1985–86 AC Milan season

Summary

The summer of 1985 saw the purchase from Juventus of the world champion and 1982 Ballon d'Or Paolo Rossi, who formed an attacking trident with Virdis and Hateley.

On a corporate level, the 1985–86 season was troubled for Milan: in December, president Giuseppe "Giussi" Farina, following the elimination in the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup at the hands of the Belgians of Waregem, suffered a harsh dispute from the fans. With the arrival of the new year, the company is overloaded with debts and risks bankruptcy if they are not repaid. In this situation, Farina resigned and various consortia alternated: Rosario Lo Verde was elected to the presidency of Milan, waiting for a new buyer, and remained at the helm of the company as regent for just 51 days (this made him the shortest lasting chairman in the club's history).

On 20 February 1986, the Milanese entrepreneur Silvio Berlusconi, owner of Fininvest, bought the team, settling the debt of several billion lire and saving the club from bankruptcy; on 24 March he became chairman. Berlusconi confers the function of CEO of Milan to Adriano Galliani and hired Ariedo Braida as sporting director.

In the meanwhile, the team had started the championship well, cruising for the entire first half of the season between second and third position behind leaders Juventus. Milan then suffered a performance drop (obtaining one point in five games) and missed out on a place in the UEFA Cup by finishing in seventh place, one point behind Inter.

In the Coppa Italia, Milan got through the first round finishing their group in second place with 7 points thanks to victories against Cagliari, Reggiana and Arezzo, a draw with Genoa and a defeat against Udinese, group winners with a 3-point lead on the Rossoneri. In the round of 16, Milan faced Empoli who eliminated Milan thanks to a 1–0 victory in Tuscany and a 1–1 draw in Milan.

In the UEFA Cup, the Rossoneri beat the French side of Auxerre in the round of 64 (1–3 defeat in Auxerre and 3–0 win in Milan) and the East Germans of Lokomotive Leipzig in the round of 32 (with a 2–0 win in Milan and a 1–3 defeat in Leipzig, Milan qualified on the away goals rule). In the round of 16 Milan faced the Belgians of Waregem who eliminated the Rossoneri, drawing 1–1 at home and winning in with a comeback at San Siro (2–1 the final score). In this match, the first goal of the Belgians, that of the 1–1, originated from a disputed penalty that will trigger the violent reactions of the AC Milan fans, following which the club will be punished with two matches of disqualification from playing in the San Siro in the European cups.

Between May and June 1986 the Lega Nazionale Professionisti organized the Torneo Estivo, in which Milan were beaten by Udinese and Torino and drew with Lecce, closing their group in third place with only one point and thus being eliminated from the competition.

Squad

Goalkeepers

• ITA Giulio Nuciari
• ITA Fabrizio Ferron
• ITA Giuliano Terraneo
• ITA Antonio Vettore

Defenders

• ITA Franco Baresi
• ITA Alessandro Costacurta
• ITA Filippo Galli
• ITA Roberto Lorenzini
• ITA Paolo Maldini
• ITA Carmelo Mancuso
• ITA Luigi Russo
• ITA Mauro Tassotti

Midfielders

• ITA Mario Bortolazzi
• ITA Gabriello Carotti
• ITA Agostino Di Bartolomei
• ITA Alfonso Di Marco
• ITA Alberigo Evani
• ITA Andrea Icardi
• SMR Marco Macina
• ITA Andrea Manzo
• ENG Ray Wilkins

Attackers

• ENG Mark Hateley
• ITA Paolo Rossi
• ITA Pietro Paolo Virdis
• ITA Valentino Spelta

Transfers

Competitions

Serie A

Main article: 1985–86 Serie A

League table

Matches

Monelli Hateley Cerezo Brady Bagni Hateley Wilkins Mancini Maradona

Top scorers

• ENG Mark Hateley 8
• ITA Pietro Paolo Virdis 6
• ITA Agostino Di Bartolomei 2
• ITA Filippo Galli 2
• ITA Paolo Rossi 2

Coppa Italia

Main article: 1985–86 Coppa Italia

First round Group 6 Marulla Virdis Wilkins Virdis Round of 16

UEFA Cup

Main article: 1985–86 UEFA Cup

First Round Danio Hateley Second Round Hateley Leitzke Richter

Round of 16 Veyt

Statistics

Squad statistics

Players statistics

References

Sources

• RSSSF – Italy 1985/86

References

1. "Attendance Statistics of Serie A".
2. "Farina si dimette".
3. "Lo Verde nuovo presidente del Milan".
4. "Berlusconi da ieri presidente del Milan".
5. "How Silvio Berlusconi's reign as AC Milan owner shaped modern football".
6. "E ora la squalifica (forse due giornate)".
7. "Milan Associazione Calcio 1985–86". magliarossonera.it.
8. "Milan Associazione Calcio 1985–86". magliarossonera.it.