Grazie Massimo Ambrosini: A tribute to a glorious eighteen years at AC Milan
Massimo Ambrosini
And so it ends. After 18 seasons of running around, snarling and tackling all whilst sporting a flurry of long blonde hair with a band, come August, MASSIMO AMBROSINI will be a Milan player no more.
Football has changed over the years and with changing times, even the clubs have changed their systems and policies. Milan, too, has changed its approach as they have decided to take a different path now, focusing on youth and ‘building stars instead of buying them’. The new campaign was labelled as “Year Zero” as they wanted to start a fresh cycle and concentrate on youth.
This year, once again the Rossoneri fans bid farewell to another long lasting servant, Massimo Ambrosini. After the mass exodus last season when Alessandro Nesta, Pippo Inzaghi, Clarence Seedorf, Rino Gattuso ,Gianluca Zambrotta and Flavio Roma decided to jump off the Milanese train, this year it’s the club captain who will not be with the side in the coming campaign.
In June 2013, AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani confirmed that Ambrosini would leave the San Siro once his contract expired, ending an eighteen-year stay with the club.
Ambrosini played 489 times and scored 36 goals for Milan, winning four Serie A titles, two Champions Leagues, two UEFA Supercups, one World Club Championship and one Coppa Italia.
Ambro moved to Milan in 1995 when Capello snapped him up from Cesena, still only 17. He was not able to cement his place in the starting 11 and was used sparingly. He was given only a handful of games but still played a small hand in helping Milan stitch up the Serie A title that year.
His role was still very limited which prompted his loan move to Vicenza in 1997. He immediately became a regular and helped them avoid relegation.
Seeing his stellar performances, Milan called him back and he became a regular till injuries held him back, restricting his appearances and affecting his form.
He won his first Champions League trophy with Milan in 2003 where he replaced Rui Costa in the 87th minute at Old Trafford against their old foes, Juventus. Milan capped their European success with a league title the following season.
In 2004-05, Ambrosini probably scored one of his most memorable goals when his late second half extra time header sent Milan in to the final as they beat PSV on the away goal rule. He would eventually miss out on the final due to another inury, where the Rossoneri were scuppered in their attempts to claim a second Champions League title in three seasons by their infamous six-minute blackout against Liverpool in Istanbul.
He then cemented his place in the starting XI and formed an envious Midfield alongside Gattuso, Kaka, Pirlo and Seedorf. Milan avenged their 2005 loss to Liverpool in the final of the 2006–07 Champions League as Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1. Ambrosini started the game and won his second Champions league title with Milan.
Ambrosini first tasted captaincy, in Paolo Maldini’s absence, when he was named the stand-in captain for the European Super Cup Final against UEFA Cup winners Sevilla FC, which Milan won 3–1.
In 2009, Ambrosini was officially named club captain, inheriting the armband from Paolo Maldini.
He won his first trophy as captain when Milan won the 2010-11 league title and it was all the more sweeter as they finished above their cross city rivals, Inter Milan.
Ambrosini was sent off in his last match against Siena but Milan still managed to win the match and secure CL football. He was left a bit bitter as the management did not communicate with him and he did not get a chance to say good bye to his fans. He responded to the situation, saying: “I would have liked to have said goodbye to the fans after the last match of the season but the club had still not communicated what they had planned..”