The most important information (click to go)
Herbert Kilpin, founder of AC Milan: ‘We will be a team of devils. Our colours will be: red – like fire, and black – to strike fear into the hearts of our rivals.
The comparison with the devils is what both clubs have in common; on 15 August at 4:45 p.m., they will face each other at Tarczyński Arena in Wroclaw in a friendly ‘Super Match’, which will be the final pre-season friendly for both sides ahead of the 2026/2027 season.
Seven Champions League titles
Last season Milan competed in the Champions League, where they lost on the aggregate against Feyenoord Rotterdam in the first round of the knockout stage.
As the fifth-placed team in Serie A, the Rossoneri – the Red and Blacks – will soon compete in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. They have never achieved the greatest success in this competition. They only made it to the semi-finals in the times when the Europa League was still the UEFA Cup.
However, the Champions League is the most important competition, and Milan have won it as many as seven times: 1962/1963, 1968/1969, 1988/1989, 1989/1990, 1993/1994, 2002/2003 and 2006/2007. Throughout history, only Real Madrid have done so more often, and Manchester United have lifted the trophy three times.
Let us go back to 2007, when, thanks to two goals from ‘Super Pippo’ – Filippo Inzaghi – the team managed by legendary Carlo Ancelotti beat Liverpool FC in Athens.
Other trophies and club legends
The Rossoneri’s major international successes also include:
- five UEFA Super Cups,
- two UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups,
- first FIFA Club World Cup.
The majority of the collection comprising 50 trophies consists of those won in domestic competitions:
- 19 Italian league titles (most recently in 2022),
- five Italian Cups (the last one in 2003),
- eight Italian Super Cups (the last one in 2024).
The most successful coach in the history of the club is Nereo Rocco (10), and the top goalscorer is Sweden's Gunnar Nordahl (221). The hall of fame includes the Italians Franco Baresi (a record 719 appearances), Carlo Ancelotti and Filippo Inzaghi; the Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko (the second-highest goalscorer of all time); the Dutchmen Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten, and the Brazilian Ricardo Kaká.
A new chapter with Amorim
From this season onwards, the team will be led by a new coach – the Portuguese Ruben Amorim, who, incidentally, worked for Manchester United until 2026.
‘It is great pleasure for me to come here, and I feel a great sense of responsibility. The history of this club is amazing. Now we want to dominate and win, thanks to players who are capable of playing one-on-one. ‘The quality of our football will be crucial in a league as tough as Serie A,’ said Ruben Amorim.
Gerry Cardinale, owner of AC Milan – quotes from the club’s official website: ‘From among many candidates, we have chosen a man who, in our view, will bring fresh ideas to the club, strengthen our entire organisation and help rebuild Milan’s culture. We need to rejoin the fight for the trophies. We want to play exciting attacking football. This marks the start of a new chapter.
So far (as at 6 August), Gerry Cardinale has spent the most on striker Gonçalo Ramos from PSG (74 million EUR) and on defender Mario Gil (Spain), whom he signed from Lazio Rome for 30 million EUR. The most substantial sums were 18.5 million EUR from the sale of Alejandro Jiménez to Bournemouth and 12 million EUR from the transfer of Álvaro Morata to Como.
Captain Modrić and other leaders
The captain of Amorim’s team will be Luka Modrić, a major star of club football and the Croatian national team, who has extended his contract by another year. The new coach was very keen to have the captain still on board. ‘I am pleased with the squad, which we want to strengthen with the best players,' admitted Ruben Amorim.
According to the coach, the key players alongside Luka Modrić will be:
- striker Gonçalo Ramos (Portugal), who scored 6 goals and provided 1 assist for PSG last season,
- striker Christian Pulisic (USA), who scored 31 goals and provided 21 assists during his three previous seasons in Milan.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan (at San Siro since 2021) and experienced midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who will begin his second season at Milan, could also play an important role. Both were key players for Les Bleus at the recently concluded World Cup. In addition to them, the squad also includes first-choice striker Christopher Nkuku and midfielder Youssouf Fofana, both from France. Another player not to be overlooked is the Portuguese Rafael Leão, who has scored over 60 goals during his seven years with the Rossoneri.
AC Milan will kick off their Serie A campaign with an away match against Torino on 23 August, a few days after their friendly against Manchester United in Wroclaw.
