the 5 best players in the history of AC Milan

Many first-class footballers have already donned the Rossoneri jersey. At the San Siro, footballers of the highest calibre have shown their skills. Kaká, Seedorf, Pirlo, Nesta, Maldini, Ibrahimovic, Shevchenko, Van Basten and Gullit. But who has sunk deepest into the minds of supporters and who has earned a place among the five best to ever defend the colours of AC Milan?

Ruud Gullit

The Surinamese-born Dutch all-rounder rose to prominence in the PSV jersey, from which he was bought out by AC in 1987.

Among other things, he was renowned for his incredible versatility, which made him very useful in attack and midfield, even towards the back. He certainly gained a lot of sympathy from the fans with his typical hairstyle.

His intelligence and vision in the final third of the pitch has been the key to many successes for the Milan club. The 1987 Ballon d’Or winner finished his career in Milan with 171 games played, 56 goals scored and 40 assists.

Gianni Rivera

The midfielder from Alessandria has left an indelible mark on Rossoneri history, even though he probably didn’t receive the recognition he deserved during his active career.

In Italy, he was nicknamed Bambino d’Oro (Golden Boy) and he lived up to his nickname. He made his Serie A debut at the age of 15 years and 288 days, a fact all the more remarkable because it was certainly not the custom in those days to let such youngsters play.

The 1969 Ballon d’Or winner left his beloved club with a stats of 651 games, 163 goals and 112 assists, third in the club’s all-time top scorers list.

Gunnar Nordahl

The Swedish Hörnefors canon was Serie A Capocannoniere (top scorer in the Italian top flight) five times, no one else has boasted the calling card of Italy’s top scorer more times.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s predecessor at Milan is still the top scorer in Il Diavolo history thanks to 214 goals. That feat took him 262 competitive matches. Perhaps even Ibra is pale with envy. The Swede was a pure goalscorer as evidenced by the mere two assists he managed to score during his time in northern Italy.

As well as being the club’s leading goalscorer, he also holds the third spot in the list of the most goal-scoring goalscorers in Serie A history, with only Silvio Piola and Francesco Totti ahead of him.

Franco Baresi

Old school Italian, that’s how Baresi’s precise textbook defending could be summed up. Along with young teammate Maldini, they created a defensive wall that was damn hard to get through. A born leader, he strung the captain’s armband on his left arm for a full fifteen years and led his teammates into Scudetto battles.

He never kicked for any team other than his beloved AC, even when the famous club was relegated to Serie B. He played 714 games for the Rossoneri in which he scored 31 goals and assisted 24 goals.

He was named the best AC Milan player of the 20th century and his knock out six is highly revered at the San Siro. The 1982 world champion was, in short, Mr. Defender.

Paolo Maldini

Baresi’s partner in the AC and Italian national team defence is perhaps the definition of the club’s identity. Probably no one is as celebrated by the supporters of San Siro as Il Capitano. His legendary number 3 is one of two, along with Baresi’s number six, that have been scrapped by the club’s management.

The only way someone with his number could reappear in an AC Milan jersey is through his sons Christian and Daniel, both of whom are now in the club’s youth system. Maldini holds the record for the highest number of games played for the Rossoneri with a breathtaking 901 competitive games.

He is considered one of the best defenders in football history. He retired from active football career in 2009 after 25 seasons.

Source: Transfermarkt