Sex, Silvio and Soccer

"Milan? It's an affair of the heart. It's expensive, but the most beautiful women also cost a lot." 

"I decided to add extra stimulation, so I told the (Monza) lads, 'You will play Milan, Juventus, etc... so if you beat one of these big teams, I will have you greeted in the locker room by a bus full of whores!'"

These are two of myraid football-related quotes made by former AC Milan owner, AC Monza owner, and former president of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, who passed away at the age of 86 on June 12. A billionaire media tycoon and longest-serving head of Itay, Berlusconi, is better known in the world of sports for being the driving force behind AC Milan becoming one of the prominent football clubs in the country and globally.

When he bought the club in 1986, it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Berlusconi took over Milan on February 20, 1986, and on July 8 made an epic entrance by landing in a helicopter to the tune of Wagner’s "Ride of the Valkyries." As he mentioned, it was an affair of the heart and, therefore, invested a lot of money into the club. He went about the task of rebuilding it by hiring Arrigo Sacchi and bringing in the Dutch trio of Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, and Frank Rijkaard. The result: under his ownership, AC Milan won 29 trophies, including eight Serie A titles and five European Cups.

It was all heart for the sex-scandal-ridden soccer czar.

“All of the things I work on are profane. But Milan is sacred. I remember when my dad would bring me to the stadium and I didn’t pay for a ticket because I was so small. So I repeat, Milan is a matter of love.”

Hence it was understandable when he turned emotional on selling the club in 2016 to a Chinese consortium.

"Today, after more than 30 years, I am leaving the title and office of president of AC Milan. I do it with pain and emotion, but with the knowledge that to compete at the highest level in modern football requires investments and resources that a single family is no longer able to sustain... Thanks again to everyone."

But Berlusconi couldn't be kept away from a football field for long and bought Monza in 2018. And worked his magic when he took the team from Serie C to Serie A in just four years. Probably the bus-full-of-whores incentive provided the impetus.

Incidentally, the busload promise was made during Monza's Christmas party in 2022 to motivate the team. The team responded admirably and beat Juventus 2-0, but there is no clarity on whether Berlusconi kept his promise. He only said in a post-match quote that “I have already received 100 calls asking me to stand by my word.”

While his sex quotes and scandals grabbed maximum attention, Berlusconi was very much on top of the game and had no qualms in choosing his favourite footballer.

"The history of my Milan has been one of great champions, who made every fan dream, myself included. I always established a personal relationship of esteem and affection with my boys. But if I really have to name [my favourite], I choose Marco Van Basten, a symbol of the beauty of football as I understand it. A legendary protagonist who left an unfillable void when he had to leave the field too soon."

And he had special admiration for Diego Maradona, and while highlighting regret on not signing him for Milan, exhibited clarity on what a superstar athlete means to a club.

"Not signing him was a very deep regret, and not just because Maradona was the greatest player of his generation. He was a fragile person, perhaps the discipline and attention to individuals that existed in my Milan would have helped him avoid some mistakes. But, from talking to him, I realised one thing: Maradona was Naples, he was the symbol of the greatest Napoli team in history. And icons like him cannot be bought and cannot be moved. It would have been like taking the heart of an entire city and transferring it to Milan. It would have been unfair; it couldn't be done. Diego himself, who had great sensitivity, shared this assessment."

His pride in catapulting Milan to the highest level was evident when he boasted about the club's popularity.

"We hope to have put together a team capable of putting on a show because we have certain responsibilities towards our fans and the rest of the world, where we are the most famous thing about Italy - after the mafia and pizza."

One of the most divise figures in Italian politics, he never lost a chance to talk about the topics most close to his heart: women and football, even in a political arena. During an European Union summit in Brussels, while addressing the gathering he turned to then German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and said: "Let's talk about football and women! Gerhard, why don't you start?" Schroeder had then been married four times.
 

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