The death of the former Italian Prime Minister won't be mourned by many people, but it will come as a bitter blow to fans of Monza and Milan
The comedian Dylan Moran once joked that Silvio Berlusconi was "so thoroughly corrupt that every time he smiles, an angel gets gonorrhoea". The former Italian prime minister was certainly a dubious character, right until the end of a life that was as extraordinary as it was controversial.
Even while battling the health problems to which he eventually succumbed, he continued to generate headlines, in football and far beyond. Just a few months ago, he publicly criticised Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, which prompted one of Zelensky's aides, Mykhailo Podolyak, to label Berlusconi "a VIP agitator who is acting in the interests of Russian propaganda".
Just a couple of days later, he was cleared of paying witnesses to lie in an underage prostitution case that had dogged him for more than a decade. "Finally acquitted after more than 11 years of suffering, mud-slinging and incalculable political damage," he wrote on Twitter.
It is worth noting, though, that while Berlusconi was also acquitted in the original case, he had been found to have paid a teenager for sex. However, there had been no proof that Berlusconi knew the girl in question was a minor.
One with no previous knowledge of Berlusconi would be forgiven, then, for thinking that he might shy away from discussing – let alone joking about – delicate subjects such as prostitution. But this was a man with scan regard for social etiquette, meaning he was never afraid to make light of the most uncomfortable of topics.
'A bus full of whores'
So, it didn't really come as much of a surprise when Berlusconi sparked uproar at Monza's Christmas dinner last December while initially paying tribute to the motivational skills of coach Raffaele Palladino.
"He is good, smart, kind, and able to stimulate our lads," the club president said. "But I decided to add extra stimulation, so I told the 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!'"
It was classic Berlusconi and his 'joke' was met by laughter in the room. However, when a video of the speech went viral, many Italians – who had long considered Berlusconi a national embarrassment – failed to see the funny side.
Which was wholly unsurprising, of course. The media mogul remained a hugely divisive figure across the country. His political career was blighted by scandal and yet, last year, he managed to secure a senate, while his Forza Italia party became a key component in the new right-wing coalition government led by Giorgia Meloni.
What is beyond dispute, though, is that Berlusconi made history in football, time and time again, first with AC Milan and then at Monza.
AdvertisementGetty'The decision to buy Milan was obbligatory'
Funnily enough, though, Berlusconi always felt his work went unappreciated, particularly at San Siro. Back in 2004, he complained, "They speak of the Milan of (Arrigo) Sacchi, (Alberto) Zaccheroni and (Carlo) Ancelotti and never talk of the Milan of Berlusconi. Yet it is I who for 18 years has been picking the team, stating the rules and buying the players… It seems as if I do not exist!"
In truth, though, both Berlusconi and his contribution to Italian football were impossible to ignore. It was he who awakened Serie A's sleeping giant. The club was on the verge of collapse when Berlusconi took over in 1986, and he deserves immense credit for doing so, because Milan was not a particularly attractive proposition at the time.
"Milan's [financial] situation would have discouraged anyone," he pointed out shortly after the acquisition. "Even now the gaps in the accounts have not been found and the amount of debt is not fully quantified, but it was impossible to behave differently.
"On the one hand, there was a Milan that could be exposed to dramatic situations – bankruptcy, liquidation, courts etc. On the other, though, there was Berlusconi the fan, who did not feel like witnessing such a massacre. At that point, the heart intervened and the decision to buy Milan was obligatory."
-'The most beautiful football in history'
It was a gamble that paid off spectacularly, thanks to both Berlusconi and his right-hand man, Adriano Galliani. In just three years, the pair put together arguably the best team club football has ever seen.
"According to [a FIFA vote], Arrigo Sacchi's Milan played the most beautiful football in history. It's actually difficult to say, but certainly the thrill of seeing that team play was incomparable," Berlusconi later told the Gazzetta dello Sport. "I'm happy that my father, who had led me by the hand since I was a child to rejoice and suffer for Milan, was still alive to see it."
Sacchi's side were certainly a joy to behold, one of the few teams in history that actually changed the game, thanks to their brilliant Italian backline and trio of Dutch superstars: Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit.
The appointment of Sacchi had been key, though, another high-risk move that proved a masterstroke. He had one title to his name – the Serie C1 title – and his arrival at San Siro was greeted with a mix of scepticism and incredulity. Many influential figures in the media were aghast that the responsibility of reviving Milan had been entrusted to a coach that had never played at the highest level.
Sacchi famously reacted to the questioning of his qualifications by quipping, "I never realised that in order to become a jockey, you have to have been a horse first."
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Milan won eight trophies during Sacchi's spell in charge, including back-to-back European Cups, and all while playing a brand of football that changed the game. It was, as Berlusconi put it, the most beautiful beginning to an "epic" empire that saw him become the most decorated president in club football.
Hardly surprising, then, that he came to consider himself an expert in tactics. Throughout his three-decade tenure, there were reports and accusations of interfering in team selections. At one point, he even publicly declared that "any Milan coach will be obliged to play at least two strikers. It's not a request; it's an obligation."
In that context, it's a minor miracle that Ancelotti managed to last eight seasons at San Siro. He didn't just have to put up with his president not only questioning his formation and selections, there were also little digs at his portly frame!
By the end of Ancelotti's time at Milan, though, it was starting to become clear that Berlusconi was no longer in a position to continue pumping money into the club.
In 2009, he even addressed talk of a potential sale but, in typically self-aggrandising fashion, Berlusconi claimed that he had yet to find a buyer "who would benefit the club more than me".