AC Milan is an Italian football club. Based in Milan, they play in red-and-black stripes and black shorts, giving them the nickname rossoneri ("red-blacks"). The second most successful club in Italian soccer history, they won the Serie A 17 times and Coppa Italia five times.

The club was founded in 1899 as the Milan Cricket and Football Club by Alfred Edwards , a British expatriate. In honour of its origins, the club has retained the English spelling of its city's name, instead of changing it to the Italian Milano; it should be noted that the current Italian pronounciation is actually MEE-lahn.

The team's current stadium is the 85,700 seater Giuseppe Meazza, also known as the San Siro. The stadium is shared with Internazionale (also known as "Inter"), the other major football club in Milan. AC Milan supporters use "San Siro" to refer to the stadium because Meazza was a star player for Inter.

Historically, AC Milan (usually referred to as "Mìlan" in Italy) was supported by the city's working classes and trade unionists, while Inter was mainly supported by the more prosperous. However, in recent years, the clubs have seen a significant reversal in supporter bases. Milan is now owned by conservative media magnate and current Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, while Inter is now owned by a centre-left businessman.

Famous players have included: Renzo De Vecchi , Cesare Maldini , Karl Heinz Schnellinger , Kurt Hamrin, Sandro Salvadore , Juan Alberto Schiaffino , Jose Altafini, Gunnar Gren, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Gunnar Nordahl, Nils Liedholm, Gianni Rivera, Luther Blissett, Franco Baresi, Giovanni Trapattoni, Angelo Sormani , Roberto Donadoni, George Weah, Demetrio Albertini, Paolo Di Canio, Roberto Baggio, Zvonimir Boban, Gianluigi Lentini , Carlo Ancelotti, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Cafu, Andriy Shevchenko, Hernán Crespo, Filippo Inzaghi, Jean-Pierre Papin, Dejan Savicevic , Ray Wilkins, Jimmy Greaves, Jaap Stam, Alessandro Nesta, Kaká.

Current first team squad

As of February 2005

Achievements

• Italian League (Serie A): 17
  • 1901, 1906, 1907, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1956-57, 1958-59, 1961-62, 1967-68, 1978-79, 1987-88, 1991-92, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2003-04

• European Cups: 6
  • 1962-63, 1968-69, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1993-94, 2002-03

• Italian Cups: 5
  • 1966-67, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1976-77, 2002-03

• Italian Super Cups: 5
  • 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2004

• Intercontinental Cups: 3
  • 1969, 1989, 1990

• European Super Cups: 3
  • 1989, 1990, 1994

• Cup Winners' Cups: 2
  • 1967-68, 1972-73

• Latin Cup (It was the most important cup for club teams in Europe during the 40's and the 50's. It was played from 1949 to 1957 between the champions of France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. After the introduction of the European Cups, it disappeared.)
  • 1951, 1956

• Mitropa Cup
  • 1981/82

Finals

• European Cup/Champions League
  • 1957/58, 1992/93, 1994/95

• Cup Winners' Cup
  • 1973/74

• Intercontinental Cup
  • 1963, 1993, 1994, 2003

• European Super Cup
  • 1973, 1993,

• Latin Cup
  • 1953

• Italian Cups
  • 1941/42, 1967/68, 1970/71, 1974/75, 1984/85, 1989/90, 1997/98

External links

• Official Site (portal to Italian, Portuguese, English, Chinese and Japanese versions)
• AC Milan fan site
• AC Milan Online (Fan Site - Unofficial)
• Milan Mania Forums (Community)
• The Red & Black Forums (Community)