The most relevant personalities and entities in Italian football mourned the death on Monday, due to leukemia from which he had been suffering for two years, of Silvio Berlusconi, one of the most influential people in the history of ‘calcio’.
Rivals, players with a Milanese past and leaders of Italian sports organizations expressed their regret at the loss of what is regarded as one of the most important figures in the recent history of transalpine football, in which he has won 28 titles with Milan and a historic rise with Monza, his second football project.
But his great work will always be Milan, that team he ruled for 31 years (1986-2017) and with which he won eight ‘Scudettos’, five Champions Leagues, six Italian Super Cups, five European Super Cups, two Intercontinentals, one World Cup of clubs and an Italian Cup.
“I owe my entire coaching career to him. After four years of coaching, he called me to Milan. I was surprised, but it filled me with pride and we achieved extraordinary results,” recalled Fabio Capello.
“Silvio Berlusconi was a genius. He had a vision years before him. In many ways he did incredible things, like in football and in business, although in others he was persecuted,” added the ex-Milanista coach please.
Paolo Maldini, Milanese legend and until recently sports director of the club ‘rossonero’, also dedicated a few words to him on social networks.
“He leaves us a genius, visionary and dreamer, but above all a friend who changed the history of our Italy. Thank you for everything President, you made all Milan fans live a dream that has lasted more than 30 years, no one will be like you,” said Maldini.
Other great fans of Milan, such as Franco Baresi, Ruud Gullit, Filippo Inzaghi, Arrigo Sacchi or his loyal right-hand man, Adriano Galliani, wanted to pay him their special tribute.
“I feel more alone. To me he was like a father, a unique and endearing president to all. He made my dreams come true,” confessed Baresi, Milan’s honorary vice president.
Adriano Galliani said goodbye via Facebook: “Distraught, speechless, with immense pain I cry to my friend, the master of everything, the person who changed my life for more than 43 years. Rest in peace dear chairman. With much love.”
‘Rest in peace, Mr Berlusconi. Always grateful for the opportunity he gave me to play for his emblematic club,” Gullit said on social media. The Dutchman wore the Milan shirt from 1987 to 1993 and again in 1994, forming what known as Dutch Milan.
“I feel bad, despite everything I didn’t expect it. He was a brilliant friend to whom I owe everything. Silvio Berlusconi was a generous man and tried to change this difficult country of individualists. Was he too? No, I thought globally and saw very far: when he hired me, I told him ‘either you’re crazy or you’re a genius’. Given the results, you give me the answer,” said Sacchi, the first coach of the Berlusconi era.
Rivals like Gianluigi Buffon or Dino Zoff also devoted a few words to him: “Today we say goodbye to Silvio Berlusconi, a visionary, passionate and romantic football president. He transformed Milan into a world power and won the hearts of millions of fans. His legacy in the football world will be remembered forever,” said the legendary Parma goalkeeper, former Juventus.
“Berlusconi was an important man. The story he has created is great and he has everything on his side,” said a Zoff who had a controversy with Berlusconi when he coached the Italian team. The then Italian Prime Minister blamed him for his decision not to mark Zidane at Euro 2000.
The current ‘azzurro’ coach, Roberto Mancini, praised Berlusconi’s figure “for sport he was an extraordinary man, also for politics, so today is a very sad day”.
Both the President of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the President of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) expressed their condolences.
“Silvio Berlusconi has changed the history of Italian football. His contribution in terms of passion, innovation and investment, always focused on beautiful sports and entertainment, has been fundamental to our movement in the international arena,” said the president of the FIGC, Gabriele Gravina.
“Sport owes a lot to him and it is no coincidence that until a few months ago Milan was the team with the most titles in the world. His record is impressive, thanks to his brilliance, his generosity and his organizational skills. It is a piece of land that is leaving.In sport, we have really lost a giant in every sense, I join the pain of all the bereaved, “said the president of the CONI, Giovanni Malagò.
In addition, numerous Serie A teams, such as Inter, Fiorentina, Napoli, Torino or Udinese, among many others, have issued a statement deploring Berlusconi’s death. Serie A also joined the mass condolences.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
