Next to Real Madrid, AC Milan is Europe’s most successful club. Winning 18 Scudetto’s, 7 Champions Leagues and 4 Club World Cups can only be done when you’ve got the best of the best players at your disposal.

Indeed, Milan had featured brilliant players throughout its history.

Attacking players like Nordahl, Altafini, Weah, Kaká, Rivera, Gullit, Shevchenko, and Van Basten, to name a few.

Which of these would fit in an All-Time Milan XI?

To make the best possible line-up out of Milan’s greatest players, I’ve opted for an unconventional 3-3-2-2 formation.

Goalkeeper ~ Dida

Milan’s weakest position for sure. My father used to say that Brazil doesn’t need a good goalie, because for every goal they concede, their attackers score two in return. That principle seems to apply to Milan as well. There have been several great Italian goalies – Zoff, Zenga and Buffon – but none of them have played for Milan. Dida remains as the best option. He lost his touch during the latter years of his career, but between 2003 and 2007 he was among the world’s finer goalkeepers, winning the first FIFPro goalie of the year award, being nominated twice for the Ballon d’Or, and ending five times in IFFHS’s top ten goalies of the world election. His saves in the 2003 Champions League final penalty series were what gave Milan their sixth version of Europe’s most treasured trophy. Dida also played 91 games for Brazil, whereas ‘legendary’ Milan goalies such as Lorenzo Buffon, Fabio Cudicini and Sebastiano Rossi managed only 15 Caps for Italy combined.

Right central back ~ Alessandro Nesta

That Nesta, at age 35, is still a world class defender was experienced by Lionel Messi a few weeks ago, as Nesta completely marked him out of the game in the Camp Nou. A world class defender known for his clean play, disciplined marking and positioning, Nesta is among the greatest defenders of the 21st century. Barely edges out Costacurta, who was great, and that for a very long time, but not quite as flawless as Nesta.

Libero ~ Franco Baresi

The man who defined the Libero role. A leader on the field, he signalled when to fall back, when to press forward and when to set up an offside trap. Played an incredible 719 games for Milan, and, in 1999, was rightly elected Milan’s player of the century. Marcel Desailly should be proud to rank second behind this legend.

Left central back ~ Paolo Maldini

In the 60′s and 70′s Karl Heinz Schnellinger was considered one of the best left defenders in the world, but like everyone else, he has to bow down to Paolo Maldini. I’ll let the numbers do the talking. 902 matches for Milan. 126 caps for Italy. 7 Scudetto’s. 5 Champions Leagues and a long list of individual awards that are so rare for a defender. No contest.

Defensive midfielder ~ Frank Rijkaard

Rijkaard ranks as the archetype ideal defensive midfielder. Tall, strong and aggressive, he’d often steal more balls than all the defenders combined. At the same time he had an excellent technique and could even dribble his way forward. Rijkaard was one of the pillars under the success of Sacchi’s Milan. Marcel Desailly was a worthy replacement – but lacked Rijkaard’s skills on the ball.

Right central midfielder ~ Ruud Gullit

Although he played most of his games for Milan as a second striker behind Van Basten, Gullit was litterally able to play anywhere. With his physique, speed, vision and technique he could be deployed as a striker, playmaker, winger, midfielder or even as a libero. This makes him the ideal wild card for any Milan Best XI. In this narrow team, his ability to dominate the right flank from midfield makes him perfectly suited for this position. Much more so than the limited Gattuso.

Left central midfielder ~ Nils Liedholm

Only men with gray hairs will have seen him play extensively, but Liedholm deserves recognition from everyone. Milan in the 50′s was built around Liedholm and his fellow Swedes Gren and Nordahl. Together, this fabled Gre-No-Li triumvirate led Milan the club’s first great era. Liedholm was a remarkable player in several ways. His determination on the field made him the perfect leader of the team, being of great importance in both offense and defense. And in a time when most footballers trained only a few times a week, Liedholm was one of the first players to realize the importance of physical exercise, dedicating himselfto various athletic disciplines on a dialy basis. Finally, he built a reputation for his accurate passing. Legend has it that he once went two years without misplacing a pass. When he finally did give the ball to an opposing player, the San Sirocrowd erupted in a standing ovation that lasted five minutes. Andrea Pirlo can only dream of a legacy like this.

Right attacking midfielder ~ Gianni Rivera

The Golden Boy. Milan’s greatest creative force. and perhaps Italy’s as well. A playmaker with equal dribbling and passing abilities, his career in Milan spanned nearly two decades, in which he played an astounding 658 matches. Two times winner of the European Cup, he had a decisive influence in both the 1963 and 1969 finals. Finally won the Ballon d’Or in 1969.

Left attacking midfielder ~ Kaká

When he arrived in Milan, Kaká was virtually unknown in Europe. A year later, he had played Rui Costa and Rivaldo out of the team. Thanks primarliy to his excellent performances in Europe, Milan reached two Champions League finals in three years, with the 2007 victory coinciding with Kaká receiving the Ballon d’Or. In his prime, his speed, vision, excellent technique, scoring ability and professionalism made him a weapon any team would be envious of. His ability to shine when it matters puts him beyond the equally talented, but less effective Dejan Savicevic.

Right striker ~ Gunnar Nordahl

Part of legendary Gre-No-Li triumvirate, Nordahl remains to this day Milan’s all-time topscorer, with 210 goals in 257 games. His scoring ratio of 0.77 goals per game also makes him the Serie A’s most efficient goalscorer in history. His records loomed over the performances of his successor but less effective Jose Altafini.

Left striker ~ Marco van Basten

Like Rijkaard, Van Basten’s quality was such that he warrants a place in three different all-time teams. Ajax, Holland and AC Milan. A central forward with the elegance of a winger, the vision and technique of a playmaker, and the finishing touch of a striker, it’s little wonder why he won the Ballon d’Or on three different occassians, despite effectively having to quit football when he was only 28 years old. Shevchenko did justice to Van Basten’s legacy, but could never quite equal him.

The Greatest Milan XI of All-Time

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