it. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
Works cited
- Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio 1989 (in Italian). Modena: Panini Group. 1988.











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