Grazie Presidente!

It’s official! Silvio Berlusconi’s 31-year reign as president of Milan has come to a close, and all we are left to say is: “Grazie! Grazie di tutto!”

For two years Milanisti have been reading about a potential takeover of the club, and after the deal with Bee Taechaubol fell through, many were left disheartened.

Things didn’t change for the better after an agreement was reached for Berlusconi to sell 99% of his shares to a Chinese Consortium called, Sino-Europe Sports Investment Management Changxing. However, after numerous delays, the “closing” became more of a punch line in a joke for rival clubs than anything serious.

Naturally, fans grew frustrated, but, today, there is a new sense of hope, optimism, and, of course, hesitancy – it wouldn’t be Milan without it. April 13 marks the start of a new era without the Italian media mogul, who lifted 29 trophies since 1986, and it has left many with a mixed sense of emotions.

While many will acknowledge that the selling of the club was the right thing to do, Berlusconi had failed to invest in the club for several years, the success he created with the Milanello outfit is unrivaled by most club owners, but the future is still very much unknown.

He crafted a beautiful Milan – one of history, prestige, silverware and beautiful football. He brought the amazing Dutch trio of Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten to the San Siro, allowed for the Maldini legacy to continue, and he also welcomed the likes of Arrigo Sacchi, Neils Leidholm, Fabio Capello and Carlo Ancelotti onto the bench. 

The Brazilian-inspired Milan of the early to mid-2000s brought samba football to Serie A, and in 2007, Kaka won the prestigious Ballon d’Or – the last player to do so since Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi’s rise to supremacy – making Ricky the seventh Rossoneri player to do so during Berlusconi’s tenure. 

The Milan teams built on his financial backing, coupled by the shrewd business eye of CEO Adriano Galliani, resulted in a team that swooped up every piece of silverware they challenged for. Milan wasn’t merely a club, but an institution that was considered vastly progressive.

Ten years on from winning their seventh and last UEFA Champions League victory in Athens, Milan are bidding farewell to Berlusconi – a man who was a visionary, who allowed young boys and girls to dream, and to fall in love with The Beautiful Game.

He will go down as one of the club’s most historic, and, certainly, most successful presidents, but now it’s time for Yonghong Li's Milan to forge a new path and create a new history.

As a fan of the club for many beautiful years, saying thank you is not enough, but that is all that is left to be done. Grazie president!