• 6 months ago
Transcript
00:00:00 Milan and Barcelona, a sort of anticipated Champions Cup final.
00:00:05 In the difficult moments, they were jumping.
00:00:07 Two important and difficult cards to replace.
00:00:12 He said, "Guys, today I've understood that we're very strong, we're going to win the Champions League final."
00:00:16 Few can say they've made a double in the Champions League final.
00:00:29 When I touched the ball, I saw it in the net.
00:00:32 Goal! It's 4-4!
00:00:34 It's a city like no other. Its name is etched in legend.
00:00:54 It's a city like no other.
00:00:57 It's where reality meets ideals.
00:01:14 Where the buzz of the street and the power of poetry coexist.
00:01:18 Where history becomes tales of beauty.
00:01:22 It's in Athens, where the deeds of men, of champions, of heroes begin.
00:01:29 When you arrive, you see the Parthenon. It's incredible.
00:01:39 Athens is the apotheosis of that.
00:01:43 I remember the night before the game, we had this room.
00:01:47 I was in the room with Roberto Donadoni.
00:01:51 We saw the Parthenon from the window of our room.
00:01:55 A huge window.
00:01:57 The idea of the Greek temple, of the gods.
00:02:01 Something important, to achieve a result that went beyond.
00:02:07 A city, a stadium that really gave us a lot.
00:02:13 The ideal city for two such strong teams.
00:02:17 Because if you consider two such strong teams, it was right that they met in such an important city.
00:02:25 There's history. We made history too.
00:02:29 History recounted Arrigo Saki's immortal team.
00:02:39 Often voted as the greatest of all time.
00:02:43 A side that conquered Italy, Europe and then the world.
00:02:47 Then history eulogized Fabio Capello.
00:02:51 An instantly successful manager.
00:02:53 Three league titles in a row.
00:02:55 The first without a single defeat.
00:02:59 The record-breaking Milan that marched into Athens were a group of honest men.
00:03:04 Golden ball winners and superstars.
00:03:07 A team that became invincible.
00:03:11 Fabio Capello's AC Milan were about power, physicality, genius and order.
00:03:33 A team capable of anything, even losing.
00:03:37 The team that won the Champions League.
00:03:41 I still can't believe I lost to Marseille the year before.
00:03:49 We had too many chances to score.
00:04:03 It's a shame, because the team lost at a very good level.
00:04:07 It feels like the end of a cycle.
00:04:09 I think the team can keep going.
00:04:11 I'm sure we still have a lot to say about the future.
00:04:15 I'm very confident.
00:04:17 It's the end of a cycle. They said that a while ago.
00:04:19 I hope not.
00:04:21 They said it a few years ago and it wasn't true.
00:04:25 They say it a lot even today.
00:04:27 Who knows? I hope not.
00:04:30 It's said that to truly live, you have to be reborn from the ashes.
00:04:36 Giving up is never an option for those that know the road to victory.
00:04:40 When a team of champions, for various reasons, things don't work,
00:04:46 the moment comes when the spark goes off.
00:04:49 Maybe we deserved something more.
00:04:51 We got to the final after 10 consecutive wins.
00:04:55 We went through an incredible journey.
00:04:59 Losing in that way could have left a mark.
00:05:03 The jokes about the group represented something that meant we had to start again.
00:05:11 Capello had lost this final.
00:05:14 At the beginning, the comparison with Sacchi was heavy.
00:05:18 But the loss of the final was a stain for him.
00:05:22 He started to say that in the Champions League, Milan di Sacchi was better.
00:05:27 Something always happens.
00:05:29 Not only because the coach changes.
00:05:33 They are all great champions.
00:05:35 It happens that they have to show themselves first of all.
00:05:41 I was simply convinced that I could go again.
00:05:44 The first team to win the Champions League
00:05:48 On one hand, the experience and strength of the senior players.
00:05:55 On the other, the youth and vibrancy of the young talent.
00:05:58 AC Milan are a team where everyone pushes in the same direction,
00:06:02 striving for immediate redemption.
00:06:05 I was the young boy. Cruyff called me the young boy.
00:06:09 I put in what I had.
00:06:12 I always had the confidence of the coach, Fabio Capello, of the whole team.
00:06:17 The luck of being so young in such a responsible group made me grow a lot.
00:06:23 I remember when I arrived at the training at 10.30 am.
00:06:26 I arrived at 9.30 am.
00:06:28 And you see that everyone was already there.
00:06:30 I said, "Maybe I just arrived. Maybe I made a mistake."
00:06:33 I remember that the next day I woke up at 7 am in Brera to go to Milanello.
00:06:38 I arrived at 8.15 am because I had to be the first one.
00:06:41 I was the youngest.
00:06:43 In football, there is a meticulousness of preparation, day after day.
00:06:48 You can't win by preparing for the last day.
00:06:52 You win if you prepare every day.
00:06:55 One of the greatest out-of-class players I've ever met in football was Italo Galbiati.
00:06:59 He was huge for me.
00:07:02 He told me that I was one of the five greatest workers he had.
00:07:07 I'm crying because I want to give a good heart to that man I miss so much.
00:07:12 An absolute out-of-class player was the greatest professional satisfaction for me.
00:07:16 When I went to Carlo Ancelotti's house for lunch,
00:07:21 I always saw this picture of him lifting the cup.
00:07:25 That was my dream.
00:07:27 It was my dream to be able to lift it and have that picture too.
00:07:30 In the end, I achieved it.
00:07:34 The feeling of someone who plays in a Champions League final is the same as mine.
00:07:38 It's the first time I've played in a Champions League final.
00:07:41 I've arrived here and I have this opportunity.
00:07:44 I probably won't have any other.
00:07:46 Having played in a stratospheric Milan game with President Silvio Berlusconi,
00:07:50 we managed to get to the final eight times.
00:07:53 This also gave us the chance to make some mistakes in the final.
00:07:56 What we created in the various finals,
00:07:59 starting with Barcelona's game against Steaua,
00:08:02 is something that makes you sail to heights that are not normal for a human being.
00:08:07 I think that the strength of that team and club
00:08:12 was the ability to land with our feet on the ground and start again right after.
00:08:29 Milan started the tournament with a precise and ambitious approach,
00:08:33 leaving nothing to chance.
00:08:35 That was the best way to move on to new horizons.
00:08:39 For a few years, Milan was the strongest team in the world.
00:08:49 We had a team that played very well, with wonderful players.
00:08:54 We always played on the ground, looking for space. It was a very modern football.
00:08:59 AC Milan vs Barcelona began long before that night in Athens,
00:09:13 in Oviedo at the start of the very same season.
00:09:16 It was like a premonition of the final to come,
00:09:19 where the greatest sides would face off and there was only one winner.
00:09:23 A match that goes beyond the value of the trophy,
00:09:30 a sort of anticipated Champions League final.
00:09:33 It was a good prediction, not very difficult,
00:09:37 because Barcelona had won the Champions League two years earlier,
00:09:40 in '92, the famous game against Sampdoria.
00:09:42 Milan was at their height for many years,
00:09:47 with the three Dutchmen, Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard.
00:09:53 And Barça too, because I think we changed the economy of Real Madrid a bit.
00:10:00 They were very strong teams at the time.
00:10:03 Milan had reached the final in '93, just a few months earlier,
00:10:07 so they were definitely among the two favourites.
00:10:11 A great number from Maldini,
00:10:13 cross for Papen, he's got it, goal!
00:10:16 Extraordinary!
00:10:17 Schapier, Papen, Simone.
00:10:20 Papen, Papen, alone, and he doesn't miss!
00:10:24 Papen, Gambaro, Simone in the middle,
00:10:28 Simone, goal!
00:10:30 A great goal for Milan!
00:10:32 3-0 to Barcelona at that time was unusual for Barcelona.
00:10:38 Maybe 1-0 or 1-1 could have been possible.
00:10:42 Everyone decided that would have been the final.
00:10:45 In those years, even the friendly summer was very important,
00:10:49 especially for President Berlusconi, who really cared about the image.
00:10:54 The great strength of the president was always that of being able to seize the right moments.
00:10:59 I remember what he told us at the beginning of the season,
00:11:02 "Guys, get out on the pitch", he always used this thing about getting out on the pitch,
00:11:07 "We have to win the league, we have to win the Champions League,
00:11:10 because I want to become the Italian Prime Minister."
00:11:13 Even the mathematics from Nossomeri, who with five points of advantage,
00:11:22 can no longer be reached by Juventus.
00:11:24 I hope it's not the last victory, but this will be fantastic.
00:11:27 To win three in a row, I think it's a very difficult undertaking.
00:11:30 It's a group of guys who never get satisfied, and that's why they keep having success.
00:11:36 AC Milan won their 14th Scudetto, their third in a row, with two matchdays to go.
00:11:42 One month before that mythical night.
00:11:45 Barcelona won their 14th La Liga title, their fourth in a row, at the last gasp.
00:11:52 Four days before that mythical night.
00:11:55 Two champions in the same arena.
00:11:58 Stoichkov, Koeman, Guardiola and Romario were a frightening prospect for most,
00:12:04 but not for the strongest defence in world football.
00:12:08 That was a very close-knit group.
00:12:10 We weren't just teammates.
00:12:12 Now you could say we were like brothers, like a gang, but we were very, very close friends.
00:12:19 Here's something to say. This defence was invented by Lidl.
00:12:23 I was Lidl's second, and he started to make them play in the area,
00:12:26 which at the time was not played in that way.
00:12:29 That defence was the luck of Sacchi, and it was the luck of Fabio Capelli.
00:12:33 I remember Marco van Basten always talking about Milan's defences,
00:12:40 that there was no way to score against them.
00:12:43 I think that to build a house, you have to start from the bottom, not from the top.
00:12:51 This organisation made each of us stronger individually.
00:12:55 I think we all seemed a bit stronger than we really were.
00:13:00 That special focus, that close-knit line, that was moving in unison,
00:13:06 helped us a lot in every win.
00:13:08 We often trained four against ten, that is, four defenders against ten,
00:13:13 and they never scored.
00:13:15 I can say that in the first year of my time at Milan,
00:13:18 Seba set a record of unbeatable performances.
00:13:20 Many people say that it was a bit of a coincidence,
00:13:22 because the four forwards were unbeatable.
00:13:25 In training, it was difficult for Seba to score.
00:13:28 When the crowd stood up to applaud me,
00:13:31 Filippo Garli, from the bench, came up to me and said,
00:13:36 "Seba, you've set a record!"
00:13:39 I looked up and saw San Siro, and I thanked the fans.
00:13:45 The goalkeeper is the last ball,
00:13:53 and you always try to get as few balls as possible,
00:13:56 sometimes you have to score your own.
00:13:58 I hope this record stays with me for a long time.
00:14:00 You were not very committed.
00:14:02 A stoppage time could mean winning a race.
00:14:07 You don't win for many years in a row
00:14:10 if you don't have a transmission of thought,
00:14:13 a transmission of will,
00:14:15 a transmission of commitment to the shirt.
00:14:17 We won the championship a few weeks before.
00:14:21 We didn't win it all the way.
00:14:24 We won it on the last day.
00:14:26 In that season, Barça played everything in four days.
00:14:31 They played the League on Sunday,
00:14:33 and the Champions League final three days later.
00:14:36 Once they won the League, Barça relaxed.
00:14:40 The pressure they'd kept up all season
00:14:44 was diluted by the achievement of a title.
00:14:48 In preparation for the game,
00:14:51 I think it was a difference between Milan and us.
00:14:56 A team with all the calm,
00:14:58 being able to rest,
00:15:00 being able to prepare for an important game,
00:15:04 compared to us, fighting, winning,
00:15:07 winning in the end, luckily.
00:15:09 I think that in the last few days,
00:15:13 the team relaxed a bit.
00:15:18 We'd been preparing for that one game for 15 days.
00:15:22 It's very difficult in football
00:15:24 to have so much time to prepare for a game alone.
00:15:28 The wait was incredible.
00:15:31 This team was so strong mentally,
00:15:34 that four words were enough to highlight
00:15:37 the difficulties we could have found,
00:15:39 the ability to move that they had.
00:15:42 Against these teams, against these players,
00:15:44 at this level,
00:15:45 if you're not focused until the last moment,
00:15:49 they punish you if you're not careful.
00:15:52 Because they're too good technically.
00:15:55 The fear of not being able to do it
00:16:11 and conviction of being unbeatable.
00:16:15 The former, if you face it,
00:16:17 can make you even stronger.
00:16:19 The latter inevitably weakens you.
00:16:23 After Milan dominated their group,
00:16:42 Arsene Wenger's Monaco were the final obstacle
00:16:45 on their voyage to Athens in a one-off semi-final.
00:16:49 It's an important, intriguing challenge
00:16:52 that proposes a Milan
00:16:54 that is Frenchised by Papin's decisive contribution
00:16:56 before and after the 6-1.
00:16:58 On the other hand,
00:16:59 an Italianised Monaco, in quotes,
00:17:01 by two old acquaintances.
00:17:03 There was an incredible atmosphere,
00:17:05 a San Siro that was overflowing
00:17:07 with enthusiasm.
00:17:09 That was a strong Monaco,
00:17:12 made up of excellent players,
00:17:16 but we were more than a team.
00:17:19 When Desai arrived, Fabio told me one day,
00:17:36 "Mariedo, where do I get him to play?"
00:17:38 I told him, "Give him a shirt."
00:17:40 Desai was a central defender,
00:17:42 he adapted to play in the middle of the pitch
00:17:45 and he did it in an extraordinary way.
00:17:47 The team had changed a bit
00:17:49 and Desai was like bread to us.
00:17:53 A giant.
00:17:55 He had a physical presence,
00:17:58 even on the pitch,
00:18:00 where he made you feel the weight of his stamina,
00:18:04 his grit, his strength, his value.
00:18:30 I was so stupid for being so nervous
00:18:34 about the German central defender
00:18:36 who had been bothering me for a few years
00:18:39 because of his attitude.
00:18:41 I lost my head for a moment.
00:18:43 I remember that moment when the referee said,
00:18:55 "Miamoni, maybe you were too harsh
00:18:57 because of that foul you made."
00:18:59 I knew I was defeated,
00:19:09 so when Miamoni came,
00:19:11 I thought straight away
00:19:13 that I wouldn't have played the final.
00:19:16 Petit's pass,
00:19:17 a ball that was touched by Klinsmann,
00:19:19 he passes the post,
00:19:21 it falls to the ground.
00:19:23 Klinsmann has sent this post,
00:19:25 which had already been moved previously.
00:19:27 He had already understood everything in advance,
00:19:29 he had put his hands on his face
00:19:32 and he had started to gain the way of the defenders.
00:19:36 My mistake didn't make anyone lose their heads
00:19:39 because it was a very balanced team
00:19:42 and the strongest team in the world.
00:19:44 I was on the bench like this,
00:19:46 I was a bit of a fool.
00:19:48 No, beyond the jokes,
00:19:50 I knew that the road wouldn't have been easy
00:19:52 because I still had to convince the coach to clear me.
00:19:56 I had spent a lot of time on the bench,
00:19:59 I was called into action every now and then,
00:20:01 but for me, the training during the week
00:20:03 was as if I had to go on the pitch.
00:20:06 We know that staying in the top ten
00:20:08 can happen in a game,
00:20:10 but we really had a mentality
00:20:12 and a preparation to be able to suffer.
00:20:17 I remember the goal for Libertadori
00:20:30 because it was 2-0.
00:20:32 That Milan had a power,
00:20:34 not so much of fire,
00:20:36 in the sense of being able to score,
00:20:38 but of personality.
00:20:40 They had an absolute strength,
00:20:42 an absolute conviction
00:20:44 to be able to play even in a numerical difficulty.
00:20:46 Indeed, in difficulties they exalted themselves.
00:20:49 We managed to not make heavy losses
00:20:53 and then win the final.
00:20:55 The joy of playing the final
00:21:07 is the thought of inventing a defensive shot
00:21:09 and then to have two such important cards
00:21:11 that were difficult to replace.
00:21:14 It was a heavy thing,
00:21:16 especially playing against a player like Romario,
00:21:19 in an attack like that of Barcelona,
00:21:21 there was a little bit of concern,
00:21:23 but we knew that in some way
00:21:26 we would have adjusted the team.
00:21:30 It was an important loss for the Milan team,
00:21:34 but I think that on the other hand
00:21:36 we were the team that had a strong squad.
00:21:39 It was up to one or two players.
00:21:41 It was terrible that after a few days
00:21:45 Franco and I went to the national team training
00:21:48 and we were separated from our team.
00:21:50 We were a little bit more scared,
00:21:52 much more scared.
00:21:54 With the two of them,
00:21:56 the team would not have been as scared
00:21:59 as without the two of them.
00:22:01 We were definitely outnumbered on the card
00:22:05 and that's what the critics said.
00:22:08 It's nice to go from being outnumbered
00:22:11 to having a challenge to win.
00:22:13 Otherwise it seemed normal.
00:22:15 In those years, Milan won the Scudetto,
00:22:18 the Champions League.
00:22:20 For the first time, we found ourselves
00:22:22 having a challenge within the challenge.
00:22:24 [Music]
00:22:39 We had read the papers.
00:22:41 If you can't have a final with a little more pressure,
00:22:44 I don't know if it's possible.
00:22:46 The statements that came from Spain,
00:22:49 the news that came from Spain,
00:22:51 it was gone.
00:22:52 The critics gave us the favourites.
00:22:54 When you're the favourite, you can give much more.
00:22:57 This way of behaving from Barcelona,
00:23:01 this arrogance, almost,
00:23:03 in being convinced of victory.
00:23:05 It may be because of some comments
00:23:08 from Johan Cruyff about the team that Barça
00:23:12 surely said,
00:23:14 "We play better, we dominate more than one game."
00:23:18 I think it may be that this still warmed up
00:23:22 the Italian team to face this match.
00:23:25 We trained before we did in Barcelona.
00:23:28 Gabbiati stayed there to watch the training.
00:23:32 At the end of the training, Johan Cruyff,
00:23:35 the coach, and Stoichkov
00:23:37 chat in the midfield where there are balls.
00:23:41 At a certain point, they draw up,
00:23:43 Stoichkov takes two unannounced steps,
00:23:45 runs, pulls from the midfield circle
00:23:48 and takes the cross.
00:23:50 Cruyff starts to run, he takes two steps back,
00:23:53 takes the charge, pulls and takes the cross
00:23:56 from the midfield circle.
00:23:57 They laugh and hug.
00:23:59 I look at the cameraman and say, "Yeah!"
00:24:01 He told me about photos, he told me about Cruyff
00:24:05 with his head on the ball, lying in the middle of the field,
00:24:09 looking up at the sky.
00:24:12 It was easy for me to touch sensitive points
00:24:16 in the team's pride.
00:24:18 He said, "Look, they've already had a party,
00:24:20 they're convinced they'll win.
00:24:22 Think of Cruyff leaning on the ball,
00:24:25 lying on his head, lying on the ball, lying in the middle of the field."
00:24:27 I said, "Try to take the ball off
00:24:29 and let's have the head hit the ground."
00:24:39 Talent and pride often go hand in hand
00:24:42 where the greats are concerned.
00:24:44 Johan Cruyff was all of that, on and off the pitch.
00:24:48 As a coach, he built everything in his own image.
00:24:53 Even that great Barcelona side.
00:24:56 Everything designed to amaze.
00:24:58 He was my idol as a kid, Johan Cruyff.
00:25:04 I wore his hair, played with number 14 when I could,
00:25:08 and before the game I asked him for his autograph.
00:25:11 I don't know if I would have done it later.
00:25:13 He was a totem, I don't know how to put it.
00:25:15 He was always a reference for my ideas,
00:25:18 and what my football idea was.
00:25:20 For those of my generation, he was a champion.
00:25:23 As a coach, when you're on the other side,
00:25:25 if you make those statements,
00:25:27 that moment can be your idol,
00:25:30 but also an enemy in those 90 minutes.
00:25:34 I still thank him today,
00:25:36 even though for me he was a great champion.
00:25:40 I remember he came to play a friendly with us once,
00:25:46 but on that occasion he helped us win.
00:25:50 He gave us a big boost.
00:25:52 That was him.
00:25:53 He said what he felt,
00:25:55 and when he had to pay the price, he did it in the first person.
00:25:58 Let's say that on that day he exaggerated a bit.
00:26:01 In presumption.
00:26:02 They don't use caution,
00:26:04 because football is crazy.
00:26:06 Football punishes you.
00:26:07 Every time you say something, the opposite happens.
00:26:09 That was a mistake.
00:26:10 I think he was making some internal statements
00:26:13 so that the players understood.
00:26:15 He was trying to somehow spread self-esteem and power
00:26:22 to a team that had lowered the tension
00:26:24 and was facing the best teams in Europe at the time.
00:26:29 They probably said,
00:26:32 "Let's show that we're not like that, we're different,
00:26:35 we're better."
00:26:37 So, to prepare for the game against Milan,
00:26:41 I think it was another reason.
00:26:44 He gave us that boost.
00:26:47 He said, "Our philosophy is Barcelona.
00:26:52 We buy Romari, but Milan buys De Zee.
00:26:56 If you make a mistake, you pay dearly for that night in Athens."
00:27:00 Maybe he was thinking of facing players
00:27:04 who could mentally suffer from that kind of attitude.
00:27:09 Instead, he got exactly the boomerang effect.
00:27:12 I can have two doubts.
00:27:14 One, they didn't understand much,
00:27:16 or they were afraid,
00:27:17 so they wanted to be absolutely certain.
00:27:19 Knowing that environment,
00:27:21 there's a bit of presumption,
00:27:24 but only because you want to overcome fear.
00:27:30 The time to make a decision is born from consciousness.
00:27:35 It's only when you truly know yourself
00:27:38 that you have the strength to change your own destiny.
00:27:43 Losing the last friendly before a final
00:27:51 could have triggered a collapse.
00:27:53 Florence, however, became a new challenge.
00:27:56 It was the start of the Rossoneri's renaissance.
00:27:59 Billy and I were always away,
00:28:12 on our national break.
00:28:14 I knew the coach was looking for the best solution.
00:28:20 In that game, I was convinced
00:28:22 Desailly could go back to the midfield,
00:28:26 like they did in Barcelona.
00:28:28 You realised that something was wrong.
00:28:32 I realised that the team,
00:28:34 with that kind of defensive play,
00:28:36 with that kind of revolutionary defence,
00:28:38 didn't work.
00:28:40 It wasn't the tactical intuition,
00:28:43 but the message that came from the team.
00:28:46 I'm not saying he lost on purpose,
00:28:48 but he sent very clear messages,
00:28:51 the same Desailly who didn't want to play.
00:28:54 We knew that was the last chance,
00:29:13 the most important chance.
00:29:16 Desailly and I were the central pair.
00:29:19 Filippo Galli was crying,
00:29:21 saying he wouldn't let me play in the final.
00:29:25 I was still convinced that this was my mission,
00:29:30 in those few days left
00:29:33 before the start of the season.
00:29:37 Ciccio Baiano, very good at keeping the ball.
00:29:41 Then there's the clash with Tassotti.
00:29:44 A penalty.
00:29:46 Goal!
00:29:48 Effenberg scored after 18 minutes.
00:29:51 I remember calling all four of the players,
00:29:56 and the only thing I realised
00:29:59 was that Marcel didn't want to play as a central defender.
00:30:03 I knew something was wrong.
00:30:06 Desailly didn't want to play,
00:30:21 but we knew that.
00:30:23 He didn't like the way we played away.
00:30:26 All those shots back and forth,
00:30:28 that elastic.
00:30:30 I was terrified of having to play as a central defender.
00:30:34 He scored in the centre-forward position,
00:30:36 a strong player physically.
00:30:38 But we had to evaluate other things.
00:30:41 The teammates, the ball,
00:30:43 how it was, if it was exposed or not.
00:30:46 The position of the body,
00:30:48 if you were on the side.
00:30:50 We had years of training in those details,
00:30:54 but he had them all, because he came later.
00:30:57 Marcel said, "No, no, Milan's defence has to be very thoughtful."
00:31:01 I don't want to keep the thought of being
00:31:04 in the diagonal, in line,
00:31:08 the double-zone for 90 minutes.
00:31:10 It's not that he didn't do it on purpose,
00:31:12 he didn't play well.
00:31:14 It's a good situation for Effenberg.
00:31:17 Then two players clash,
00:31:19 and Luppi manages to score.
00:31:21 We can't take Desailly offside.
00:31:24 And above all, Palma-Maldini,
00:31:27 I need a quick defender, I accept from Desailly.
00:31:30 At the end of the game, during the press conference,
00:31:33 in front of the journalists, they asked me if I was worried.
00:31:36 I said, "No, I'm happy, because I understood everything."
00:31:39 He had already understood it before the game, Fabio,
00:31:42 because he's too strong as a coach.
00:31:45 To lose Marcel in midfield,
00:31:47 for us it was a lot, because it was a draw,
00:31:50 and you saw it in the final.
00:31:52 We lost the two central defenders,
00:31:55 but we couldn't lose the protection of the two central defenders.
00:31:58 He had a reaction that he had a few times,
00:32:02 so in general he was always very tough.
00:32:05 Instead, after the defeat, he said,
00:32:08 "Guys, today I understood that we are very strong,
00:32:11 we win the Champions League final."
00:32:13 So, you know, even that,
00:32:15 if someone had had doubts,
00:32:18 it gave us even more the feeling of being,
00:32:22 if not favorites, at least equal to them.
00:32:25 All negative, except us,
00:32:27 because we had a great ability to recover.
00:32:32 I remember, the day after the game in Florence,
00:32:36 everyone was silent,
00:32:38 everyone was recharging their batteries, preparing.
00:32:41 Maybe it was also a good thing not to have won that game,
00:32:45 because it put us in doubt,
00:32:48 which raised our responsibility,
00:32:50 our professionalism, our seriousness.
00:32:52 It was like recharging the batteries.
00:32:55 Every training was like we were in Athens playing.
00:32:59 The first training, I understood,
00:33:01 I missed that formation, I missed that way of playing,
00:33:04 I set up the whole week in the work with the defense,
00:33:07 with Tasotti on the right,
00:33:09 Filippo Galli and Maldini in the middle,
00:33:11 and Panucci on the left.
00:33:14 I experienced it with great tension,
00:33:16 but with great concentration.
00:33:18 I remember seeing photos of the training two days before,
00:33:21 and I really saw myself in these photos,
00:33:23 transfigured, but it was for concentration,
00:33:25 for attention to details.
00:33:28 In the end, since he was complaining so much,
00:33:30 we took the car, the one that printed the numbers,
00:33:33 we put the number 5, but we put it on the normal shirt,
00:33:36 Gavite on the jacket,
00:33:37 and so he went around Milan on the eve,
00:33:40 a few days before, with the number 5,
00:33:42 and I said, "Look, no one will take it away from you,
00:33:44 give the signal, like Marcelo gave the signal
00:33:46 that you shouldn't play,
00:33:47 give the signal that you want to play at all costs."
00:33:49 Then there was always the fear,
00:33:51 I think it was like that, at least knowing me,
00:33:53 that the coach could change his mind.
00:33:56 Capello had a bit of a monkey,
00:33:58 he said he would win in Italy, but abroad he wouldn't win.
00:34:00 For him, that final, maybe more than for us,
00:34:03 because we had already won other finals,
00:34:06 but for him it was perhaps even more important.
00:34:08 An actor, in my opinion, must live with glory,
00:34:11 must constantly look for goals
00:34:14 and study to improve.
00:34:16 A general who leads his warriors,
00:34:21 because a final is a battle.
00:34:36 A clash of titans,
00:34:38 an eagerly awaited final,
00:34:40 the night that led to Olympus.
00:34:43 Milan-Barcelona '94,
00:34:51 I think it was probably the match,
00:34:54 the final,
00:34:56 the most beautiful of my 27 years,
00:35:00 spent with the Red and Black jersey.
00:35:03 Not having experienced it on the pitch,
00:35:05 it moved me even more.
00:35:07 I had the captain, Baresi,
00:35:09 who was perhaps more tense than me,
00:35:11 and we were charging at each other.
00:35:13 We arrived at the national training camp,
00:35:15 we asked for permission from the CTI,
00:35:17 which was Sacchi at the time,
00:35:19 and we managed to get to Athens by plane.
00:35:21 I'm sure that a week with Sacchi,
00:35:23 that trip to Athens was a liberation,
00:35:26 because Sacchi was physically massacring us at that moment.
00:35:30 Having Franco and Billy with us,
00:35:33 it made me understand even more
00:35:36 if we needed that group to be united.
00:35:39 People who play, people who don't play,
00:35:41 to get everyone involved in some way,
00:35:44 to the highest point,
00:35:46 to which you can reach with your club.
00:36:02 One of the most beautiful emotions is when you enter the pitch.
00:36:05 The waiting ends, the beginning is the most beautiful thing.
00:36:09 I always looked at the crowd,
00:36:11 also because every time I enter the pitch,
00:36:13 I always look for my mum.
00:36:14 I need to see her and say hello.
00:36:16 My mum said hello and then I saw the whole crowd,
00:36:20 all the people.
00:36:22 I saw that those from Barcelona were more,
00:36:25 but those from Milan were making a mess.
00:36:27 We said, "We'll sell the leather, dear,
00:36:29 this is a bit of a synthesis."
00:36:31 I think that on the pitch you have more chances to let loose,
00:36:34 and on the pitch you have to deal with those who are on your side.
00:36:37 For four or five days,
00:36:39 there were some livids on my shoulder,
00:36:42 because even Franco realised that he was more tense than me.
00:36:46 The beginning was incredible.
00:36:48 Capello had studied everything down to the most minute detail,
00:36:52 shut down the Blaugrana's build-up
00:36:54 and catch them on the break.
00:36:56 The absence of the pillars Barresi and Costa Corpa
00:36:59 did not weaken the Rossoneri tempo.
00:37:02 I think that Milan won that game tactically.
00:37:06 There were three fundamental things.
00:37:09 Not letting Koeman play,
00:37:11 not letting Guardiola play,
00:37:12 so they were constantly pressed,
00:37:15 and leaving the ball to Ferrer.
00:37:16 That was the weak point.
00:37:18 Leaving immediately, because, as always,
00:37:21 Barcelona's defences have never been the best in their lives.
00:37:25 Capello's approach was perfect,
00:37:28 and it worked as it should have.
00:37:32 They lost because of the initial attitude of my teammates in the first five minutes.
00:37:36 They realised that there was a strong team ahead.
00:37:40 A few minutes later, I remember I saw in a sprint
00:37:44 that Donadoni was five metres away from Ferrer.
00:37:47 There was a clear difference in intensity and physicality.
00:37:54 Daniele, after three minutes, started running behind everyone.
00:37:57 I think I didn't have a moment of peace
00:38:01 playing from behind, because Massaro had pressured me the whole game.
00:38:07 Savicevic was pressing Guardiola in an incredible way.
00:38:12 I had the feeling that Barça's players
00:38:16 were two seconds behind Milan's players.
00:38:21 Filippo Galli, who probably didn't play much that year,
00:38:25 but that performance really got him in the Olimpico.
00:38:29 I would be a hypocrite if I said that it wasn't my best performance.
00:38:34 Finally playing a final, a Champions League final,
00:38:41 was a dream come true.
00:38:46 I felt like a hero.
00:38:48 That game was a re-experience for me.
00:38:51 I thought I had been taken away from me,
00:38:55 partly because of the injuries, partly because of the skill of the players.
00:39:03 Filippo Galli was there before I arrived in Milan.
00:39:07 He was lucky to have had Lidon for a few years,
00:39:11 to have had Sacchi, so he was like Franco, like Billy,
00:39:15 like everyone else who did the same exercises a million and a half times,
00:39:19 trying to work hard so as not to have surprises on the pitch.
00:39:24 Someone called me the fifth Beatles,
00:39:27 because when I was called to the cause,
00:39:29 I was trying to be as good as these four monsters.
00:39:33 I still remember Ferrer, Filippo Galli's header,
00:39:37 and the way he scored on the dreaded Romario,
00:39:41 which was one of the central reasons.
00:39:45 Romario had already surprised me in '93,
00:39:50 because I was on the ball, I remember it very well.
00:39:53 I waited a moment and I was surprised by his speed of execution.
00:39:57 The ball bounced and he was very fast,
00:40:00 like very few other players.
00:40:03 So that already mentally prepares you for what you have to face.
00:40:07 There was only one time when Romario had a ball that kicked in the goal
00:40:13 and Filippo Galli touched the ball just as it came out.
00:40:17 Maybe that was the only real, dangerous ball created by Barcelona in that game.
00:40:24 Baquero, Amor, inside and the first round by Romario.
00:40:32 Providential touch with the ball, by Filippo Galli.
00:40:35 This point that he managed to get out of that amount that was enough,
00:40:40 after which we always had our mega super Seba Rossi,
00:40:45 who maybe would have put a piece on it.
00:40:47 I remember that Seba turned to me and said,
00:40:49 "What are you doing? Let him shoot, it's one, 90 minutes."
00:40:54 You complain regardless, so on the pitch it's never easy,
00:40:58 but that's also a matter of mentality.
00:41:01 None of them had the time to play calmly,
00:41:05 not a single ball in the game.
00:41:07 So it was a dominated game from every point of view.
00:41:10 Paolo helped me a lot, he knew that if I anticipated the movement,
00:41:14 he would put a long ball, he would close me, so we were prepared.
00:41:18 He could also risk the early game, knowing that there was the central defender
00:41:21 who would give him a look.
00:41:22 I always fell well, because I had Billy, I had Paolo, I had Franco.
00:41:27 Cristian really had character, he didn't get emotional, he was always ready.
00:41:35 I've never seen him in trouble.
00:41:37 I'm a silent person, someone who needs to live,
00:41:41 I need to understand what Stoichkov does to me in this situation,
00:41:44 if he takes the ball, where do I take it.
00:41:46 He's always done that in my entire career, when I met players like him.
00:41:50 They started with Stoichkov on the right and Begiristain on the left,
00:41:55 on my side.
00:41:56 I never thought of a woman like I thought of him that week.
00:42:01 I watched all the games, I watched what he did.
00:42:04 I wanted to amaze, to make a great game.
00:42:10 At some point, after 20 minutes, the players changed.
00:42:17 They changed.
00:42:18 I said to myself, I'm doing a good job.
00:42:20 I got there and if I touched the ball, I would explode,
00:42:23 because I was a pin, I was loaded with balls.
00:42:27 We could have played for another five hours and they would never have scored.
00:42:31 We were mentally too strong.
00:42:35 Capella had formed the pairs to give a reference point,
00:42:38 because at Barcelona, if you possess the ball a lot,
00:42:41 you lose the distance between the players.
00:42:47 My reference point was Pep Guardiola,
00:42:50 who was the brain of a philosophy of play,
00:42:55 like that of Barcelona, of possession.
00:42:57 Tiki Taka, who is mentioned later in the years.
00:43:01 He started all the dangerous actions,
00:43:06 he put the ball on Guardiola,
00:43:09 and I think that little detail, as they say,
00:43:14 decided the game.
00:43:16 A sports comparison with a great champion of the same age,
00:43:22 we played with the same number.
00:43:24 After he took the number 4, he played with the number 3.
00:43:27 We had a parallel career in two great companies,
00:43:30 in two great teams, in the same role,
00:43:33 like the two promising young players of European football,
00:43:37 so it was a personal comparison.
00:43:39 The greatest night of them all had an air of redemption about it.
00:43:46 Daniele Massaro became a legend among legends
00:43:50 and knocked on the door of the gods.
00:43:52 Good touch for Savicevic.
00:43:55 Savicevic stretches the ball, shoots, Massaro.
00:43:59 Goal for Milan, goal for Milan with Massaro.
00:44:04 I think it was the icing on the cake of an incredible year.
00:44:09 I followed Dejan's action,
00:44:11 and he, after years and years, told me
00:44:13 "I wanted to shoot, I was wrong, I messed up,
00:44:16 but I was in the right place at the right time."
00:44:18 Daniele was a great attacker,
00:44:22 who knew how to shoot with both feet perfectly.
00:44:26 It was clear that it would have been an advantage
00:44:29 because Barcelona was already projected to discover itself, to stretch.
00:44:36 Every goal brought out all the concentration, anger, malice.
00:44:41 I had a football with an advertising poster,
00:44:44 I was 20 years old and if I could fly, I flew at that moment.
00:44:50 There is the image, just after the goals,
00:44:52 where my teammates go under our curve,
00:44:56 which I think is the emblem of that final.
00:44:58 Helping each other,
00:45:00 it started where the fans of Barcelona felt the most,
00:45:03 but after a quarter of an hour, of course,
00:45:06 there was really an overtaking for what was the passion of the fans.
00:45:12 I think everyone understood what could be done.
00:45:16 When you go in a dribbling, when you go in a contrast,
00:45:22 when you have a technical opponent and you come out,
00:45:26 most of the time the winner, that was really fundamental.
00:45:32 On this opening I checked the ball and I aimed it,
00:45:43 I managed to jump it in a fairly decisive and clear way.
00:45:48 Being able to see the movement of Daniele,
00:45:54 who was very good at being able to get lost, to find the right space.
00:45:59 I saw the very, very crowded air,
00:46:02 I made a countermovement, I got off,
00:46:05 and he decided, obviously,
00:46:07 raising his head, that I was in the right position.
00:46:12 Donato in penetration, Buonemassaro, goal!
00:46:15 Goal for Milan!
00:46:17 With the right action, and goal for Massaro!
00:46:20 Again he...
00:46:22 The face of Cruyff, who turned to see his opponent,
00:46:27 with the expression, as if to say, "But it shouldn't have gone like this."
00:46:31 He was really surprised, surprised,
00:46:34 shocked by what was happening.
00:46:36 It was a very difficult position,
00:46:38 especially for someone who is not a Mancino.
00:46:41 He scored a great goal,
00:46:45 in a position that is not so easy to score.
00:46:49 He completely changed his image in Milan,
00:46:52 he entered history there too,
00:46:54 he had already scored many important goals,
00:46:56 but those two goals led him to the center of Milan's history.
00:47:06 The first match I remember was May 28, 1969,
00:47:13 4-1 Milan Ajax,
00:47:15 three goals from Pierino Prati,
00:47:17 that's why I'm linked to that number.
00:47:20 One day I said to my brother,
00:47:22 "Would you like to go down in history
00:47:25 and score a goal in a Champions League final?"
00:47:28 Few can say they've made a double in the Champions League final.
00:47:32 I wasn't as good as Prati, who scored three.
00:47:36 Milan is at ease,
00:47:38 with a 2-0 lead, double from Massaro.
00:47:42 Even between the first and second half,
00:47:44 we were doing something exceptional,
00:47:46 we didn't want to throw him away.
00:47:48 The so-called football rumors,
00:47:50 until the referee whistled the end,
00:47:53 but 2-0 was a good lead.
00:47:56 The strength of that team was not to give up,
00:47:59 not to think about winning.
00:48:02 The most beautiful goal,
00:48:04 Marcel's revenge,
00:48:06 the triumph, the game of the century.
00:48:09 A two-goal lead is always positive,
00:48:15 yet doesn't guarantee anything.
00:48:17 Knowing the value of the opponents,
00:48:19 I knew that the quality of the players
00:48:22 was the most important thing.
00:48:24 I knew that the quality of the players
00:48:27 was the most important thing.
00:48:29 I knew that the quality of the players
00:48:32 was so high that, like all relaxes,
00:48:34 five minutes turned the game around.
00:48:37 One moment caused time to stand still in Athens,
00:48:40 the moment in which the myth was created.
00:48:43 They also believed in each other after 2-0.
00:48:47 A result during a 2-0 game,
00:48:50 if you score 2-1,
00:48:52 I think there is hope.
00:48:54 But after the third goal,
00:48:56 I think the game was over.
00:48:58 Their hopes were zero,
00:49:00 because it was impossible to score three goals
00:49:03 against AC Milan.
00:49:05 Stavicevic, Albertini,
00:49:07 Lancia looking for Stavicevic,
00:49:09 Nadal is in advantage.
00:49:11 After that duel,
00:49:13 after the match against Nadal,
00:49:15 now maybe VAR would have done it.
00:49:18 Who knows?
00:49:19 I saw on the screen that it was out.
00:49:22 And then,
00:49:23 he scores an incredible goal!
00:49:26 A breath of wind,
00:49:28 a breeze blowing down from the Balkans.
00:49:31 You won't believe it,
00:49:33 but when I touched the ball,
00:49:35 I saw it in the net.
00:49:37 I saw the ball right away.
00:49:39 When I touched it,
00:49:40 I saw where it went.
00:49:42 I turned around and celebrated.
00:49:44 I don't know why.
00:49:46 After 30 years,
00:49:47 I'm not crazy.
00:49:49 From that position,
00:49:50 only one step could score.
00:49:52 He could try to shoot at goal.
00:49:55 If you've seen Dejan's talent,
00:49:57 you can expect anything.
00:49:58 When I shot at goal,
00:50:00 I was already in the middle of the pitch.
00:50:02 I was convinced of all this.
00:50:04 Only those who don't know him
00:50:06 can think that it was something
00:50:08 he couldn't think of at that moment.
00:50:11 He was always a very instinctive player.
00:50:14 He was one of the most direct players
00:50:16 I've ever played with.
00:50:18 He took the ball,
00:50:19 he made the first two steps,
00:50:21 dribbling someone,
00:50:22 but straight,
00:50:23 and then he put the ball to goal
00:50:25 and tried to shoot.
00:50:27 Savicevic was a great player.
00:50:30 He played a great game.
00:50:33 He deserved to score in this way
00:50:36 because it was a great goal.
00:50:38 Great talent
00:50:39 gives more in important occasions.
00:50:43 The more important the game is,
00:50:44 the more it grows.
00:50:46 Savicevic only did magic.
00:50:49 It's in his DNA.
00:50:51 That's when we understood we could win.
00:50:54 With the genius goal,
00:50:56 with that wonderful pass
00:50:58 on Zubizarreta.
00:50:59 This is a fairy tale.
00:51:01 If you think that on the same day
00:51:03 our president became president of the board...
00:51:06 He loved me.
00:51:07 He wanted to take me to Milan.
00:51:10 That's why I had a special relationship
00:51:14 with him every time I came to Milanello.
00:51:17 Silvio Berlusconi
00:51:18 gave me a great job.
00:51:21 I dreamed of giving him a great gift
00:51:24 for his recognition.
00:51:26 I think I did it well.
00:51:28 He was in the papers.
00:51:30 "If you're a genius, you'll prove it tomorrow."
00:51:32 One of his jokes
00:51:34 that he said every now and then.
00:51:35 The only final he didn't see live
00:51:37 because he was in Parliament.
00:51:39 He didn't believe we could win
00:51:41 with such a high result.
00:51:43 1-0, 2-0, 3-0.
00:51:47 For whom? For us? For Milan?
00:51:50 After the game, we felt it.
00:51:52 We were all happy.
00:51:54 I congratulate him, he congratulates me.
00:51:56 Cruyff's world had been turned upside down.
00:52:02 All that remained was his look of disbelief.
00:52:05 But it wasn't over yet.
00:52:07 There was still time for him.
00:52:09 Marcel, the giant that wanted to play in midfield.
00:52:12 Desailly became everything
00:52:14 that a footballer dreams of.
00:52:16 A star in the game of the century.
00:52:18 Marcelo, playing like a team from the province.
00:52:23 And another brilliant goal from Milan.
00:52:28 Savicevic.
00:52:30 Always him.
00:52:32 Desailly.
00:52:34 Albertini.
00:52:35 Desailly.
00:52:36 Goal!
00:52:38 4-0.
00:52:39 I'll always remember that.
00:52:41 I was falling.
00:52:43 I said, "If Marcel goes deep,
00:52:45 it's not his best quality."
00:52:47 Because we always managed to go deep.
00:52:50 Marcel always said,
00:52:52 "We score few goals.
00:52:54 We're midfielders, we score few goals.
00:52:56 We need to score an important goal."
00:52:59 And in the end, he scored
00:53:01 in the Champions League final with great joy.
00:53:03 Cruyff, as we know,
00:53:05 said unpleasant things
00:53:07 to the club, to the coach,
00:53:10 especially to Marcel.
00:53:12 He was even angrier.
00:53:14 They didn't know they'd made a mistake
00:53:16 by saying those things.
00:53:18 Cruyff told his players,
00:53:20 "Malota, don't worry about Desailly.
00:53:23 The only thing you shouldn't worry about
00:53:25 is Desailly."
00:53:27 It was a submission.
00:53:29 I think it was one of the best games
00:53:31 I'd ever seen of Desailly.
00:53:34 And that monstrous performance
00:53:36 that Desailly made,
00:53:38 to show that the club
00:53:40 and the coach
00:53:42 hadn't made a mistake.
00:53:44 He was considered a rough
00:53:46 Desailly,
00:53:48 a wood-breaker.
00:53:50 He was the link
00:53:52 between Barcelona's presumption
00:53:54 and Milan's humility.
00:53:56 He was a force,
00:53:58 a really unique
00:54:00 attention.
00:54:02 Capello kept his hands
00:54:06 in his pockets,
00:54:08 as if he was personally gripping
00:54:10 the Barcelona tide,
00:54:12 suffocating the Catalans,
00:54:14 denying them breathing space.
00:54:16 I asked Fabio Capello
00:54:18 many times why he didn't celebrate.
00:54:20 He always answered
00:54:22 that he knew Barcelona's strength.
00:54:24 I didn't want to
00:54:26 get out of the tension
00:54:28 of the game,
00:54:30 the focus I had on the game.
00:54:32 I didn't want there to be
00:54:34 a drop in tension and focus.
00:54:36 That's why I was always there,
00:54:38 in my pocket, without celebrating.
00:54:40 Fabio never celebrated much.
00:54:42 He was always worried
00:54:44 about what could happen.
00:54:46 He always called someone
00:54:48 to be careful.
00:54:50 I think he was very happy,
00:54:52 but he never wanted
00:54:54 to lower his guard.
00:54:56 That night was a turning point,
00:54:58 especially for him.
00:55:00 He bought serenity,
00:55:02 awareness that
00:55:04 he would have been part of the story.
00:55:06 I think he only focused on 4-0.
00:55:08 I was in my pocket,
00:55:10 but they were in the pitch
00:55:12 with their heads the same way.
00:55:14 It was symbiotic.
00:55:16 I think he would have wanted to play,
00:55:18 but he lived it as a protagonist
00:55:20 because he managed to achieve
00:55:22 what all coaches
00:55:24 want and desire
00:55:26 in their careers.
00:55:28 I think that's Fabio Capello's
00:55:30 masterpiece.
00:55:32 Valdini touched the ankle.
00:55:34 He didn't want to change.
00:55:36 He wanted to change.
00:55:38 I struggled to walk.
00:55:40 He didn't do it anymore.
00:55:42 He made expressions
00:55:44 that were painful.
00:55:46 I told him to go to the coach
00:55:48 and make Stefano Navas play.
00:55:50 I remember the moment
00:55:52 when he touched us.
00:55:54 He touched us on the bench.
00:55:56 We were all cheering
00:55:58 because another one of us
00:56:00 would have come on.
00:56:02 You don't see that many players
00:56:04 in the final.
00:56:06 The Dream Team,
00:56:20 who play football,
00:56:22 and get four goals in a final
00:56:24 and already had the cup in their hands,
00:56:26 their faces were devastated.
00:56:28 We crushed them.
00:56:30 It was an incredible experience.
00:56:32 I remember the image
00:56:34 of his bench,
00:56:36 on his knees,
00:56:38 with his hands covering his head.
00:56:40 It was the cover
00:56:42 we gave the next day.
00:56:44 It was a very
00:56:46 deceptive photo.
00:56:48 It was a sad night
00:56:50 because
00:56:52 you can always lose.
00:56:54 It's possible in football
00:56:56 that you can lose a game,
00:56:58 but it's so important
00:57:00 to have the image
00:57:02 we had in that game
00:57:04 in the final.
00:57:06 I think it's difficult.
00:57:08 It was a very good result
00:57:10 for a team like Barça in a final.
00:57:12 It was a final game.
00:57:14 4-0.
00:57:16 We were proud.
00:57:18 It will remain in the long history
00:57:20 of football and the Champions League.
00:57:22 The feeling of total satisfaction
00:57:24 and having dominated
00:57:26 a game that was
00:57:28 one of the most difficult
00:57:30 of our final games.
00:57:32 What did I think after the win?
00:57:34 The joy of my wife.
00:57:36 Because
00:57:38 after we lost
00:57:40 the game against Marseille
00:57:42 in Monaco,
00:57:44 in the elevator,
00:57:46 we were with people
00:57:48 who made comments we didn't like.
00:57:50 I was almost moved by that strength.
00:57:52 I was almost moved
00:57:54 because I didn't think I could
00:57:56 be part of such a strong team.
00:57:58 That team made Barcelona proud.
00:58:00 Humiliating Barcelona
00:58:02 against Dekruijf,
00:58:04 a mythological team
00:58:06 was something
00:58:08 quite unusual,
00:58:10 unpredictable
00:58:12 and unrepeatable.
00:58:14 It was like watching
00:58:16 the films of Balspenster and Terensi.
00:58:18 They all get beaten up.
00:58:20 They get to 7-8,
00:58:22 they get beaten up.
00:58:24 I think they were devastated.
00:58:26 They didn't think
00:58:28 such a strong hurricane would come.
00:58:30 After the game,
00:58:32 it was a strange feeling.
00:58:34 I didn't feel like
00:58:36 a part of that team for an hour or so.
00:58:38 I realised what they had done
00:58:40 and I took a step
00:58:42 to the side.
00:58:44 When I got back
00:58:46 by plane with Franco,
00:58:48 I realised how proud I was
00:58:50 of that team.
00:58:52 In the hour and a half
00:58:54 after the game,
00:58:56 I was admired
00:58:58 and conquered by that team.
00:59:00 "And here is the moment
00:59:02 of the Champions Cup
00:59:04 for tonight's captain,
00:59:06 Mauro Sassotti."
00:59:08 I remember that I had
00:59:10 that cup in my hands
00:59:12 in a matter of seconds.
00:59:14 I took the last step
00:59:16 and I saw Gagliani.
00:59:18 I don't know if it's because
00:59:20 of my character,
00:59:22 but I remember Franco
00:59:24 saying some very nice words
00:59:26 and he was very happy for me
00:59:28 to have had the chance
00:59:30 to lift the cup.
00:59:32 He lived those years with me
00:59:34 in the early 80s.
00:59:36 He's a historian
00:59:38 and I think we deserved
00:59:40 to lift the cup.
00:59:42 I remember the trance
00:59:44 I entered after the game.
00:59:46 I remember laughing
00:59:48 during the first action
00:59:50 and afterwards.
00:59:52 I think that Milan
00:59:54 became a myth that night.
00:59:56 It was a bit of a
00:59:58 synonym for everything.
01:00:00 Luckily, we didn't have
01:00:02 a sponsor for the shirt
01:00:04 because otherwise
01:00:06 Adriano would have
01:00:08 pulled my ears.
01:00:10 It was very touching.
01:00:12 I spent all those years
01:00:14 with Gagliani,
01:00:16 and I have to say
01:00:18 thanks to him.
01:00:20 I think I didn't sleep
01:00:22 that night because
01:00:24 I was full of adrenaline.
01:00:26 It was a river.
01:00:28 I, Angelo Carbone,
01:00:30 we all went to Ushimbo
01:00:32 because I needed to
01:00:34 vent, to go to the club.
01:00:36 We ended up in the middle of the crowd.
01:00:38 We forgot the cup
01:00:40 and Gagliani went to get it back.
01:00:42 Maybe we had a little too much to drink.
01:00:44 We ended up arguing
01:00:46 at 6 in the morning.
01:00:48 We had to leave for the airport.
01:00:50 Gagliani didn't know where we were.
01:00:52 In the morning,
01:00:54 we met at the hotel
01:00:56 at the Athens airport
01:00:58 at the Moiror-Fey circus.
01:01:00 He had set up
01:01:02 the elephants on the road
01:01:04 that led to the airport
01:01:06 and to the nearby streets
01:01:08 with the Milan flags.
01:01:10 We all put on a little earring
01:01:12 because we had just
01:01:14 returned to Milan.
01:01:16 It lasted only a week
01:01:18 and then I left for the World Cup.
01:01:20 I didn't feel like
01:01:22 showing my earring
01:01:24 while playing for Italy.
01:01:26 For the events
01:01:28 that have characterized
01:01:30 my life,
01:01:32 not only in sports,
01:01:34 I have always wanted
01:01:36 to keep an object
01:01:38 with me.
01:01:40 That day, I didn't know
01:01:42 what to take because
01:01:44 Massaro had taken the ball
01:01:46 and no one wanted to give up
01:01:48 the shirt.
01:01:50 Unfortunately, I'm not a great collector
01:01:52 but the shirt of the final
01:01:54 is absolutely with me.
01:01:56 Unfortunately, they didn't give me
01:01:58 the shirt.
01:02:00 So I attached myself
01:02:02 to this jacket
01:02:04 that I still have.
01:02:06 I presented it there.
01:02:08 The only picture of me
01:02:10 is when I shake hands
01:02:12 with my teammates.
01:02:14 I still have the jacket.
01:02:16 I have the shirt and the cup
01:02:18 in my office and I look at it
01:02:20 every day.
01:02:22 I'm very proud of it.
01:02:24 Every time
01:02:26 I see it on TV,
01:02:28 it seems like the first time
01:02:30 I see it because it was so beautiful
01:02:32 that I always see it.
01:02:34 It's unforgettable.
01:02:36 For us, the players,
01:02:38 and for the fans
01:02:40 who were in Athens
01:02:42 and saw the game live,
01:02:44 I think it will stay with us forever.
01:02:46 I think we are remembered
01:02:48 for how we won,
01:02:50 not only for what we won but also for how.
01:02:52 It was a game
01:02:54 that no Milanese
01:02:56 will ever forget.
01:02:58 In terms of
01:03:00 the show, the quality of the game,
01:03:02 the dominance of the opponent,
01:03:04 there is no doubt that
01:03:06 Milan-Barcelona will stay in history.
01:03:08 It was a magical year
01:03:10 with a super magical final.
01:03:12 To turn it around
01:03:14 in that way, to win it in that way
01:03:16 with that score, was the apotheosis.
01:03:18 It was really beautiful
01:03:20 to be in that Milan.
01:03:22 History does not end.
01:03:24 Unbelievable.
01:03:26 Exceptional.
01:03:28 Wonderful.
01:03:30 Perfect final.
01:03:32 AC Milan were crowned
01:03:34 champions of Europe
01:03:36 for the fifth time in their history.
01:03:38 AC Milan 4
01:03:40 Barcelona 0
01:03:42 Everything out of nothing.
01:03:44 In Athens,
01:03:46 in the land of the gods,
01:03:48 the apotheosis.
01:03:50 In the land of the gods,
01:03:52 the apotheosis.
01:03:54 AC Milan 4
01:03:56 Barcelona 0
01:03:58 Everything out of nothing.
01:04:00 In the land of the gods,
01:04:02 the apotheosis.
01:04:04 In the land of the gods,
01:04:06 the apotheosis.
01:04:08 In the land of the gods,
01:04:10 the apotheosis.
01:04:12 In the land of the gods,
01:04:14 the apotheosis.
01:04:16 In the land of the gods,
01:04:18 the apotheosis.
01:04:20 In the land of the gods,
01:04:22 the apotheosis.
01:04:24 (dramatic music)
01:04:26 (whooshing)