Silvio Berlusconi’s true love After 13 years, the owner of ManCity visits his team’s game again

Characteristically, Silvio Berlusconi made AC Monza’s players at the club’s Christmas party in December 2022. “I said to the boys, now you play against Milan, against Juve and so on,” he announced to the team, officials and the sponsors.

It is unknown whether he kept the questionable deal. Because at least the away match at Juventus at the end of January 2023, the promoted team surprisingly won 2-0. In the meantime, however, that does not matter, because the owner of AC Monza can no longer keep his promise anyway. Silvio Berlusconi is dead.

The former prime minister of Italy died in Milan on Monday at the age of 86. There, the scandalous multimillionaire was known not only for his politics, but above all for his key role in football.

Silvio Berlusconi and AC Milan were a seemingly inseparable team for many years. Between 1986 and 2017, the media mogul called Italy’s top club his own. Until 2004 he was the president of Milan. Another time from 2006 to 2008. Under his leadership, the club won the Champions League for the last time in 2007.

“There is no one in the world who can pretend to keep up with me,” Berlusconi is said to have said of himself. Sportingly, at least the politician, who is often referred to as the prototype of a populist, was not entirely wrong. Because Milan and Berlusconi: That was a success story, especially from a sporting point of view.

Under him, a number of titles found their way to the Milan club showcase. The club, owned by Berlusconi, won the championship no fewer than eight times in Italy alone. The Champions League title went to the fashion metropolis five times during this period. Players such as Paolo Maldini, Kaká, Clarence Seedorf and Andrij Shevchenko grew into world stars and became the figurehead of the Milan club. To the flagship of Berlusconi’s club.

But the love between Berlusconi and AC Milan also had its hurdles to overcome. And it kept crumbling. For example, in 2009, when Berlusconi sold Kaká, one of the best players, if not the best, in the entire club. The reason: Milan was struggling with enormous financial problems. Real Madrid raised around 65 million euros for Kaká. That did not go down well with the fans, because the Brazilian would have liked to stay.

Meanwhile, Berlusconi seemed to lose interest in his toys in general. In 2009, it was even rumored that Berlusconi wanted to sell AC Milan – to Libyan dictator Muammar el Gaddafi. But it turned out differently.

It wasn’t until 2017 that they finally broke up. The club was already in a financial fiasco and had not played internationally for years. So, the Chinese investor consortium “Sino-Europe Sports Investment Management Changxing Co. Ltd.” 740 million euros on the table from Berlusconi’s company “Fininvest”. AC Milan had a new owner, Berlusconi was in the past.

But what happens to a bon vivant who has devoted himself to his great love for decades and suddenly finds herself without her? Right, he’s looking for a new one. And Silvio Berlusconi quickly found that in football.

The chosen one was AC Monza, still an Italian third division club in September 2018. Berlusconi bought the club together with Adriano Galliani, his right-hand man in Milan. The goal: “I want Monza to challenge Milan at San Siro,” said Berlusconi. So the new love should have something to do with the old one at some point.

And of course they succeeded, because AC Monza has now ended up in the Serie A, Italy’s top division. Also because Berlusconi has pumped millions into the club in recent years.

Meanwhile, Berlusconi had not lost his self-confidence and delusions of grandeur at Monza either. He said after last year’s successful promotion match against Pisa: “On Sunday we made history with Monza – and now we want the ‘Scudetto’ and the Champions League.”

It hasn’t come that far yet. AC Monza finished the club’s first Serie A season in 11th place. But Silvio Berlusconi will no longer be able to follow his new love for more seasons.

The death of the former politician caused consternation at his club. “Forever with us: general manager Adriano Galliani and all of Monza mourn the death of Silvio Berlusconi,” said the AC Monza website. “He leaves a void that can never be filled. Thank you for everything, Mr. President.”

Galliani himself said, “I mourn a friend, the person who changed my life for over 43 years.” AC Milan also expressed his condolences. Former players also responded. “We lose a genius, a visionary dreamer and, above all, a friend who changed the history of our Italy,” wrote Paolo Maldini, for example.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Milan and Monza fans gathered in front of Berlusconi’s residence in Arcore and laid flowers in front of the entrance. In the end, Berlusconi’s two loves met not only on the field, but also on the day of his death.

He had already emphasized last year that he is close to both clubs, including his old club. After the promotion with Monza, he said he was very much looking forward to the confrontations with Milan. “My heart beats for both one club and the other,” said Berlusconi. However, now it has completely stopped beating. And the football world has finally lost one of its most controversial figures.

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(t-online, wl)