This week saw a shift in European power that has been
building for the last couple of years. It is almost certain that there will be
an all-German Champions League final for the first time to be played at Wembley
on the 25th of May, dethroning the domination of Barcelona, who made it to at
least the semi-finals for the past five years. Ironically, AC Milan will be
playing Ajax in a glorified friendly in Beijing on May the 25th. But it wasn’t
always this way. Let’s look back at the 2002-2003 Champions League final, when
two Italian teams faced off for the first time, also in England…
Milan’s Champions League glory may have faded recently, but
between 2002-2007, Milan made it to the quarterfinals once, to the semifinals
twice, and played three finals, winning two. With seven Champions League titles
to our name, only Real Madrid have more, with nine. So although our star seems
to have faded a bit since 2007, we are destined to come back into power again
soon.
Seeing Germany dominate in Champions League this season
should not be a surprise, as they took over one of our Champions League spots a
couple of years back. With Serie affected so adversely by Calciopoli and its
aftermath, we lost coefficient points, and continue to do so. And thus, it will
be up to Milan to fight even harder for that one less spot until Italian teams can
regain dominance and earn a spot again.
This season in particular, with our Champions League
qualification hanging in the balance, we need to feel the history calling us
and step up and win these last five games. Not only for Milan fans, but for all
of Serie A. Despite having such incredible turnover and the resulting turmoil,
Milan showed this year that Champions League is in our DNA. We showed that even with a new team and less quality,
we are still the most prepared to compete in Europe. So with this in mind,
let’s fight for our destiny. Champions League glory awaits us once more, it is
up to us to go find it.
Forza Milan!
This post inspired by the music of
Ella Fitzgerald
Our next match is
Milan vs. Catania
Sunday, April 28 • 20:45 CEST (2:45 EDT)