In 1988 Sacchi was going into his second season and headed into the transfer market. This was the time that football in Europe was not significantly affected by the EU Employment Law. Teams were only allowed three foreign players in Serie A. This rule seems archaic in modern times of fluid national identities. Sacchi, against the will of Berlusconi at the time, was a very hands on coach and brought in the Dutchman, Frank Rikaard. Rikaard would go on to become one third of the famous Dutch trio. The other player was the elegant Marco Van Basten who was deemed to be one of the best players in the world. Sacchi praised Ruud Gullit, before Gullit sat in the Sky TV. Indeed he was one of the very best midfielders and one of the legends of Italian football. When the trio worked together, it made the whole team one step ahead of the opposition. Another strong aspect of the team that had Sacchi’s influence was Paulo Maldini ‘II Capitano’, who had AC Milan in his blood, having never been on another team.
Milan demonstrated their excellence in a game against Real Madrid winning 5-0 on their way to the final of the 1989 European cup. During the final, Milan went on a rampage against Steaue Bucharest, beating them 4 – 0 with Gullit and Van Basten each scoring two goals. The result was pure euphoria and vindication for Berlusconi’s bold appointment.
Sacchi’s first reign at Milan only lasted 1987–1991, but what he brought was imagination to the football pitch and to management. Real Madrid, when they attempted to spy on his training session, stated that they could not get any information. This was simply evidence of a man who was ahead of his time. He did stay on in management, even coming back to Milan for a brief spell, and another highlight was his reaching the 1994 World Cup with Italy. What Sacchi symbolises is that you do not need to have reached the highest echelons of the professional game or even have been a professional footballer to be a magnificent manager. Using Sacchi’s famous quote: "I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first". Anyone with the right skills can be a great manager when in the right circumstances. Some say Sacchi was fortunate to have a talented squad, I say he was able to utilise the resources he had available to him.
TIMOTEO ZANNETTI